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" Shift Happens"
or
Handling Life's Surprising Turns Without Stripping Your Gears!
Can you believe it, after all these years, I'm finally driving a stick! Not
only that, but I'm driving on the wrong side of the road, the wrong side of the
car, and the wrong side of the world! Who would have thought it? So I'm learning
all these new things, like a car cannot stay in first gear - unless it really
isn't going anywhere anyway. And of course, neither can we! You've got to shift
in order to move forward into the high calling of your life's noble purpose!
When God has placed His dream in your heart, earthbound dreams simply cannot
satisfy you any longer. It's time you shifted gears!
Oh, but sometimes to shift us, God has to sift us. It's not always easy, is it?
Webster defines shift as "changing the place, position, or direction of
something." Have you experienced any shift lately? A shift in place, in
position, or in direction. If so, how are you handling it? Are you blowing a
gasket, or going with the flow? The wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, wrote,
"To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven." In
other words, "shift happens!" The issue is how we respond when it comes. You
see, the unshifted life is untested, and therefore unproven. As such, it is
unreliable, and for that reason, it is often unnoticed and unused.
Life is change, and to refuse to change is to refuse to grow. Sometimes
the change is welcomed, and other times it is not - but either way, it comes at
us without discrimination and requires that we respond in positive, proactive
and purposeful ways. Those who do so grow stronger, better, wiser, and richer.
Those who refuse to embrace change not only fail in life, but ultimately, they
perish!
Change is inevitable; growth is optional. Growth means change, and change
involves risk; stepping from the known to the unknown. To change is difficult,
not to change is fatal! The Psalmist wrote,
"Men who never change their ways have no fear of God" Psalm 55:19 NIV
If we will not shift when God is moving us to do so, if we will not change
our ways, then our only alternative is to become shiftless - people who
are lacking in resourcefulness, ambition, or incentive.
Patty and I are at just such a time in our lives! Even after selling our home,
saying goodbye to our church, and moving to the other side of the world, we
still find that our life must change. Let me explain....for years we believed
that as we transitioned out of pastoring and into more apostolic ministry, that
our church of 30 years would have the means to support us financially. It was a
nice dream, but it is one that we must now release. With finances tight at The
Bridge, it is time for us to shift again. We are living in times of epic
change and great challenge. Whether it be on the grand global scale, or in the
unnoticed personal side of things - shift happens! To everything there is a
season, a time for every purpose under heaven. We sincerely want to thank Ps.
Andrew and The Bridge for all they have done for us up to now, and at the same
time, we release them from any further commitment. Patty and I will trust God to
take care of us! It's a good feeling! We are excited to see how He will provide
for us in this new season. We will look to The Lord and to others who believe in
our ministry for the future! If you feel that The Lord is speaking to you about
partnering with us and sowing into the good soil of South Africa, we would be
blessed. If you feel that you are supposed to stay connected to us
apostolically, then tithing or giving into our ministry is one of the ways that
you can do that. Do whatever is in your heart!!
With that, let me offer you a little formula that I believe will help you when
you are challenged by change. My life's purpose has always been to clearly and
creatively communicate the truth of God's unchanging Word in an ever-changing
world so as to affect the greatest change possible. So here goes - it consists
of seven simple facts, each one leading to the other in a natural and inevitable
sequence.
Fact one, healthy things grow. They have a
saying in Ireland, "You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your
grandfather was." If you are healthy, you are going to grow. This is true of
people, crops, businesses, marriages, churches, investments, and a host of other
things in our lives - if it is healthy, it will grow. If it is not growing, it
is not healthy. Healthy things grow.
Fact two, growing things change. This is how
we know they are growing, they are different than when we last saw them. Life
finds a way, and change is the evidence of this. The key to success is often the
ability to adapt. Charles Darwin wrote, "it is not the strongest of the species
that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is the most
adaptable to change." Whatever one may think of Mr. Darwin's other conclusions,
this one certainly is true.
Fact three, changing things challenge us.
Mark Twain said, "the only person that likes change is a wet baby!" Basically,
we like things to stay the way we like them. We are creatures of habit and
comfort, and enjoy things being left alone when we have them just the way we
think they ought to be! When change happens, it presents us with challenge. The
greater the change, the greater the challenge. So, when shift happens, we tend
to get more than a little perturbed. But, shift happens - 'and the times they
are a-changin' to quote Bob Dylan!
Fact four, challenging things force us to trust God.
What else are you going to do - quit? Challenge requires that we
trust God at new levels, especially when we are faced with something that seems
to be more than we can handle. He who calls us to a higher level will lend more
than a helping hand to insure we make it there. But we must turn to Him and
trust Him. After all, it is not called a 'leap of faith' for nothing!
Fact five, trust leads to obedience. If we
turn to God in faith, and trust Him during shifting times - He will speak to us.
But, we must do what He tells us to do. The old Gospel song says it best, "Trust
and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey."
Fact six, obedience makes us healthy.
Solomon wrote, "Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out
everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere
you go; He's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it
all. Run to God! Run from evil!" And here is what will happen -
"Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate
with life!" pro. 3:5-8 The Message.
Someone said, "when I do bad, I feel bad. When I do good, I feel good."
Haven't you found it to be the same in your own life? Obedience makes us healthy
and prosperous. When we do what God wants us to do, our lives abound with
blessing.
And fact seven, healthy things grow! Now we
are back to where we started. That's how it works; it's the cycle of healthy
growth for every person who will accept it. Even now you are somewhere in this
cycle - that is, if you want to be healthy - not just physically, but
spiritually, emotionally, socially, financially, culturally, politically, and
every other way imaginable. It is, after all, God's will for your life. And
because of that single fact - Shift Happens!
Apostle Steve
 
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