Are you letting things you have the authority to control rob you of power?
It’s easy to think about the big areas we want to change, but what about the small drains in our lives? The actions and assumptions that poke holes and make way for slow leaks.
I have felt powerless before in saving money, losing weight, participating in functions that I did not want to attend, condoning offensive behavior, or allowing someone to blantantly lie in an effort to keep the peace. I’d told myself that I was incapable of controlling the scenario, but that was never true. I just gave my fear of change more power than my fear of things staying the same.
I could have saved the money, but I didn’t want my lifestyle to change. I could have lost the weight, but I didn’t want my diet to change. I could have said no to the functions, but I didn’t want my circle to think differently of me.
The fear of change is no longer allowed to hold you hostage.
The more you’re willing to open yourself up for change, the more capacity you have for power to flow through you. With God, you can change your way into power by modeling your life after Jesus. The disciples didn’t just drop their fishing nets and receive power. No, they had to walk with power before they could walk in power. In walking with Jesus, they were able to ask questions about what was happening in their spirits and perspectives that were prohibiting them from doing what Jesus did.
A long-lasting love becomes richer and more powerful — not because things stayed the same, but because two people were able to stay connected throughout all the changes. A friendship that withstands seasons of career changes, relocations, new loves, heartbreak, and all the other highs and lows of life is a relationship that did not require a person to stay the same to remain connected.
To be honest, the relationships I distance myself from have more to do with the person staying the same than it does with them changing. If you’re in my life, I expect for you to change and grow. When I witness my friends taking the awkward, uncomfortable path towards growth, it inspires me. Anyone who needs you to change is requesting that you never discover who God has destined you to become.
I have moments when I’m like, “Man, God is so faithful!” and other moments when I’m like, “God, where are You?” It’s not because God has changed His character, but rather because God has changed His expression.
The most beautiful part of my story has been sitting back to watch and see how God is going to show up next in my life. I just have to remind myself to trust that my search for where or how God is moving will never be in vain.
Throughout the Bible, we see how God changed His expression. Sometimes He spoke directly to his creation; other times He used nature to speak to humanity. Then we see Him move through prophet after prophet — still God, new expression.
The same all-powerful God made you in His image.
A simplified version of you will frustrate your insides because you were empowered for more. I’m not even talking about more material possessions, business or resources. You, my friend, have been empowered to become more.
