Be The change you want to see

            The other day at work, a co-worker and I noticed a lady in the parking lot who had her hood open on her car. It was obvious she was having car problems. I said to my co-worker “Hey, you know a lot about cars, maybe you can go help her”. (I said it jokingly, but I was serious). He replied. “I don’t get paid to do that”. And I said well sometimes it’s okay to do things without getting paid, if you’re helping someone that’s payment enough”. He goes on to say “the way the world is, everything is about money”. Forgetting that he might not be saved I say “Just because the world changes doesn’t mean we have to.” That’s when another co-worker comes out of no-where and says “Well people aren’t born racist, the world MAKES us that way”. I just stopped and let them go on agreeing on how the world “makes us” certain ways.  I knew the conversation would go nowhere, because they were looking for an argument, not a debate. (Every invitation to an argument, does not require an RSVP, it’s okay to walk away, or just but quiet sometimes)

            After that conversation I was reminded of a song by Lyfe Jennings that I head many years ago, I can’t remember the title of the song, but in the song he says “be the change you want to see, don’t be a nickel out her looking for a dime”. In this song he was referring to relationships, and having standards for others, but not meeting those standards yourself. Which then made me think of being a Christian. The change that takes place, the transformation that happens, or is continuously happening. No man nor woman walking this earth is perfect, but that doesn’t mean we can’t strive to live life to please our most perfect God.

            Once a person accepts Jesus Christ into their life as their personal Lord and savior and transformation happens. You can’t physically feel it, but it happens. All of your sins are washed clean. There is no record kept of your wrongs, you have been made into a NEW creature. Exciting right?! But it doesn’t end there. There are constant changes that SHOULD be happening as you grow in Christ, but you have to WANT to make those changes. See a lot of Christians, like to say “God isn’t finished with me yet” when they make mistakes. No if you’re alive he’s not done, you still have an assignment to complete and he is still shaping you into being the man or woman of God he has called you to be. The problem happens when people use phrases like that to justify their wrong doing. To justify their sin or “imperfections”. We’re all imperfect, but we don’t HAVE to purposely sin, or live IN sin. There is a difference in not being perfect and choosing a life of sin, or making the decision to sin.

            Believe it or not, I used to curse, and I could curse with the best of em if I was made or upset. Back then, I could probably say “well they MADE me curse them out with their ignorance”, and that my friend would be ignorant. I made a choice to use those words back then. Since I’ve been delivered and made whole I choose NOT to use curse words. I know the power my tongue has and I make a choice, to use my words to encourage, uplift, teach and comfort people, not purposely tear them down and hurt them. (You guys know the song it goes “I won’t hurt you with words from my mouth, I love you I need you to survive”). We deal with foolishness on a regular basis, especially being a Christian in this world, we have a target on our backs, but no matter how ignorant or foolish a person can be towards me, they can’t “make” me say anything, I don’t already plan on saying. I have control over my words, the situation does not control my reaction. 

            Just like any other sin. Yes we may be tempted to sin, but they devil can’t MAKE you sin. Even as God doesn’t force us to do anything. (Although when you are REALLY living for Christ, your willingness to please God will have you sensitive to sin to the point, you won’t even want to be around it, let alone partake in it. Also the conviction of the Holy Spirit, will have you stop dead in your tracks, but that’s if you’re being led by him and listening to him and allowing him to move. Now if you ignore the Holy Spirit, don’t try to say “well if God didn’t want me to do it, I won’t have a way”, because that’s a lie. You have a choice every day to do right by God, or to do right by your sinful nature. With EVERY temptation there is an escape, there is always an opportunity to resist.

            Now the word change is a verb, a verb is an action word that means something has to happen. Change means “make or become different.”

            To make or become different you have to make the choice to do so. Even when a person decides to give themselves to Christ, they are making a choice, and they have to do something in order for that to happen. Romans 10:9 says “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (We are saved by grace, but you must believe, which means you have to make a choice to believe that God sent his son and rose him up).

            Once a person has been saved. Changes should still be happening. You should never get stagnant in where you are in Christ, you should always be growing. That means you have to focus on you and the area’s which you need work in. It’s so easy to look at someone else and point out their flaws and where they need work, but are you first looking to yourself? Someone asked me the other say if a person can preach something they haven’t dealt with themselves. My answer is no. There is no way a person can effectively preach No fornication, when they are currently living in that sin themselves. There is just no way. So we have to work on ourselves, be delivered from something’s before we can effectively try to preach to others about those things. Cut out your sin and insert the word. Don’t be a hypocrite. Matthew 7:5 says “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eyes; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out of the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” In order to make a change, you have to be the change. Deal with yourself before you can “deal” with others.

James 1:22 says “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteh what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

            We have to practice what we “preach” or “preach” what we practice. There should be a point in a Christian’s life were they make the choice to not just sit in Church on Sunday, and leave everything they heard there in the sanctuary, but actually takes what they hear and learn in church and at home in their own private time with God and puts it to work. It’s time to be practicing Christians. So many young Christians say they “hate religion”, but if you’re not living out what you believe, you have fallen into the religious trap that you hate. Be the change you want to see. If you want to grow deeper in Christ, start making changes. Take your prayer life to another level, get active in ministry, and be serious about living your life for Christ. Things have to happen if you want changes within yourself. Once you’ve made the changes within your own self, people from the outside will see, and the people I’m referring to is the unsaved. Once you get your live in line with living for Christ, non-believers will see the Christ within you, and hopefully that will be a perfect way to be a witness and tell someone the good news of Jesus Christ!

            Time to get serious about being a Christian folks. It’s not enough to just say it, you have to have some fruit to show for it. The only way to have the fruit, is to make those changes. The fruit a person bears cannot be faked. You can fool people in church; online and at work with your words and the raising of your hands, but when it’s time to collect those fruits, you can’t fake a rotten fruit, with a ripe one.

If you love someone tell them

I love you

Destaynee.