How to REALLY CHANGE TODAY (PART 6)

"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!"


Here is the good news for you that will enable you to really change today:

Whatever permanent change you are seeking comes from your permanently changing your relationship to King Jesus:

Change your thinking about Him.

Change your purpose in relationship to Him. 

In His day, the Jews had an agenda for Him, a way they thought He should be, a purpose they thought He should fulfill. They thought of Him as a military leader, and their purpose for Him was to overthrow the Roman Government and establish "The Kingdom of God."  Now in their minds, the "Kingdom of God," meant "exalted Israel," and the purpose of the Kingdom of God was for Israel to rule the world as "the chosen people of God."


But what did Jesus, their real Messiah say?
REPENT.


What did John, the herald of the King day?
REPENT.


They had to change the way they thought about Jesus and His purpose.  The real King was in front of them, and they needed to accept Him, and His purpose, for what they really were, and what they really are.


The very same thing is true for you.

All of your problems and solutions revolve around how you think about Jesus in your life, if you think of Him at all, and what you think His purpose is in your life, and for your life.


You thought you needed to change how you respond to circumstances and situations.  You think you need to be more patient or positive or proactive.  But these thoughts, if they don't revolve around Jesus, whom you should think of as your very real Lord and King and Master, then your thoughts need to change.  You need to repent.  And if your purpose in being more patient or positive or proactive is for any reason other than to please your Lord and King and Master, then your purpose needs to change.  You need to repent.


You also need to believe the good news.  Again, what is the good news?  Here it is, once again.  Don't miss it.  According to Jesus Himself:


The time is now.  The kingdom of God is near.


Now.  Not the past.  Not in 21 days.
Near.  Not far in the past or future.


Your Savior, the one and only one who can bring permanent change to your life, has already come.  He died and rose from the dead so that you may die with Him and rise from the dead, for you to be "born again," which means permanent change, for you to permanently change from

•  a child of Adam to a child of God.
• from a slave of sin/addiction/your body/your past to a free man or woman, self-controlled, following the Spirit of Christ, who is in those who repent and believe the good news about Jesus.

It's not your habits, or habitual responses to circumstances that needs to change.  It's what you believe about Jesus that needs to change.  You haven't been able to permanently change, and you won't be able to permanently change, until you believe that Jesus is who He says He is, Your Savior and Lord, and until you believe He did what He said He would do:  That He died for your past so that you would die to your past.  He rose to give you a new life, a permanently changed life, so that you may indeed permanently change.


Yet again, what is this permanent change of mind and purpose in your life?  It is the Kingdom of God in your life, summed up in "The Lord's Prayer,"


"Let your Kingdom come.  Let your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."


How is God's will done in heaven?
Absolutely.


There is one will in heaven, and one alone:  God's will.
The permanent change in your life is to live from now on, while you are on earth, exactly how the angels and God's people live in heaven.


How would this change your attitude, or whatever you're trying and failing to change about yourself?


If you aren't living for your will, but for God's alone, wouldn't that make you more patient, or positive, or proactive?  The truest definition of patience is to wait for God to show you His will.  Paul, a follower of Jesus, described Gods will as "good, acceptable, and perfect."  Is there anything more positive than that?  Thus, if you're focused only on God's will, won't you be patient and positive without even trying to be?


The issue is whether you really believe the good news or not.  Actions speak louder than words.  Or put another way, as Jesus' brother James said, "Faith without works is dead," or useless. 


If you really believe, or act based on the truth, that Jesus is not only the King of Kings, but your King and Master, then this will change how you think about your life, and the purpose of your life.  The patience of a self centered person will always run out, like the strength of your muscles always run out.  There's only so long patience that is focused on self-centered desires can last, because the selfish person is never satisfied.  He can't be.  He's trying to find eternal satisfaction in a temporal source: his selfish desires, whatever they are.


But if you stop focusing on your self (change your mind) and stop living to fulfill your own self centered desires (change your purpose), you will find that satisfying Jesus is easier than satisfying yourself.  Being patient with Jesus is easier than being patient with yourself or circumstances.  Being positive about Jesus is easier than being positive about your circumstances.  Jesus never wants you to wait longer than you can bear to wait.  And He never falls short of your expectations.


This is how you are to really change today:
Change the way you think about Jesus.
Change your purpose in relationship to Jesus.


Read the prayer below.
If you agree, pray it with me:


"Jesus, I used to live for myself, with no thought of God or you as God.  I didn't use to think about you or focus on your will alone.  Now I choose to change my focus, from myself to you, from my desires to yours alone.  I used to live for myself, for whatever I wanted to happen at the time, leading me most of the time to frustration and dissatisfaction, because I tried to find happiness in things other than you.  My purpose was happiness, but without you as my happiness.  I now change my purpose: to find my happiness in you alone.  I choose to do this in obedience to your commands to repent and believe the good news.  You command me to do this, so neither you nor anyone else can or will do it for me.  I must do it, and I choose to do it right now.  I choose to repent and believe the good news."


If you have any more questions or comments about really changing today, leave a comment.
God bless you  as you do.