10 Scriptural Reasons You Can Change - 9

Reason why God says you can CHANGE #9:

"Hope"

The PROMISES God has given us for CHANGE give a buoyant HOPE that keeps us pressing into change when we would otherwise give up. The moment we begin to focus on ourselves and either our slowness to change and constant failure OR our occasional successes OR our supposed part in our spiritual success, we are on the slippery slope towards discouragement and despair. Our HOPE must be in our never-changing, always-changing-us God.

Talk about PROMISES!:

• "...He who began a good work in you WILL BRING IT TO COMPLETION at the day of Christ Jesus" Philippians 1:6
• "...Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who IS AT WORK IN YOU, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" Philippians 2:12,13
• "Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, He who calls you is faithful; HE WILL SURELY DO IT" 1 Thessalonians 5:23,24

If you are STANDING on the PROMISES you will also be MOVING TOWARDS CHANGE.

The HOPE of our DESTINY also produces energy and godly motivation for change. BECAUSE we are safe in His hands, we can focus NOT on trying to hold onto a shaky salvation but rather on living out that salvation in ever greater maturity. No one steps out in faith to grow in new ways when they FEAR that God may not be with them. But He is...HE IS! "I will NEVER leave you, and I will NEVER forsake you" Hebrews 13:5. "No one can snatch (you) out of the Father's hand" John 10:29.

The story is told that when the Golden Gate Bridge was being built a significant number of men were falling to their deaths during work. The effect of this lack of safety was an increasing slow down in work production. That slow down did not change UNTIL someone came up with the idea of installing large SAFETY NETS beneath the structure. If a workman fell, he would fall INTO the net, not to his death. Needless to say, work sped up rapidly. Why? They could do the risky work IN SAFETY.

Brothers and sisters, GROWTH and CHANGE is RISKY. It takes FAITH. It takes leaning forward into new and often scary territory. But we can take steps of faith directly INTO CHANGE with confidence because our sovereign, omnipotent God is our safety net. In seeking to change, I increase the likelihood of failure in my life. REFUSE to change, and life becomes nothing but failure.

We can move boldly in the direction of change and growth because of the HOPE of God's PROMISES and our secure DESTINY.