God Understands You Can’t Change Overnight

“Put on your new nature, created to be like God — truly righteous and holy” (Ephesians 4:24 NLT).

When God helps you grow spiritually, he doesn’t just snap his fingers so that it happens instantly. He does it incrementally. When God wants to make a mushroom, he takes six hours, but when he wants to make an oak tree, he takes 60 years.Do you want to be a mushroom or an oak tree?The Holy Spirit will make changes in your life far beyond anything you thought possible, but it’s not going to happen overnight. When Saddleback Church did our “Decade of Destiny,” my prayer was that, through the work of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God and with support from our small groups, our church would become more mature, more Christlike, and further along in our purpose 10 years from that point. My prayer is the same for you: that in the next decade, you would grow in spiritual maturity and Christlikeness and purpose.

I want you to be stronger emotionally, physically, spiritually, psychologically, and financially, but you’ve got to be intentional about it. The Bible says, “Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy” (Ephesians 4:24 NLT).

This is how we become more like Jesus. We throw off the old things and the old ways that keep us from getting to know Christ and becoming like him, and we put on our new selves with the help of the Holy Spirit. We let God do his work in us—no matter how long it takes.

“As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him” (2 Corinthians 3:18 TLB).

https://pastorrick.com/god-understands-you-cant-change-overnight/?roi=echo7-33748676198-53112877-fb7d8b7bc847ac3c7b5b30174b17bf92

 

WAIT WITH ME FOR A WHILE . I have much to tell you. You are walking along the path I have chosen for you. It is both a privileged and a perilous way: experiencing My glorious Presence and heralding that reality to others. Sometimes you feel presumptuous to be carrying out such an assignment. Do not worry about what other people think of you. The work I am doing in you is hidden at first. But eventually blossoms will burst forth, and abundant fruit will be borne. Stay on the path of Life with Me. Trust Me wholeheartedly, letting My Spirit fill you with Joy and Peace.

“O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love
with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way.”
1 KINGS 8 : 23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against
such things there is no law.
GALATIANS 5 : 22 – 23

=JESUS CALLING=

 

Connect by Being Considerate

If you want to connect with people, you’ve got to start with their needs, not your own. That’s how you make the initial connection. There’s an old Chinese proverb that says, “Seek to understand before seeking to be understood.”

The Bible talks about this in Philippians 2:4: “Look out for one another’s interests not just your own.” That is such a counter-cultural verse. Everything in our culture — from the moment we’re born – tends to train us to think “me first.’ As a result, we’re all disconnected because we’re all thinking about ourselves and not thinking about the needs of other people.

The truth is, God wants you to learn to be unselfish. He wants you to learn to love, to be generous like Him. Colossians 3:13 says, “You must make allowances for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember God forgave you so you must forgive others” (NLT). Part of being considerate of other people’s needs is making allowances for their faults.

Proverbs 17:9 says, “Love forgets mistakes.” It’s not that you are blind to someone else’s faults; rather, you choose to overlook them.

https://my.bible.com/users/CamsPajaroja/reading-plans/135-rick-warrens-daily-devotional/subscription/202661170/day/184/segment/0