Are You Ready to Grow and Change?

Resolutions are common at the turn of a new year, but commitment to those resolutions are rare. Have you wondered why? We can have the best intentions but often lack the follow-through. 

That’s because willpower will only take us so far. We need Holy Spirit power. We need victory over fear and the transformation of a faith mindset! 

The Trap of Fear 

It’s human nature to fear and resist change, and that resistance is not always wrong–not all changes are right and good. But we can trust the changes God calls us to make are right and good. Even if they don’t feel so at first, the growth that comes through positive change is well worth the initial cost. 

This isn’t a process that happens overnight. The enemy will lie to you, telling you you’re behind and not growing fast enough. He’ll try to deceive you into thinking the pressure is all on you. Resist him, and remember, the Holy Spirit in you brings the transformation! 

It’s Messiah in you that is the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). Our part is to yield to Him and follow, day by day, step by step.

Fear of Change or Fear of Failure?

Sometimes our fear isn’t rooted in change itself, but in trying and failing. Timothy, Paul’s faithful younger companion and friend, struggled with these very issues. He was afraid that he would not live up to the call that God had placed on his life. Listen to how Paul counseled him… 

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”—2 Timothy 1:7 (emphasis added)

“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”—2 Timothy 1:6 (emphasis added)

We must constantly seek the Holy Spirit through the washing of the Word of God for affirmation, understanding that He alone is the Author and Finisher of our faith and Kingdom destiny. Success comes through a partnership with Him, and He will never leave us, forsake us, or fail us.

Breaking Ungodly Ties to Come into Spiritual Alignment…

The key to victory is to shore up places in our lives where the enemy has had access. We have to close the open doors. These open doors, or footholds, can come through soul ties, harboring offenses, bitterness, and adhering to man-made tradition above the Word of God. 

When identifying where you’re stuck, ask, “Does the Word of God have an effect on my life?” 

Jesus speaks to this in Mark 7:13, “…making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.” (emphasis added)

This scripture does not refer to the Feasts of the Lord but rather man-made tradition. Jesus was explaining that even well-meaning traditions, passed down for generations,  may not be aligned with the truth from the Word of God. Religious tradition can cause us to regress from the true heart of the Father–creating a form of godliness, but denying its power (2 Timothy 3:5)

If we want to mature this year, we have to break ties with anything that is not of God. We must understand that thoughts become habits and habits form into patterns. Our patterns determine our choices, which will eventually bring either good or bad results. 

How Thoughts and Beliefs Impact Change

^“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. ‘Eat and drink!’ he says to you, but his heart is not with you.”—Proverbs 23:7 

Our thoughts have so much power. As we think, so we are. Much of our battle being trapped in unhealthy soul ties, patterns, or traditions, traces back to our thought-life. It comes down to core beliefs:

• What do you believe about yourself?
• What do you believe about God?

You may need to ask the Holy Spirit for help answering these questions. Ask Him to expose any unholy agreements you need to break so that you can come into full agreement with Him. Surrender your fixed mindset and embrace a faith mindset! 

Paul said, “Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world.” He says we are transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2) and that we have been given the mind of Jesus (1 Corinthians 2:16). 

We begin to receive and experience abundant life and begin to change, when we have a renewed mind. When our thoughts and beliefs come into alignment with truth, we are molded and shaped and become more like Jesus.

Your Goals Can Become Your Testimony 

Jesus wants you to walk in the fullness of your Kingdom destiny. Your goals can become your testimony. But to grow and change, you need a plan.

There is no exact formula, but here are six anchor points to guide you in the right direction:

Sit alone with God. This can be difficult. In our fast-paced culture with our tightly wound nervous systems, sitting still is a resisted practice. Ask God for the supernatural grace to be still with Him. Ask Him to reveal the other voices you’ve been listening to. He will come for you. 

Ask God for a word. It can be orienting and revealing to receive a single word to walk into the year with or a word from God about your calling. It can be literally just one word or more, however God wants to speak. But ask Him for a thought, just from Him to you, that provides vision for your future. 

Ask God to define your role. Definitions are important. Ask God to speak into how you see your role in your family, career, or ministry. Are there responsibilities you need to release that were never yours to carry? Are there places where you need to step up and step in and offer who you truly are, offer sacrificially? Only the Holy Spirit can help you navigate these answers and they may vary depending on the season of life you’re in. What is most important is to ensure that you are living as defined by God, not by the world or other people. 

Pray into your health, lifestyle, and career. Where do you want to be this time next year? Take some time to honestly look at the habits, patterns, and practices of your life. Are there places where you keep getting stuck? Do you fear things will never change? Write down what you believe about where you are right now. Invite Jesus into your fears and questions. Bring it into the light!

Make a list of personal goals. Start by focusing back on your health, lifestyle, and career. Ask God to show you how the word He gave you applies to how He wants to move in these areas of your life. Remember, your goals here should be manageable and measurable, maybe challenging, but not impossible to achieve. In consistency lies the victory– day by day, step by step!

Seek an accountability partner. Ask a trusted family member or friend to be your accountability partner. You can share your goals with them or even type up the steps you wish to achieve and give them a copy. Ask God for wisdom and to show you the right person, someone safe and trustworthy.

Break Free From Familiar Spirits 

As you walk through these steps with God over time, ask the Lord where the familiar spirits have held you or your family back in the past. Identify specifically if a poverty or orphan spirit is at work in your life. 

Repent for partnering with those spirits, and ask the Lord to sever those soul ties from you and past generations, all the way back to Adam. Guard your thought patterns and begin to monitor them when mocking spirits come and try to torment you with those old mindsets, or if they begin to speak defeating thoughts that leave you feeling discouraged. 

Remember, you are a child of the King who hung the stars and holds the universe in His hands! He sees you as so valuable that He exchanged His most precious possession to secure your future. Run to the Word of God and speak the truth about who God says you are instead of partnering with generational mindsets from the past. 

Positive Prayers, Proclamations, and Decrees

• Decree Your Faith in God: “So Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Have faith in God.”—Mark 11:22
• Pray and Proclaim What You Need Boldly in the Courts of Heaven! “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”—Mark 11:23
• Stand by Faith Believing with Daily Application as a New Lifestyle: “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”—Mark 11:24
•  Receive the Father’s Love: ^“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”—1 John 4:17-18 
• Come into Agreement with Your New Identity as a Son or Daughter of the King and Receive Your Inheritance as a Born-Again Child of God! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”—2 Corinthians 5:17 

We hope you are excited for the new work that Yeshua is doing in and through you this year! You are so valuable to God and His Kingdom and He has such great plans for you.  It is Jesus in you that is the hope of glory, the hope of your transformation. May He richly bless you as you grow and change and become more like Him. 

For more support and encouragement check out our workbook, “Goals to Grow: Habits and Patterns to Unlock Your Kingdom Destiny”.