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Adjustments are Necessary
You cannot continue life as usual or stay where you are and go with God at the same time. This truth is demonstrated throughout Scripture. For instance:
- Noah could not continue life as usual and build an ark (see Genesis 6).
- Abram could not stay in Ur or Haran and father a nation in Canaan (see Genesis 12:1-8).
- Moses could not stay in the back side of the desert herding sheep and stand before Pharoah in Egypt (see Exodus 3).
- David had to leave his sheep to become king (see 1 Samuel 16:1-13).
- Ruth had to leave her homeland to support her mother-in-law (see Ruth 1:8-17).
- Peter, Andrew, James, and John had to leave their fishing businesses to follow Jesus (see Matthew 4:18-22).
- Mary had to renounce her vision for engagement and matrimony to give birth to the Messiah (see Luke 1:26-38).
- Saul—later Paul—had to completely change directions in his life to preach the gospel to the Gentiles (see Acts 9:1-19).
Elisha had to leave family and career (farming) to follow God’s call. You may have heard the phrase burning your bridges behind you. Elisha burned his farm equipment and provided barbequed oxen for the people of his community (see 1 Kings 19:19-21). He was not about to turn back! When he made the necessary adjustments, he was in a position to obey God. As a result, God worked through Elisha to perform some of the greatest signs and miracles recorded in the Old Testament (see 2 Kings 2-13).
The rich young ruler wanted eternal life, but he could not bring himself to pay the price Jesus asked (see Luke 18:18-27). Wealth stood in the way of his following the Lord. Jesus asked the young aristocrat to put away the thing that had become god to him—his wealth. The man refused to do as Jesus asked, and he went no further with God.
God requires adjustments of His people. He even required them of His own Son: “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).
When God speaks to me to reveal what He is about to do, that revelation is my invitation to adjust my life to Him. Adjustments prepare me for obedience.
Obedience begins in the heart as a willingness to do whatever God says. Obedience is expressed through action, by words, and deeds. You cannot stay where you are and go with God.
Kinds of Adjustments
Adjustments may be required in one or more of the following areas:
- Your circumstances—job, home, finances (In Matthew 4:18-22, the Disciples left everything to follow Jesus.)
- Your relationships—family, friends, business associates (In Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus pointed out how we need to love our enemies.)
- Your thinking—prejudices, methods, your potential, about your past (In Acts 10:1-20, Peter had to think differently about unclean food to visit the Centurian.)
- Your commitments—to family, church, job, plans, tradition
- Your actions—how you pray, give, serve (In Matthew 6:5-8, Jesus challenged his disciples to pray differently.)
- Your beliefs—about God, His purposes, His ways, your relationship with Him (In Matthew 20:20-28, Jesus challenged the sons of Zebedee to think differently about where they would sit in His kingdom.)
In Acts 10, Peter’s experience with Cornelius required adjustments in Peter’s relationships with Gentiles, his thinking and beliefs about what is religiously pure.
Anytime you go from where you are to where God is working, from your way of thinking to God’s way of thinking, from your ways to God’s ways, or from your purposes to His purposes, a major adjustment will be required.
The major adjustment will come at the point of acting on your faith. When you face a crisis of belief, you must decide what you believe about God. God is interested in our absolute surrender to Him as Lord.
Obedience is Costly
God will reveal His plans and purposes to you, but your obedience will impact you and those around you. When, for instance, a couple surrenders their lives to missions, it may cost those around them, such as their children and elderly parents as well as the church where they have served, more than it affects them. Yet not obeying God would be much worse!
Obedience is costly to you and those around you.
Willingness to pay the price of following His will is one of the major adjustments. At this point “many of his disciples turned back and no longer accompanied him” (John 6:66).
We say Christ is Lord, and He can interrupt our plans anytime He wants. We just don’t expect Him to do it!
Sometimes obedience to God’s will leads to opposition and misunderstanding. Because of his obedience, Paul suffered much for the cause of Christ. The beatings, imprisonments, and danger listed in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 sound like more than one person could bear.
Even so, Paul could still say:
Philippians 3:11-12 continues, “and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”
David Livingstone was a 19th century missionary from Scotland who committed his life to making Christ known to Africa. Perhaps his prayer may inspire your own commitment to pay the cost of following Christ:
Lord, send me anywhere—only go with me.
Lay any burden on me—only sustain me.
Sever any tie but the tie that binds me to You!
For many Christians, the thought of moving from home and leaving extended family keeps them from following Christ. Adjusting our lives to God means dealing with financial, physical, emotional, spiritual, and relational barriers that prevent us from absolute obedience to Him.
Christianity is not about serving where we are appreciated or where we enjoy success but about enjoying a relationship with our Savior who gave up everything so we could experience salvation.
We often count the cost for obeying God, but we must also count the cost if we disobey. The cost of disobedience is always greater!
God is looking for absolute surrender. We must have a willing heart to do whatever He asks, and then trust Him to enable us to do it.
Sometimes we make decisions to please our church or our friends or our parents, and these may or may not be good decisions. To truly follow and experience God, we must reorient our lives to Him. Pleasing God is more important than satisfying friends, pastors, or even our families.
Come to the place in your life where you are willing to surrender all to Him.
Total Dependence on God
Absolute surrender involves giving up our desires, goals, and preferences to God and accepting God’s will, regardless of how difficult it may be. Another adjustment that is a part of knowing and doing the will of God is your coming to a total dependence on God to complete what He wants to do through you. Jesus said, “You can do nothing without Me” (John 15:5).
The adjustment requires moving from doing work for God according to your abilities, your gifts, your likes and dislikes, and your goals to being totally dependent on God, His working, and His resources. This is a major adjustment, and it is never easy to make.
Without God at work in your life, you can do nothing to produce kingdom fruit. When God purposes to do something, He guarantees it will come to pass. He is the One who will accomplish what He intends to do.
When you want to know how God wants you to reach your city, start a new church, or be involved in His work, ask Him. Then when He tells you, don’t be surprised if you can’t find any church that is doing it that same way. Why? God wants you to know Him. If you follow someone else’s plan, method, or program, you tend to forget about your dependence on God. You leave the relationship with God and embrace methods or programs. That is spiritual adultery.
Mark 11:24 challenged Blackaby about the relationship of faith and prayer. This verse is sometimes used to teach a name-it-and-claim-it theology. You decide what you want. You name what you want in your request and claim it, and it’s yours. That is a self-centered theology. Remember that God takes the initiative. He gives you the desire to do His will (see Philippians 2:13). The Holy Spirit guides you to pray according to God’s will (see Romans 8:26-28).
“We wait for the Lord; He is our help and shield” (Psalm 33:20). “Wait for the Lord and keep His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land” (Psalm 37:34).
You may think of waiting as a passive, inactive time. Waiting on the Lord is anything but inactivity. While you wait on Him, pray with a passion to know Him, His purposes, and His ways.
By waiting, you shift the responsibility of the outcome to God, where it belongs.
When God gives you specific guidance, He will do more through you in days and weeks than you could ever accomplish in years of labor on your own.
Summary
To go from your ways, thoughts, and purposes to God’s will always requires adjustments. These may call for changes in your circumstances, relationships, attitudes, commitments, behavior, and beliefs. Once you have made the necessary changes, you can follow God obediently. Keep in mind: the God who calls you is also the One who will enable you to do His will.
