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TRANSITION FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER
By Joyce Meyer
Transition is the place we go through when we are coming out of something and heading into something else. I have gone through many transitions in my life. Through them all, God has brought me to the place where I can share my testimony and help others.
But when I was going through those things, it was not an enjoyable experience. Many times I was confused and miserable, and I didn't understand what was going on. I felt like giving up every few minutes. Praise God He was working through it all to accomplish His purpose for my life! He brought me out from the abuse of my past so He could bring me in to His plans for my future.
He brought us Out to Bring Us in
Deuteronomy 6:23 says, and He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in to give us the land which He swore to give our fathers. God did not save you and me from sin to leave us with the shame and wounds of our past. He brought us out to bring us in to the freedom, liberty and prosperity of Christ—into the good plan He has for our lives.1 In order for you and me to walk in the plans He has for us, we need to go through times of transition, which can sometimes be painful.
God makes many changes in our lives during times of transition, but there are two changes in particular I would like to focus on. The first thing I believe God wants to do in us is change us from being "self-dependent" to being "God-dependent." The second major thing He wants to teach you and me is to be led by faith, not by our feelings. Being dependent upon God and full of faith in Him is part of His good plan for our lives.
Depending On God
when we are going through transition, we usually want our circumstances to be different; we want relief from the pressure. But many of our circumstances don't change when we want them to because God is using them to change us. I can remember a time when I wanted God to change my circumstances so badly. It seemed like my family never had enough money to get what we needed. Whenever my kids needed clothes, I went to garage sales to find them. And when I went to the grocery store I had to watch every penny. As a result I struggled with jealousy and resentment when I saw other people prospering. I didn't understand why we were struggling so much.
At that time God was using my circumstances to make changes in my soul. He was setting me free from things like jealousy and resentment. He was building my faith by allowing me to experience circumstances that forced me to depend on Him for everything. I believe that God uses seasons of transition like this to bring us to the place where we become so dependent on Him that we understand Jesus' words in John 15:5 …apart from me [cut off from vital union with me] you can do nothing.
The truth is, God will sometimes allow us to be in a place of need and have problems we can't solve. Why? Because, like it or not, need drives us to seek Him. It's easy to quote Bible verses when things are going well, but it's another thing to really live by them when we are in the midst of difficult circumstances. God wants you and me to get to the place where we know that we need His presence and guidance at all times. Then, even after He brings us out of the wilderness and into a time of blessing in our lives, we won't forget how much we need Him.2
The process of learning to depend on God and walk in faith is often painful to our flesh. If we did what we felt like doing during transition, we'd probably quit before God was finished changing us. But the worst thing we can do during transition is quit.
Walking by Faith
another major change God is seeking to accomplish in us during times of transition is learning how not to live by our feelings but to live by faith in God's Word. You and I need to be determined to endure all the way through and not give up no matter how we feel. In Luke 5 (NIV) we read the story of when the disciples had been out fishing all night and caught nothing. Verses 4 and 5 tell us that the next morning Jesus told them to let down the nets for a catch. Peter responded by saying, Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets. They had been working all night and didn't feel like there was any point of fishing, but they believed God's Word to them, did what Jesus said, and caught more fish than their nets could hold.
I realize it can be very hard to keep going when your hopes and dreams seem like they will never become a reality. Although I'm living a large part of my life's dream right now, it wasn't always this way. There was a time when I didn't feel like I could even imagine things the way they are now. My eldest son and I could hardly be in the same room together. We were so much alike that we argued all the time. I thought my eldest daughter would drive me crazy because she was so disorganized and messy. And I was sure my youngest son would never make it through school because he thought having fun was much more important than studying.
Many times I battled with feelings of frustration and worry about what would happen to each of my children as they grew up. Through season after season of transition, God taught me to hold tightly to His Word and believe Him over how I felt. God was working to change my family through it all, making adjustments in each of us that were vital for us to be able to work together reaching the nations with the Gospel. If we hadn't learned to depend on God and walk in faith during those seasons, we would not have ended up where we are today. Now, one of the greatest blessings in my life is that all of our children are married to believers and working in the ministry.
Around or Through—You Decide
Like the Israelites in the wilderness, you can go around and around the same mountain of problems during times of transition, or you can decide to go through. As you depend upon God and believe His Word, you will make it through to the other side in spite of how you feel and what you see in your circumstances. He brought you out of the bondage of sin to take you into the "promised land" He has for you. Though none of us have arrived yet, you can be sure that you are on your way because God is faithful to finish the work He began in you (see Philippians 1:6).
So during difficult times of transition, when someone asks how you're doing, I encourage you to say, "I'm on my way. I am not going to quit. I am not going to give up. No matter how I feel, I'm pressing through—depending upon God and believing His Word. And I know when I get there it's going to be good!"
blessings in christ....
By Joyce Meyer
Transition is the place we go through when we are coming out of something and heading into something else. I have gone through many transitions in my life. Through them all, God has brought me to the place where I can share my testimony and help others.
But when I was going through those things, it was not an enjoyable experience. Many times I was confused and miserable, and I didn't understand what was going on. I felt like giving up every few minutes. Praise God He was working through it all to accomplish His purpose for my life! He brought me out from the abuse of my past so He could bring me in to His plans for my future.
He brought us Out to Bring Us in
Deuteronomy 6:23 says, and He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in to give us the land which He swore to give our fathers. God did not save you and me from sin to leave us with the shame and wounds of our past. He brought us out to bring us in to the freedom, liberty and prosperity of Christ—into the good plan He has for our lives.1 In order for you and me to walk in the plans He has for us, we need to go through times of transition, which can sometimes be painful.
God makes many changes in our lives during times of transition, but there are two changes in particular I would like to focus on. The first thing I believe God wants to do in us is change us from being "self-dependent" to being "God-dependent." The second major thing He wants to teach you and me is to be led by faith, not by our feelings. Being dependent upon God and full of faith in Him is part of His good plan for our lives.
Depending On God
when we are going through transition, we usually want our circumstances to be different; we want relief from the pressure. But many of our circumstances don't change when we want them to because God is using them to change us. I can remember a time when I wanted God to change my circumstances so badly. It seemed like my family never had enough money to get what we needed. Whenever my kids needed clothes, I went to garage sales to find them. And when I went to the grocery store I had to watch every penny. As a result I struggled with jealousy and resentment when I saw other people prospering. I didn't understand why we were struggling so much.
At that time God was using my circumstances to make changes in my soul. He was setting me free from things like jealousy and resentment. He was building my faith by allowing me to experience circumstances that forced me to depend on Him for everything. I believe that God uses seasons of transition like this to bring us to the place where we become so dependent on Him that we understand Jesus' words in John 15:5 …apart from me [cut off from vital union with me] you can do nothing.
The truth is, God will sometimes allow us to be in a place of need and have problems we can't solve. Why? Because, like it or not, need drives us to seek Him. It's easy to quote Bible verses when things are going well, but it's another thing to really live by them when we are in the midst of difficult circumstances. God wants you and me to get to the place where we know that we need His presence and guidance at all times. Then, even after He brings us out of the wilderness and into a time of blessing in our lives, we won't forget how much we need Him.2
The process of learning to depend on God and walk in faith is often painful to our flesh. If we did what we felt like doing during transition, we'd probably quit before God was finished changing us. But the worst thing we can do during transition is quit.
Walking by Faith
another major change God is seeking to accomplish in us during times of transition is learning how not to live by our feelings but to live by faith in God's Word. You and I need to be determined to endure all the way through and not give up no matter how we feel. In Luke 5 (NIV) we read the story of when the disciples had been out fishing all night and caught nothing. Verses 4 and 5 tell us that the next morning Jesus told them to let down the nets for a catch. Peter responded by saying, Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets. They had been working all night and didn't feel like there was any point of fishing, but they believed God's Word to them, did what Jesus said, and caught more fish than their nets could hold.
I realize it can be very hard to keep going when your hopes and dreams seem like they will never become a reality. Although I'm living a large part of my life's dream right now, it wasn't always this way. There was a time when I didn't feel like I could even imagine things the way they are now. My eldest son and I could hardly be in the same room together. We were so much alike that we argued all the time. I thought my eldest daughter would drive me crazy because she was so disorganized and messy. And I was sure my youngest son would never make it through school because he thought having fun was much more important than studying.
Many times I battled with feelings of frustration and worry about what would happen to each of my children as they grew up. Through season after season of transition, God taught me to hold tightly to His Word and believe Him over how I felt. God was working to change my family through it all, making adjustments in each of us that were vital for us to be able to work together reaching the nations with the Gospel. If we hadn't learned to depend on God and walk in faith during those seasons, we would not have ended up where we are today. Now, one of the greatest blessings in my life is that all of our children are married to believers and working in the ministry.
Around or Through—You Decide
Like the Israelites in the wilderness, you can go around and around the same mountain of problems during times of transition, or you can decide to go through. As you depend upon God and believe His Word, you will make it through to the other side in spite of how you feel and what you see in your circumstances. He brought you out of the bondage of sin to take you into the "promised land" He has for you. Though none of us have arrived yet, you can be sure that you are on your way because God is faithful to finish the work He began in you (see Philippians 1:6).
So during difficult times of transition, when someone asks how you're doing, I encourage you to say, "I'm on my way. I am not going to quit. I am not going to give up. No matter how I feel, I'm pressing through—depending upon God and believing His Word. And I know when I get there it's going to be good!"
blessings in christ....
