Embracing Incremental Change for Lasting Transformation

Devotional

Day 1: The Power of Small Steps

In life, significant transformations often begin with small, consistent changes. This principle, much like the law of gravity, is unyielding and can lead to profound outcomes over time. While the desire for immediate results is common, especially at the start of a new year, true and lasting change is a gradual process. This concept is not only biblical but also evident in fields like aviation and engineering, where even a one-degree deviation can lead to a vastly different destination. By focusing on one meaningful change at a time, whether in your spiritual, financial, relational, or emotional life, you can trust that these small adjustments will accumulate into significant growth. [37:12]

"Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand." (Zechariah 4:10, ESV)

Reflection: Identify one small change you can make in your life today that aligns with your long-term goals. How can you commit to this change consistently over the next month?

Day 2: Understanding the "Why"

Shifting your focus from being result-driven to understanding the reason behind your actions is crucial. Whether it's work, prayer, or reading scripture, the motivation should be rooted in seeking God's kingdom and His righteousness. This alignment reduces frustration and aligns you with God's promises. By understanding the "why" behind your actions, you can ensure that your efforts are not in vain and that they contribute to a greater purpose. This shift in perspective allows you to trust that God will provide for your needs and reduces the anxiety and frustration that come from being result-driven. [50:10]

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a recent action or decision. What was your motivation behind it, and how can you align it more closely with seeking God's kingdom?

Day 3: The Importance of One Thing

The story of Martha and Mary from the Gospel of Luke illustrates that the quantity of spiritual activity does not equate to spiritual growth. Martha was consumed by activity, while Mary chose to sit at Jesus' feet, focusing on one meaningful change. This approach is not only biblical but also practical in achieving lasting transformation. By concentrating on one significant change in your life, you can trust that this will lead to profound results. This focus allows you to prioritize what truly matters and avoid being overwhelmed by the busyness of life. [51:34]

"But one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:42, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you feel overwhelmed by activity? How can you simplify and focus on what truly matters?

Day 4: Trust the Process

True and lasting change is a gradual process. While immediate results are often desired, the principle of incremental change teaches us to trust the process and embrace the power of doing one thing well. This approach sets a foundation for a life that reflects God's image and purpose. By trusting the process, you can remain patient and steadfast, knowing that each small step is leading you closer to your goals. This mindset encourages perseverance and resilience, even when progress seems slow. [42:00]

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a long-term goal you have. How can you practice patience and trust in the process, even when progress seems slow?

Day 5: Align with God's Promises

By focusing on the "why" and seeking God's kingdom first, you align yourself with His promises. This shift in perspective allows you to trust that God will provide for your needs and reduces the anxiety and frustration that come from being result-driven. When your actions are motivated by a desire to seek God's kingdom, you can rest assured that you are on the right path. This alignment with God's promises brings peace and confidence, knowing that He is faithful to fulfill His word. [59:31]

"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act." (Psalm 37:5, ESV)

Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to trust God more fully? How can you align your actions with His promises today?

Sermon Summary

In today's gathering, we explored the profound principle of incremental change, emphasizing the power of making small, consistent adjustments in our lives. This principle, akin to the law of gravity, is inviolable and can lead to significant transformation over time. We often desire immediate results, especially at the start of a new year, but true and lasting change is a gradual process. This concept is not only biblical but also applicable in various aspects of life, such as aviation and engineering, where even a one-degree deviation can lead to a vastly different outcome.

We reflected on the story of Martha and Mary from the Gospel of Luke, where Martha was consumed by activity, while Mary chose to sit at Jesus' feet. This illustrates that the quantity of spiritual activity does not necessarily equate to spiritual growth. Instead, focusing on one meaningful change can lead to profound results. The challenge is to identify one area in our spiritual, financial, relational, or emotional lives to focus on each month, trusting that these small changes will accumulate into significant growth.

The sermon also highlighted the importance of understanding the "why" behind our actions. Whether it's work, prayer, or reading scripture, the motivation should be rooted in seeking God's kingdom and His righteousness. This shift from being result-driven to reason-driven aligns us with God's promises and reduces frustration when outcomes don't meet our expectations.

As we embark on this journey of one-degree changes, we are encouraged to trust the process and embrace the power of doing one thing well. This approach not only aligns with biblical teachings but also sets a foundation for a life that reflects God's image and purpose.

Key Takeaways

1. degree shift in aviation can lead to a vastly different destination, small adjustments in your spiritual, financial, relational, or emotional life can lead to significant transformation over time. Trust the process and focus on one meaningful change at a time. [37:12]
2. Focus on the "Why": Shift your focus from being result-driven to understanding the reason behind your actions. Whether it's work, prayer, or reading scripture, the motivation should be rooted in seeking God's kingdom and His righteousness. This alignment reduces frustration and aligns you with God's promises.

3. The Importance of One Thing: In the story of Martha and Mary, we learn that the quantity of spiritual activity does not equate to spiritual growth. Focus on one meaningful change in your life, trusting that this will lead to profound results. This approach is not only biblical but also practical in achieving lasting transformation.

4. Trust the Process: Understand that true and lasting change is a gradual process. Immediate results are often desired, but the principle of incremental change teaches us to trust the process and embrace the power of doing one thing well. This approach sets a foundation for a life that reflects God's image and purpose.

5. Align with God's Promises: By focusing on the "why" and seeking God's kingdom first, you align yourself with His promises. This shift in perspective allows you to trust that God will provide for your needs and reduces the anxiety and frustration that come from being result-driven.

** [37:12]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[26:14] - The Principle of Generosity
[29:28] - Personal Testimony of Faith
[30:56] - God's Inviolable Principles
[33:36] - One Degree at a Time
[37:12] - The Power of Incremental Change
[40:34] - The Slow Fade of Negativity
[42:00] - Trust the Process
[46:25] - Focus on One Thing
[50:10] - Understanding the "Why"
[51:34] - The Importance of One Thing
[55:33] - Align with God's Promises
[59:31] - Seek First the Kingdom
[62:57] - The Role of Prayer
[69:06] - The Power of Scripture

Sermon Clips

Not everything that Proverbs talks about is guaranteed, but this one is a principle that would be called, the word would be inviolable. It cannot be violated. It would be like gravity. No matter how hard you try, gravity will always win. It's created by God. It is purposefully created by God. It is purposefully created by God. It is purposefully created by God. And it's always going to win. And this principle is like that, okay? It's always going to win out. And there's something about giving that benefits the giver. Now, if your thought is, if I give, I get, that's not the principle. That's not the principle. That would be the word of faith movement that says, if you sow a seed, a thousand dollars, God will give you ten thousand. Unbiblical, unacceptable, nonsensical. This principle says, God will prosper you, okay? [00:26:14] (52 seconds)

And if you can imagine what we're going to do in this series, and we're going to cover those four topics. Okay? Spiritual, financial, relational, and emotional. Today, we're going to talk about spiritual. But what we're going to do, imagine this, comprehend this. What if you made one degree change once a month for the next 12 months? You changed one thing in one area only. This month is going to be spiritual. And I'm going to cover all four topics, okay? But by the end of the day, I'm going to inspire you, hopefully, to choose one thing from the list I'm going to show. One! One! You're not allowed to do two. Even if you become an expert at one. One! [00:40:55] (39 seconds)

You got to trust the process. And all throughout the year, in February, we're going to talk about financial change. We're going to send out several devotionals a month, whole host of ideas, all kinds of opportunities. You make the decision. And then in March, we're going to go to relational. And we're going to offer all kinds of suggestions and ideas. You choose one. And then the next month, we'll do emotional. Okay? And then we're going to start all over again. So in each one of those four categories, you're going to make three degrees of change. That's it. Three. Three degrees. Three, three. You're going to change three things this year in each one of those categories. And here's the thing. You can't be looking for immediate results. You got to trust the process that eventually, you're going to see the difference. And so the big idea for today, and really for the whole series, that was the airplane. We can change one thing. You can't tell me that you can't change one thing immediately that will lead to noticeable change eventually. [00:42:37] (57 seconds)

And what you're going to see compared here is, is the quantity of spiritual activity necessarily determine the ultimate direction of my spirituality? And I will tell you the answer to that before I show it to you is absolutely not. Not. And some of you right now, I know because I do it as well, but it's January 5th. You didn't do a good job reading the Bible. And I, and some of you do this, and I don't mean to criticize you. I really don't. Because if you want to do it, praise God, I don't know why you do it. I'll tell you that. I'm going to read through the Bible this year. No, you're not. No, it's just like, it's like, you're not. [00:45:02] (41 seconds)

Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. Okay? This word, you'll see about four more times, it is the same word for worry. It's the same word for anxiety, okay? So, in other words, the external activity is doing nothing to calm the inner turmoil. In fact, it's making it worse. Now, think about this. She's involved in about as good an activity as you could possibly want to be involved in. She's trying to make a great home, a great meal for Jesus, right? You, me, me. I'll tell you what would happen if he came and knocked on my door. He has cleansed me of my sins, and I'd be like, give me a minute. And I'd run around the house, cleaning the toilet, putting away the trash, picking up my socks. Jesus is here, clean the house. And she's like, I already know your house ain't clean. What are you doing? [00:47:14] (53 seconds)

And so, she runs to Christ and says, tell her to help me. Here's his response. Martha, Martha, the Lord answered. You are worried. Same word. Distracted. And you're upset about what you're doing. And you're worried about what you're doing. And you're worried about what you're doing. And you're worried about what you're doing. And about many things. But few things are needed. Actually, indeed, Only one thing. Now, what's interesting about Mary is it's not saying that everybody should sit around and do nothing. That's not what he's saying. Or she was doing the most important thing. In fact, Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her. What was better for Mary? To just sit in his presence. Now, that may not be... It might be your one thing. It might be. We'll see in a moment. [00:50:26] (48 seconds)

So I promise you that if you just, like gravity, this is sewn into creation. And I'll show it to you out of Jesus' words in a second. You can change one thing immediately, okay? If you embrace the power of one thing living, okay? And some people, let's be honest, you're not Mary, you've been doing no thing. You got to do one thing. Some of you have been doing all kinds of things and you're still like, I'm not hearing from the Lord. I'm not growing. What's going on? He is stunting your misunderstanding that he didn't make you a human doing. He made you a human being. He doesn't want you to do, he wants you to be. [00:51:34] (49 seconds)

And when he gets into chapter six, he really begins to get down to practical principles on how to apply, okay, these principles of God to your life to make a difference, okay? So he's looking at this large, large, large, large, large, large, large, large, large, large crowd, and he says this, so don't worry, Martha, it's the same word, distracted, anxious, fretting, and why does he say the world is fretting? Because they're looking at saying, what shall we eat? What shall we drink? What shall we wear? For the pagans run after, here's the key, don't miss this, it's the word pas, P -A -S, all, it's right there in the original text, all these things, okay? Okay? You see the problem here? Their reason is wrong. That's why they're worried. [00:53:04] (54 seconds)

And as we carry into this over the next three weeks, your second might be very different than my second based upon where you are in life. For you, your emotional and mental health might need to be number two in your life. And we're going to talk about results or opportunities next. Next week that we're already working on to help people with that. Yours might be, you know what? I've got some financial issues I've got to get on top of. Okay, that's second. It might be a relationship. It might, whatever your, you get to choose your second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh. You don't get to choose the one thing, the first thing. The first thing has to be the kingdom of God. [00:59:31] (40 seconds)

And how do you get through a bad season of work? You realize it's not about the task. It's not about the result. It's all about the reason why I go to work. Why do you pray? Why? Most people would say, I need a result. Wrong reason. Wrong reason. I'll show you what it is in a second, but it ain't that. Because if you go at it with that, what happens when God says no? What happens when God says wait? The results are not being produced. They're not being produced by the activity that you expect to produce. You've got a broken why. And when you get that why aligned, it's amazing what will happen. [01:02:57] (55 seconds)

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