Change can be frightening and inconvenient. Whether it is simply adjusting our plans for the moment or day, or if it's being led in a totally new direction in life, change can cause difficulty and uncertainty that isn't fun. This is especially true if we can't see enough of God's plan to know the destination is somewhere we want to be or how we'll be able to do what we need to do with the alterations to our schedule. We don't like change that we don't initiate because it emphasizes the truth that we are not in control. It can make us feel insecure in our abilities and to question our ability to be led by God. It can, and often does, lead to more work, and a change in one area of life or one part of the day ripples into other areas, making life feel less stable and secure.
As if changes to our direction, dreams and plans aren't bad enough, Daddy loves to stretch us. He stretches us beyond our ease and comfort. All those reasons we don't like change simply get intensified with being stretched. Stretching is always a change, and it always takes us into a position of having to exercise our faith and trust in Daddy's love, guidance and provision. About the last thing in the world I wanted or felt comfortable with had to do with hearing cell doors slam and hearing, seeing and smelling the aspects of incarceration, so it felt like God was turning me into taffy when He had me go to prisons and jails to minister. My wife Leah being called to teach a group discipleship stretched her, because she is not comfortable with public speaking. It takes effort to bend our knee and surrender to Daddy's will when He's asking us to do something we don't enjoy or feel gifted or qualified to do. When I feel God stretching me I can begin to understand why the stress of Gethsemane caused Jesus to burst blood vessels. In my experience there is little more satisfying and rewarding and little that brings more contentment than moving on out into those areas. Still my first instinct is often resistance, even though I have things in my life that I love and look forward to today that I hated and dreaded when called to them. As with physical stretching, what hurts today is done with ease down the road; just ask a trainer.
But with all the pain and fear that can come with the stretching and changes that Daddy uses and guides us to in order to shake our self reliance, break us and mold us into the image of Jesus, it's no surprise that even after such circumstances lead to good things and purpose in the past we still have a natural instinct to resist. Jesus had never done anything other than the will of Daddy, and yet He still had to wrestle with a natural desire to avoid Daddy's plans and method when facing the cross. The pressure and discomfort of being pushed and pulled off our course and picked for service we would never choose for ourselves (whether it's a one time thing of showing love to someone we would avoid or if it's a calling to an area outside our aptitude) can cause us to rebel. Especially since it isn't only the Holy Spirit that can cause change and pressure in our lives. People, places and things (including devils) can put pressure on us and be obstacles that cause change in our approach, schedule and plans as well.
And because we may not eagerly anticipate or enjoy what God is doing, because we have to adjust to Him instead of getting what we want, when we want it, the way we want it, we can put our self in a place of resisting God while claiming to be resisting the enemy, simply because we feel that if it makes us uncomfortable it must come from the pits of hell. If it gets in the way of our schedule and plans and interferes with our goals it should be rebuked and overcome. Don't do that! Stay in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to show you what is of Him and what is not. Yield to Daddy. Resist the devil. Don't resist Daddy. That detour that makes you 10 minutes late for work may be what puts you in a place to show the light and love of Jesus to someone in desperate need. What feels like it will ruin your day could save someone's eternity.
One thing I have learned is that having to work and push myself to stay surrendered and submitted and stretching to access the empowerment of the Spirit to act and react in love and obedience has always resulted in drawing me closer to Daddy and produced those fruits of the Spirit I mentioned at the start of this (I added a life worth living to the list from Galatians), regardless of the source of the obstacle or pressure. Whether God led me to the sea He would then have to part or the enemy threw up a wall only a shout of faith and the hand of God could knock down, continuing to walk by faith in grace under the direction of the Spirit always led to good and growth in me and glory for God. Resistance and wrestling for my own way and will always led to misery and defeat.
Today let us be quick to yield to the changes and stretching of the Spirit. He is taking us to a place of growth in capacity and flexibility so that we can hold more of the fruits of the Spirit within, so that we can walk even more in His power, utilize more of His wisdom, and have a heart more like Him and more full of Him. And not only will this make our lives even more satisfying and worth living, but it will make our light shine even brighter in the darkness. Remember that in order for Daddy to free us from the bondage of self and take away our difficulties that victory over them may be a display to those we would help of His power, love and way of life (a paraphrase of the Third Step Prayer), essential ingredients will be difficulties and obstacles to be victorious over and the comfort of self to be broken.
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