Positive Change: Resist It or Embrace It? - Part 3

The word apprehend brings up images of police officers' taking into custody those who deliberately violate the laws of our country. My childhood years were spent in a small Texas farming community that employed one deputy sheriff, who in all those years took into custody only two teen-aged boys for violations of the law.

The Apostle Paul used the word apprehend to express a spiritual desire. His goal was to be apprehended by Christ Jesus; to be filled with his power so he could complete the mission for which Jesus had called him. He asked God for strength, endurance, resilience, and maturity to spread the word that God sent Jesus to save all humanity.

Paul's encounter with Jesus changed how he perceived himself and how he would serve God for the rest of his life. As God created in Paul maturity which enabled him to do his work, He also established in him resilience to stand up and fight every attempt to distract him from his calling. The Lord Jesus Christ will do this for you. 

Positive Change: Resist It or Embrace It? - Part 1

It seems logical that wholesome, healthy change should come easy.  However resistance to change can be problematic, even when it would be in everyone's best interest. Resistance to change can be related to fear, but the culprit can be anxiety because the future is always a bit uncertain.

Correct perception of what is needed and safe is related to our ability to comprehended and understand, or what is known as instinct or intuition. The tenacity to hold fast to beliefs, even false beliefs, can be a barrier to needed change. This is especially true when change threatens our sense of security. Listen to the Apostle Paul's warning from Romans 12:2.

"Do not become so well adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without thinking.  Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what God wants from you and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you always dragging you down, God brings the best out of you." God be with you and bless you.