Effortless Change

Introduction
If you receive these truths into your heart and apply them to your life, you’ll be able to see change take place in your life effortlessly. All true change begins internally. It starts with what’s on the inside of you.

When I changed on the inside, immediately everything in my life began to change on the outside. External change began to manifest on the outside when I started to change the way I thought on the inside.

If you want to see change outwardly, it has to begin on the inside. If you can change the way you think – the way you are on the inside – then you’ll see a change on the outside effortlessly.

Chapter 1 – It Begins on the Inside
As a man thinketh it in his heart, so is he. (Proverbs 23:7)

If you can’t – or should I say won’t – change on the inside, then you aren’t going to see change on the outside. You aren’t going to see change in your life externally until you change internally. If nothing ever works and problems are all you seem to experience, then you should stop and consider that perhaps your inner man may need some work.

The Word makes it clear that your experience, your surroundings – everything about you – is basically a result of the way you think. As you think in your heart, that’s the way it is. When you think spiritually minded thoughts, you get life and peace. When you don’t, you get death.

“For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6)

It’s your responsibility to guard and protect your garden. Whatever is growing there is what you’ve planted or what you’ve allowed to be planted there.

Whatever is growing in the garden of your life is what you planted or allowed to be planted in your heart. Scripture reveals that as you think in your heart, that’s the way you’re going to be. (Proverbs 23:7) If you think spiritually minded, your thoughts will produce life and peace. (Romans 8:6)

2 Peter 1:2 further substantiates the principle that your thought life produces a harvest in the natural realm when it says, “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.”  These words in 2 Peter reveal that peace comes through the knowledge of God.

Peace in your life isn’t the absence of problems or challenging circumstances around you. God’s kind of peace is there even in the midst of a storm. It resides on the inside. Then, eventually, that peace on the inside of you will begin to change the circumstances on the outside.

“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue.”  (2 Peter 1:3)

This verse says that God’s divine power has (past tense) already given unto us all things.  Most people want God to just come with his power from the outside, in. This scripture says that all things that pertain unto life and godliness come through the knowledge of God. This includes healing, prosperity, deliverance, joy, peace, success in business, good relationships, and anything else. Everything that pertains to life and godliness comes through the knowledge of God. This means that the born again Christian already has the peace of God in their spirit. As they renew their mind to who they are and what they have in Christ, they draw that peace out into their experience.

The dominant experience of your life is a reflection of the way you are thinking on the inside.  (Proverbs 23:7) Instead of looking for a change to take place externally and everybody and everything else around you, the first thing you need to do is recognize that change begins on the inside of you. This occurs according to the knowledge that you have of God. (2 Peter 1:2–3)

You can turn any circumstance in your life around by getting Gods perspective and starting to think his thoughts. Some people call this by different names, but I believe this is what the Bible calls faith. Faith is simply seeing things from God’s perspective.

If you want something to change on the outside, then you’re going to have to start by changing something on the inside. You cannot keep the same internal thought processes and believe that your external circumstances will change. That by definition, is insane! It begins on the inside. If you want change in your life, then you’re going to have to do something differently in your spirit.

If you aren’t satisfied and fulfilled in your heart, then you are dying on the inside and change is necessary.  If you don’t wake up in the morning and feel like, “Praise God, another opportunity to do what the Lord has called me to do and make a difference in this world,” then whether you realize it or not, change is needed.

Chapter 2 – Meditate the Word
When I studied the Word of God, the Lord imparted truth to me. I could tell that change was happening in my life.

I heard the Lord tell me, “if you will take my Word and meditate on it day and night, then My Word will teach you everything you need to know. My Word will change everything.”

From that time forward, I just poured myself into the Word of God. I immersed myself for long periods of time in God’s Word.

God is no respecter of persons. If you put His Word first place in your life and meditate on it on a consistent basis, it will change you.

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth. (Joshua 1:8) Instead of “this book of the law”, we can say, the Bible, the Word of God.

The Word of God shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shall meditate therein day and night, that thou may observe to do according to all that is written therein, for then thou shall make thy way prosperous, and then thou shall have good success.  (Joshua 1:8)

Let’s start at the end of this verse and work back. Most people want to be prosperous and have good success. Yet, I find it amazing that the vast majority of people bypass the first part of this verse. They’ll spend their prayer time asking God to “please prosper my business, please cause my marriage to succeed, please heal my body,” but they won’t do what the Word says.

Joshua 1:8 reveals that the way you get prosperity and good success in every area of your life is to take the Word of God and meditate on it to the great degree that it saturates what you think about, what you talk about, and how you act. When God’s Word literally begins to control your life, you will prosper and have good success physically, emotionally, relationally, financially – in every area.

King Jehoshaphat prayed, “God, we don’t have any help, any power, against this great multitude that has come against us.  Our only hope is in you.  We’re standing here.  We’re waiting on you.  God, we need you to do something!”  (2 Chronicles 20:12)

At the conclusion of King Jehoshaphat’s prayer, a prophet stood up and prophesied, “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.  You will find that it has already been won.”

Most people don’t understand the true definition of meditation. Meditation is simply focusing your attention on something to the point that it never leaves your consciousness.

“Believe in the Lord your God, so shall you be established; believe his prophets, so shall you prosper.”  (2 Chronicles 20:20)

As you meditate on the Word, faith rises. Many people missed this increase in faith because they read the Word, but don’t meditate on it, everyone reading this may not be able to spend large quantities of time in the Word but everyone can meditate on it day and night.

Regardless of what your circumstances or problems are, you’re never more than one Word from God away from absolute victory. The Lord knows exactly where you are and how to get you to where you’re supposed to be. All you need is just the slightest instruction, and the impartation of God’s wisdom. All you need is a Word from God!

Chapter 3 – God Speaking
God isn’t wringing his hands and wondering how he can pull a situation out for you. There is a simple solution for every situation. Our biggest problem is our inability to hear Gods voice. The way we know what God is saying is through His Word. If we would get into the Word of God and meditate on it, the Lord would speak to us. He could give us wisdom and direction.

In Proverbs, chapter 1, Solomon described why he wrote the book that would follow:

“To know wisdom and instruction, to perceive the words of understanding: to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; to give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.” (Proverbs 1:2–4)

Solomon said the book of Proverbs was meant to give wisdom to the simple and understanding to those who don’t have any. Then he spoke about the good this wisdom and understanding will bring you and the bad it will help you avoid. The truths contained in the book of Proverbs alone will instruct you concerning all kinds of things.

“A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.” (Proverbs 18:16)

“Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out, yes, strife and reproach shall cease.” (Proverbs 22:10)

Through God’s Word, you can learn how to deal with people. You can gain wisdom if you are a boss, an employee, or a salesperson.

If you are a parent and you’re struggling with your children, there is a wealth of information in the Bible. I have yet to run across a problem in life for which the Word of God doesn’t provide an answer. And if you will take this Word, meditate on it, and put this knowledge on the inside of you, then the Holy Spirit will, at the appropriate time, quicken things to you and show you what to do.

God speaks to me this way. This is what makes my life tick. What has changed my life is my love for the Word of God.

The words contained in the Bible perfectly represent the heart of God. When I read the Word, I’m not reading a book about God. This is the Lord writing to me! Even some of these things that were said thousands of years ago to other people, He speaks to me afresh today.

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”  (Jeremiah 1:5)

Many people take God’s Word for granted. They don’t respect and honor it for what it is – God speaking to us. That’s why they don’t get the benefit out of it that I do. Believe me, God’s Word has everything in it that you need to succeed. If we would simply do what the Word says, and meditate on it day and night, we would prosper and have good success.  (Joshua 1:8)

The average person doesn’t believe the truth that God’s Word contains everything necessary for success. That’s why they don’t meditate on the Word of God day and night, which is the reason they’re not prospering and succeeding more than they are.

Many Christians don’t honor the Word of God by looking at it as literally God speaking to them. When they read it, they do it more out of religious obligation and duty. They don’t read the Word expecting God to speak to them.

When I open up the Word of God, I literally view it as God talking to me – and he does. These are living words. The Bible is alive, it’s not dead. (Hebrews 4:12) There’s a difference between this book and any other book. That’s why I choose not to read very much else. I might read one or two other books in a year.

My supreme desire is for the Word. Everything I need is right there in the Word of God.

I’m just going to become so single minded, so focused on the Word of God, that I don’t have to have all these supplemental things.

Meditate on God’s Word and try to relate it to different circumstances and situations. If you would do that, you would prosper more accidentally than you ever have on purpose.

“My son, attend to my words, incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they, God’s words, our life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”  (Proverbs 4:20–22)

Place a high priority in value on the Word of God. Start taking each one of these words as being a direct word from God to you. Attend to it. Incline your ear to it. Then you’ll start getting the results I’m describing.

God’s Word is life. No matter how grave the situation you’re in, God’s Word is life and health to all your flesh!

Chapter 4 – Transformed
If you’re struggling with depression, you’re not meditating on the Word of God day and night. Romans 8:6 reveals, “for to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

If you have death in any form working in you – including depression, discouragement, anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, etc. – it’s because you’ve planted death. I don’t say this to condemn you, but rather to enlighten you and show you where the source of your problem lies.

I don’t have to be with you when you plant your garden to see what you’ve sown. All I have to do is be there when the crop grows up to know what you’ve planted. If you have death in your life – if you’re depressed, discouraged, angry, or bitter – you haven’t been meditating on the Word of God. Spiritual mindedness only produces life and peace.

Jesus said, “the words that I speak unto you they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63)

Since God’s Word is spirit, to be spiritually minded is to be Word of God minded. If you are Word of God minded, this will produce life and peace.

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”  (Isaiah 26:3)

Some might say, but I’ve done all of these things, and I still have terrible problems in my life. I would say that you may have read the Word of God or heard somebody else quote it, but you haven’t attended to it. You haven’t inclined your ear and kept his sayings in the midst of your heart.  (Proverbs 4:20–22)

You’ve let your eyes depart and focus on other things. If you do what God’s Word says, it will produce the results that the Word said it will produce. Proverbs 4:20 – 22 reveals that God’s Word will be life to those who find its sayings, and health to all their flesh.

Do I run to somebody every time I have an illness begin to fight against me? No, I go to the Word of God. Just like if you have a pain, you take a pill. If I have a pain, I take a GOS–PILL. I take the Word of God.

Whenever I have any physical symptoms of illness hitting me, I’ll stand against them, rebuke them, and speak my faith. Normally, that will take care of everything.

I don’t get sick. I don’t believe in being sick. But I’ve had the symptoms of sickness hit me and they last for an hour or two. If, after rebuking the symptoms, I don’t see instantaneous results, then I take up the Word of God. I start going over Scriptures that I already know, like 1 Peter 2:24, which says that “by His stripes, I was healed.”

It’s not good enough just to quote those Scriptures from memory. I go back and look them up again because of this principle. God’s Word is life to those that find them, and health to all their flesh.  (Proverbs 4:22) The Word of God is health to your flesh!

“He sent his Word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions” (Psalm 107:20)

If I need healing in my body, I take the Word of God and meditate on it. I eat these words because they are life and health to my flesh. I may even quote these words, but I’ll still go back to my Bible and study them. As I do, the Bible reveals that: “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

Continued – Click on Link Below