To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:22-24
Change can be hard for anyone. It involves a physical, spiritual, moral, social, and mental movement away from a former self into a new and better self.
Imagine your life as a big sailboat that has been traveling along a certain path in the ocean for a long time. Imagine every experience you have ever had including lessons you have learned along the way and think of them as your baggage. So the more you experience, the more baggage you carry on.
Some baggage can be light, heavy, beneficial, non-beneficial, burdensome, or simply dead weight. How smooth or rough you travel will depend on the kind of baggage you carry unto your boat. The boat never stops until you die but you can control which direction you travel.
Some routes might be difficult, others may be easy and require no effort on your part whiles others may simply be impossible to sail through. This is how life is. Every single thing you have been through in the past is responsible for the distance you have traveled so far, the baggage you carry with you, the route on which you are on, and what the end of your journey will look like.
Your very being is a result of all the experiences, pain, joy, love, laughter, tears, and sadness you have endured so far. If you do not trust anyone anymore, it’s because you were given a reason not to in some time past.
Today, you must understand that the Lord who created you knows what is best for you. He knows the best routes to take in your journey in life. He is loving and kind enough to come to your rescue when you lose your way.
He knows how to help you get rid of the baggage that is not beneficial to you and give you helpful tools that can help you find your way to your perfect end. He knows you more than you know yourself and he understands everything that you go through. He can be your map and steer you away from routes that can be treacherous enough to sink your vessel.
He is an anchor that will hold your vessel in times of stormy winds and dangerous waves that threaten to destroy you. He knows whether you are traveling in the wrong direction or not. He knows how to make change things from bad to good. He can even save you when you fall in the water. He can help you get back in your boat so you can continue your journey.
He loves you more than any creation of his and he is always willing to help you out of your troubles. There are times you may feel like all is well with you but you may not know what traps lurk ahead of you. Let God into your boat. He will change the course of your life and your troubles will be no more. .
Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.
Psalm 103:1-5
6 important steps to change your life
Stop the boat
He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.
Proverbs 28:13
When the road you are on is a wicked and sinful one, you must stop. The Lord sees all you do in the dark and nothing can be hidden from him. The sooner you admit to yourself that you are on a troubled path, the sooner you can be set on the right path. Do not be ashamed to admit in front of others that you need God’s help. The moment you realize that you are not going anywhere, the journey of change and renewal has begun and it means you are ready to change the course of your travel for the better.
Ask God for direction
Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.
Psalm 119:105
Sincerely pray and ask God to come in your boat. Make him your co-captain and let him show you the way to go. Ask him for guidance and protection from the evil in your past and the evil in your present and future. Ask him to be your light and remove all darkness that keeps you from reaching the glory ahead of you. Let your heart be one with him and hear his voice inside your spirit. Let him direct your paths from now on and do nothing without talking to him first.
Renewal of your mind
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2
Renew your mind and turn from evil. Let go of all the baggage in your past that brings you pain. Throw them off in the water and let God be your companion. It will surprise you to know the weight that will be lifted off you once you let go of your past troubles.
Forgive and forget about those who hurt you in the past, present, and future. Vow to never hold on to any anger caused you by anyone you trusted. When new baggage threatens to come on board, get rid of it immediately. Prepare yourself for your new journey in the Lord.
Sail toward good
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
Colossians 3:23-24.
The good path is the path of God. It is the course God sets for you so you get a beautiful and glorious end. Let God be your light in all you do. Ask yourself if any decision you make will please God before you do it. When others try to use evil means to get what they want, do not be seen with them. Let your present self be the complete opposite of your former self.
Let your life reflect a true change of direction from the old ways. Live according to the principles of God and it will end you well. Never lie, cheat, or abuse to get what you want. The ways of the Lord are gentle, forgiving, peaceful, graceful, and without evil.
Related Posts
Let go of heavy baggage
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Matthew 6:14-15.
Forgiving someone might sound like a favor to the person but really according to this scripture, it’s a favor to you. If you want your huge debt with God canceled and cancel the small debt others owe you.
Letting go of the past restores your strength and takes the stress of holding on away from you. It tells your mind that you are ready to move on and that you are not going to look back. Whatever you conceive or plan to do with your mind is processed into physical action by the body.
If you keep telling yourself that you cannot forgive and move on, you can’t. Have a mind of positivity, tell yourself that all the burdens of betrayal, hurt and pain is let go in Jesus’ name and then begin to live like that.
Trust in His counsel
Great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, giving to every one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds.
Jeremiah 32:19
Let God be your compass onward. Always trust and obey his counsel and you will not fall into darkness. There will be people who will try and lead you back to the old ways. When that happens you must stand your ground and trust in the Lord always so you are not enticed by the world.
Stay on the path God has ordained for you and do not doubt him no matter the consequences. He won’t steer you wrong even when it gets dark. He is light everlasting and he will not abandon or forsake you no matter the consequences.
