You Can Take Risks When You Know You’re Accepted

• Set a fire down in my soul that I can’t control
• You are making me new
• I am Yours I am forever Yours
• I want more of You, God

Are You Inviting Change?

These are just a few phrases we sang at church this Sunday. Have you ever thought that the things we sing about invites changes into our lives? We already have all of God that we can currently handle. Therefore we need change to enable ourselves to receive the more of God for which we sing and pray about.

Most of us don’t like change. Change brings uncertainty—death to what we have known. It brings unfamiliarity—causing you to venture into new things. It forces you to be a learner—you will no longer be the expert in your situations. It strikes at your areas of securities. Can you do this? Will you be successful in this new adventure? How will people respond to you?

It is these questions that cause many of us to resist the work of God in our lives. Are you able to respond to God when these self-doubts come? How do you prepare to be able to press through?

How to Stay Confident in Uncertainty

This is where we need friends. We need people who know us, accept us, and encourage us to continue to follow God. We need to be intentionally pursuing these people: people to share your hopes, dreams, fears, and failures.

As we are completely known then we are open to be completely accepted. If we don’t open ourselves up, we expose fears we have that we will not be accepted. God wants to use other people to show us how He feels about us. Opening ourselves up allows us to receive God’s acceptance and to trust in His protection. We shouldn’t open up to everyone, but there should be some people. Those who know us well enough so when change happens, they can encourage us in the process and tell us we are amazing when we feel uncertain.

Sharing Our Thoughts Bring Them Into the Light

People who know us well can also pick out the little lies we have let creep into our minds. For instance, a friend recently shared that they felt God wanted to use the next few months to change them. Even though that sounds like what we have been discussing, the Holy Spirit prompted me to challenge the statement. God may bring changes to your lives, but He is not looking to change you. He created you and has given you everything you need to live out the destiny to which He called you. Changing you implies there is something in you He doesn’t like. That is a lie. There is nothing in you that God doesn’t love. He is looking to reveal through you all the greatness He has placed in you.

We Need People Who Know Us

I believe that there are many of us who are being called by God for something new, but we are afraid to step out in faith because we don’t have the safety net of friends to lift us out of our doubts and insecurities. All of our songs and prayers will be hindered because we don’t believe mistakes and failures are a part of the learning process, stretching us to new levels with God. We feel that when we stumble, that it is a statement about ourselves, that we are a mistake and a failure. Therefore we avoid risks and avoid trying something new.

We Must Risk Rejection to Find Real Acceptance

Find people with whom you can be vulnerable. Share the embarrassing stories of your life. Share the scary dreams. Share the things we are afraid for anyone else to know. The more things you are hiding from others, the more that has control over you.

You need to experience the acceptance of God through the eyes of His children. Once you realize you are known and accepted, you are in a place to follow God into the new adventures He wants to take you on. He has good things in store for you and wants to reveal more of you to the world. The world needs all you were created to be.