Adjustments Are Necessary
Memory verse: Any of you who does not give up everything he has, cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:33)
When God speaks to you to reveal what He is about to do, that revelation is your invitation to adjust your life to Him. Your faith will be most clearly demonstrated by your actions. Actions you will take include the adjustments you must make to be in a position to obey the Lord. Once you’ve adjusted your life to the Lord, you act in obedience. Then God accomplishes through you what He has purposed to do. Adjustments prepare you for obedience. You cannot continue life as usual or stay where you are and go with God at the same time. This truth is demonstrated throughout Scripture.
For instance:
Noah could not continue life as usual and build an ark (Gen. 6)
Abram could not stay in Ur or Haran and father a nation in Canaan (Gen. 12:1-8)
Moses could not stay on the back side of the desert herding sheep and stand before Pharaoh (Ex. 3)
David had to leave his sheep to become king (1 Sam. 16:1-13)
Amos had to leave the sycamore trees to preach in Israel (Amos 7:14-15)
Jonah had to leave his home and overcome a major prejudice in order to preach in Nineveh (Jonah 1:1-2; 3:1-2; 4:1-11)
Peter, Andrew, James, and John had to leave their fishing businesses to follow Jesus (Matt. 4:18-22)
Matthew had to leave his tax collectors booth to follow Jesus (Matt. 9:9)
Saul (later Paul) had to completely change directions in his life to preach the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 9:1-19)
These men had to make enormous adjustments! Some had to leave family and country. Others had to renounce prejudices and change their values. Others had to leave behind life goals, ideals, and desires. They had to yield everything to God and align their entire lives to Him. The moment they made the necessary changes, God began to accomplish His purposes through them. Each one, however, learned that adjusting one’s life to God is well worth the cost.
You may be thinking, “But God will not ask me to make major adjustments.” Scripture shows that God most certainly requires adjustments of His people. He even required them of His own Son: “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Jesus emptied Himself of position and wealth in heaven in order to join the Father in providing redemption through His death on the cross. That was a major adjustment!
If you want to be a disciple—a follower—of Jesus, you have no choice. You must leave where you are to follow Him. You must make major alterations in your life to follow God. Until you are ready to make any change necessary to follow and obey what God has said, you will be of little use to God. Your greatest single difficulty in following God may come at this point of full surrender.