Dawn Dyson
- Aug 1, 2021
- 8 min read

Accept the Changes

Updated: Aug 7, 2021

[Video version below.]

Accept the Changes Bible Study Guide

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When we first come to know the Lord, we come to the end of what we can do on our own. We arrive at a place of humbleness, where Heaven meets our earth, when we realize He is Creator of us. God runs the world.

Yet, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our Potter, and we all are the work of Your hand. ~ Isaiah 64:8 (AMPC).

We do not make ourselves. And those who wish to argue cannot start a human heartbeat or spin the world in space—much less create it from scratch and sustain it. Upon the altering realization of how vast and detailed God is, the only path to peace of mind, heart and soul is to agree with what He made.

God has His distinct opinions,

and they are the only opinions that count.

Further, we cannot know ourselves until we come to know the One Who designed us. We cannot hope to understand our call or life’s purpose until we somewhat, and by His grace, understand Him—His Beautiful Mind, His Colossal Will.

Thank God He wrote a Book!

What a privilege to be able to read it.

What blood has been shed to be able to hold it.

In cooperation with the Holy comes the sweet ability to breathe easy with regard to who we are—this is a Sabbath rest. Just be… Trust takes hold of our delicate dreams and cultivates them—it never destroys them.

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart. ~ Psalm 37:4 (AMPC).

The only way to be comfortable in our new skin as the awakened, after all the mistakes we have made are seen, after coming to the end of all the dead-end roads, after all the work digging what the Bible calls “empty wells,” is to change our mind. This is the meaning of “repent”.

And Peter answered them, Repent (change your views and purpose to accept the will of God in your inner selves instead of rejecting it) and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of and release from your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ~ Acts 2:38 (AMPC).

Adopt God’s ideas—you will find they fit your persona like a glove. God being the Potter and we being the clay, we will be changed.

Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words. Then I went down to the potter’s house, and behold, he was working at the wheel. And the vessel that he was making from clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he made it over, reworking it into another vessel as it seemed good to the potter to make it. ~ Jeremiah 18:2-4 (AMPC).

So, the question is how does God change us, or mold us, into what He wants? There are myriads of ways, but consider a metaphor. You are living, and as such, writing the story of your life with every breath, with every step. You go with who you think God is making you, and has made you to be from the start. You put your personhood out into the world as if print on paper, diligently caring for your ways, your will, your thoughts, your being—so intimately, the ink on your life’s page is the blood in your veins. Others can read it. The message set forth is of your soul—God breathed, like a prayer. You put all of your effort, all of your intelligence, into it—no stone is left unturned. You have lived a lot of life and this the best you can do. This is you.

Then, God sends in people to revise, make commentary, analyze you, critique you, challenge you, put you under, cross you out, crumple you—some will toss you in the bin. By the time you have tried to love others, you feel like you have been edited and reedited so many times you are an unreadable maze. You are left confused. But what is happening is commonplace amongst the saints.

For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear]. But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently. ~ 1 Corinthians 10:13 (AMPC).

This is why:

…[Y]ou have stripped off the old (unregenerate) self with its evil practices, [a]nd have clothed yourselves with the new [spiritual self], which is [ever in the process of being] renewed and remolded into [fuller and more perfect knowledge upon] knowledge after the image (the likeness) of Him Who created it. ~ Colossians 3:9(b)-10 (AMPC).

Clay, like a good story, is moldable.

Trust you are in God’s hands.

A document being passed from colleague to colleague, each with their own edits, is an unreadable mess in the markup stage. However, when you finally decide to trust the process and “accept all changes” the document instantly springs back to a readable, simplified format, but it has been masterfully perfected. You see, God sends people into our lives to “mark us up” and make some edits to our souls. It cuts to the quick like red ink applied to our best work. We thought we had a masterpiece already, but the Teacher knows we have been instilled with Brilliance we are only beginning to discover. God uses all of the mess in our lives to make us better—in His image, according to His will.

You are in God’s care.

Therefore, you are doing very well.

Paul states:

Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. ~ Romans 12:2 (AMPC) (emphasis added).

You do not have to get stuck in the markup stage.

Simply, agree with God and accept His changes.

[F]or God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as it is in all churches of the saints. ~ 1 Corinthians 14:33 (KJ21).

The end point with God is never confusion. The feeling that you have been through too much nonsensical criticism or dramatic reworking will expire as delight filters in. The point is to accept God’s opinion over man’s, and over your own. Part of repentance is not only, “God I’m sorry,” it is “God forgive me.” To “fore-give” means that God is always giving you something valuable before you understand what that thing of value is—how deep that rejection will go in order to let out the poison, or what that odd circumstance or strange distraction is ultimately doing to forge your determination and focus. A promise is a circle, a ring, and it will come around. On earth, we have a partial view. Consider this…

“A rainbow is not actually shaped like a semicircle or an arc; that is simply the shape that we see. In fact, a rainbow is a circle, but we can’t see the full shape because the horizon cuts off the lower half. However, if you were flying high enough, without any disturbance, then you would be able to see a full rainbow.”[1]

We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. ~ Romans 8:28 (AMPC).

What the enemy means for your utter destruction, God “foreordained” for your perfection. Through Christ, God forgives you. From the foundations of the world, God has decided who you are, what He is making of you, and what for. If you have a heartbeat, you have a holy purpose.

Today, accept the changes and move forward with God.

[L]et God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God—what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect. ~ Romans 12:2 (GNT).

There are many living symbols God has created to prove change is a good thing. Here are a few comments regarding some of them:

“[T]he [chrysalis of a future butterfly] may be suspended under a branch, hidden in leaves or buried underground. [It is] protected inside a cocoon of silk. This stage can last from a few weeks, a month or even longer. Some species have a pupal stage that lasts for two years. It may look like nothing is going on but big changes are happening inside.”[2]
Grasshoppers have an incomplete metamorphosis. Consider this verse: There we saw the Nephilim [or giants], the sons of Anak, who come from the giants; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight (Numbers 13:33, AMPC).
Butterflies have a complete metamorphosis. They totally embrace change. Consider these verses: If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle by the farthest sea, even there Your hand will guide me; Your right hand will hold me fast (Psalm 139:9-10, BSB).
“Butterflies can't see their wings. They can't see how truly beautiful they are, but everyone else can. People are like that…”[3] ~ Unknown
“Obliquity is an astronomical term describing the angle of tilt of the Earth's axis of rotation. The obliquity is approximately 23°27' but it is not fixed. Instead, it varies slowly… If the obliquity was equal to zero, the sun would rise at 6 a.m. and set at 6 p.m. every day of the year, everywhere in the world. There would be no long summer days and long winter nights. The sun wouldn't be high in the sky in summer and low in winter. It would take the same path across the sky every day of the year. Every day would be the same as every other. There would be no seasons.”[4]
“The date on which apple trees bloom in a location can vary annually based upon fluctuating winter and spring temperatures and when the trees have had their chilling and heating requirement met.”[5]

In other words, no changing seasons—no freedom, no variety, no fruit. It is true of the nature God created and it is true of us—the people He created.

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” ~ Leo Tolstoy

In truth, it is God Who changes us.

And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit. ~ 2 Corinthians 3:18 (AMPC).

Do not be afraid to let GOD transform you and take you through great life change. Adapt. Adjust. You are far more beautiful of a masterpiece than you know. God is giving you wings.

[L]ooking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ~ Hebrews 12:2 (ASV).

Accept the Changes.

God knows what He is doing with you.

BIBLE TRANSLATIONS

ASV, public domain in the United States.

REFERENCES

1 Madhavi Deshpande, Why are Rainbows Always Curved or Arched? (Updated July 15, 2020), https://www.scienceabc.com/nature/rainbows-always-curved.html.

2 https://ansp.org/exhibits/online-exhibits/butterflies/lifecycle/.

3 https://butterflywebsite.com/butterfly-quotes.cfm.

4 https://www.obliquity.com/info/meaning.html.

5 https://apples.extension.org/timing-of-apple-tree-bloom/.

DAWN DYSON