Dare to Believe

My father became a Christian when he was 83 years old. There were many times throughout the years when I thought, He will never change! But I kept praying for him. And thank God, eventually, he did change—he experienced the greatest transformation of all.

To be transformed means you are changed entirely from the inside out. When we become Christians, 2 Corinthians 5:17 (AMP) says we are ...a new creation (a new creature altogether; the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!

Sadly, many times people don’t believe they can change. And often they don’t believe other people can change. But the only thing that never changes is God! (Hebrews 13:8). 

The Lord wants us to dare to believe that He is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams] (Ephesians 3:20 AMPC).

The question is: What are you expecting God to do for you? Maybe you’re having a hard time believing that your kids can change, your marriage can improve or that you can ever lose weight, get a better job or get completely out of debt.

But Jeremiah 29:11 (AMPC) says God’s thoughts and plans for us are for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. He has a good plan for you, and you can dare to believe that He can heal you anywhere you hurt and help you with every problem you face. 

The key to having what God wants you to have is learning to think like He thinks. And Romans 12:2 teaches that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. I’ve discovered several ways we need to change our thinking so we can enjoy the life God wants to give us. We need to change our thinking about…

God

It’s so important for us to know who God really is. He’s not an angry God, and He’s not “harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant...” (Matthew 11:30 AMPC). God loves you. And if you know how much He loves you right now, then you’ll have hope that things in your life can change. 

Ourselves

If you don’t like yourself, then you’re going to have difficulty in every area of your life. Don’t demand perfection from yourself. No one is perfect, and no matter what we do, we usually don’t think it’s enough—we don’t pray enough, work hard enough, study the Bible enough, and the list goes on.  

God spoke to my heart one day and said, “Joyce, you’re never enough, but I’m always more than enough.” 

That’s why Jesus came! We tend to think of all the things that are wrong with us, however Jesus wants us to focus on all of the things that are right with us. He wants us to believe that we can do whatever we need to do through Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21; John 15:5; Philippians 4:13.)

What Others Think of Us

It’s easy to let what others do and say affect us. I’m sure we’ve all thought at one point or another, If you don’t like me, my day is ruined!

But the truth is, if we’re more concerned with being a people-pleaser than a God-pleaser, we won’t become what God created us to be and do what He’s calling us to do (Galatians 1:10). 

That’s why the greatest thing we can ever do is learn who we are in Christ and receive all of our worth and value from Him. As we do, we will be free to obey God and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit instead of trying to always please other people and derive our value from them.  

Trials and Difficulties

I encourage you to read and study James 1:2-4 (AMPC). It says, “Consider it wholly joyful…whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials.” Why? Why should you get excited about difficult thing in your life? Because “the trial and proving of your faith” is what God uses to make you “fully developed…lacking in nothing.”

You see, God takes the hard things—the unfair things, the things we don’t like—and He uses them to strengthen our faith and help us grow. God never causes pain or suffering, but He will use it to help us get to where we want to go in life. 

I’ve reached a point in my life where I can look back and be grateful for the trials I endured; God used them to make me stronger. In fact, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now if I didn’t have to go through some things!

God wants to use your pain for your gain if you will allow Him. When things happen that you don’t like—even things that appear to be ruining God’s plan—that’s the perfect time to dare to believe. It’s time to trust that God can use anything and everything to help you grow, change…and walk in His perfect will for your life.