Several years ago, a young minister prayed unto the Lord this fervent prayer: “Lord, change me, because I want to change others”. And the Lord really changed him. The truth is that if you don’t change, you cannot really change others. Your change is what will bring change to others. All your efforts to change others will be futile until you really try to change yourself. All the change we want to see happen in others, must start with us first. In actual fact, the only person you really have the power to change is yourself.
A. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE
Change is all around us. Your body, family, marriage, children, job, friends and environments are changing and you cannot remain the same. Personal change means character developments, attitudinal changes, spiritual maturity, internal turnaround, broad mindedness, mental improvements and moving from grace to grace. It is becoming better day by day and growing to the person God created you to be.
- You must change within if you hope to change without.
- You must improve the quality of your mind and heart.
- Your mental and thought life must become better.
- Your character and conduct must change for the better.
- Childish, immature and carnal attitudes must leave you.
- You must handle things in a better and matured way.
- Your personal change will affect your work and relationships
- Your relational skills will affect those around you.
- It is your personal change that will make you a world changer.
The change you really want to see in the world must be found in you first. If you stop changing. then you stop creating and inspiring change in others.
B. REACTING TO PERSONAL CHANGE AND RESPONDING TO CHANGE.
Lots of leaders that know that they should change are not changing simply because they are reacting to it. Here are ways that leaders react to change:
- You can ignore or deny change
- You can become angry at change
- You can defy or resist change
- You can reject and oppose change
- You can become a victim of change
When you react, you are a victim. When you react, change leads your life and will handle you. You become rigid, inflexible and close-minded and the world will leave you behind.
Conversely, you can respond to change. To respond to personal change is to:
- Welcome and embrace change
- You adjust to and accommodate change
- Seek for areas to improve and become better.
You must resolve to be a master of change rather than a victim of change. If you respond, you lead change in your life. If you respond, you are a victor.
Recommended Reading
UNDERSTANDING CHURCH GROWTH: Seasons In Church Growth
The Habit of Generosity—Why Giving is Essential in a Christian’s Life
From Shame to Honor: Top Ten Lessons From The Life Of Rahab – New!
C. ADVERSE EFFECTS OF STUNTED CHANGE
It has been said that when you are through changing, you are really through. When leaders stop changing for the better in a personal way, the following will be the outcome:
- Poor skills in leading people
- Inability to handle ministry challenges
- Breakaway, losses and retardation in ministry
- Loss of respect, authority and influence with people
- Becoming irrelevant and being left behind
- Limitation and barriers to next level of impact
It is mandatory to continually grow, improve, change and become better in your ministerial, relational, family, financial, leadership, character, communication, social and mental lives if you are going to be a true agent of change in your world. But when your change is stagnant in these areas, then your impact and influence will whittle down to nothing.
D. HOW TO DAILY EXPERIENCE PERSONAL CHANGE
Gradual, daily and incremental changes must be the experience of every leader. To create change and initiate change that will affect others positively, then you must first be changing for the better on daily basis.
- Your choice You must make a daily choice.
- Your climate – Your environment matters
- Your connection – Who you are connected with matters.
- Your contact – Your associations will make or mar you.
- Your commitments Be sold out to become better.
- Your constraints – Remove every obstacle to your change.
- Your courage – Have the courage to become better.