Proverbs 19:20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou may be wise in thy latter end.

     “But we have always done it that way.” This is often said when change is in progress and causing discomfort.
     Change is not always easy but often needed to get to the new levels God wants us to grow in. Matt. 9:17 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. But they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved. 
      Under normal circumstances, you would feel a bit silly if you were thirty years old and your mother insisted on walking you to the corner store and carrying your money for you. You would say, “Look, mom, I am old enough, I’m married with children and responsible with money, I can do this on my own.” I say this with tongue in cheek. 
      Thank God for all the praying mothers out there. The point is, change is inevitable. If change had not been embraced we would all still be in the old world and the new world would not have been discovered, let alone space exploration and beyond.
      The apostle Paul who had been called to bring the Gospel of salvation to the gentiles had a pit-bull of a fight with the established beliefs of the time. He constantly had to debate the old Levitical-laws and the grace of the new birth offered to all mankind because of the risen Christ from the dead. Phil. 3:2 Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved. 
      In essence the new testament coming into reality was causing the old priesthood to be in a place where they were constantly returning to their vomit or foolishness so to speak. Prov. 26:11 As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool returns to his folly. 
      Their hearts were blind to the moving of the Holy Spirit because they were entrenched in their old and unchangeable ways. Even though God was on the move and bringing in a new dispensation of salvation through Christ, the old guard and their way of doing things had become their folly. They were no longer looking or listened for the leading of Jehovah God whom they professed but rather dictated to God what His law said and how they would live by it. Inadvertently through traditions they had pushed God aside and were declaring how to earn righteousness without God’s say so. 
      This is a dangerous situation when we start making the Bible say what we want it to say so we can rationalize something we know is wrong but insist on living that way anyways. Jude 1:4 I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvellous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
      We cannot add impurities to clean water and say it is healthy to drink. Rom. 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. We have to change our minds and hearts to keep our vessels and what is in it clean because the Lord is righteous and declares what righteousness is. When the Lord brings change to our lives, it is always for the good of our well being and will still be rooted with the righteous ordinance of His word. 
      The change will not be an allowance for sin just because someone says it is well and legal; therefore, the sin is alright to do now. “After all we live in this day and age,” is what these rebels often say for an excuse to try and legalize their sin. 
      The principles of God’s word will always be relevant to its place in history and will always lead people to the Lord’s standard and interpretation of His word. The Lord will not lower Himself to a base mindedness just because people want to live in unrighteousness, but rather, the Lord will bring us up to His righteous ways. 2 Tim. 2:13 If we believe not, yet He abides faithful: He cannot deny Himself.
      God, Himself does not change. Mal. 3:6a For I am the Lord, I change not. He remains righteous and faithful to His word. He uses His word to change us so that we become like His son Jesus. Don’t be afraid of change, whether it is in your church or life. Embrace it because it means we are growing and going forward in the blessings of the Lord and all that those blessings entail. 
      If God has been asking you to change something in your life then step up to the plate and get it done so that you can say with joy in your heart, “Look what the Lord has done.” Be a victor because you said yes to what God is doing in you and not a victim because you put the change on hold. Change is good when God is leading you into it. Blessings.