WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WORD...if the horse dies, should you dismount?

So many times I see myself doing the same things, the same way, over and over and over again. Many times we tackle the day-in and day-out activities of our day with the same attitude and the same approach. I wonder what would happen if we shook things up abit and changed a few things?

Would it be better, worse or no different?

It is hard to change things. Especially if things are going good. But what about when things aren't working right...why are we afraid to change things then?

Being unwilling to change things reminds me of the old saying, "You can't beat a dead horse"...in other words, if the horse is already dead, beating it is not going to change a thing.

I wonder if sometimes we try to keep things alive that are already dead by doing things the same way. For instance if putting the wrong kind of oil in your car causes your car to stall...why would you keep putting that oil in your car? Sometimes you have to change your method of madness to get different results. More positive results.

According to Rick Warren, pastor of the Saddleback Community church and author of the book, The Purpose Driven Church, the reason that 95% of all churches in the world never grow past 300 members is because their structure keeps them from growing beyond that point.

"When a thing grows weak and out of date, it is obviously soon going to disappear. That's true of churches, too. If a church cannot change, it will eventually die." -Rick Warren

In last week's YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL, I polled the readers the following question, "What kind of change do you anticipate in the year 2012?" The top 3 responses were...

1. 44% of those voting said they anticipate a change in their spirituality.
2. Another 44% voted and said a change financially.
3. 33% responded and said that they plan to change where they live.

"When a thing grows weak and out of date, it is obviously soon going to disappear." (Hebrews 8:13 NIV)

Probably one of the hardest places to accept change is in our churches. We get comfortable doing the same thing. Many times, we have the mindset that since we have done it "this way" since the beginning of time, we can't do it any other way. I full heartily believe that if it ain't broke, why fix it...but I also believe that why should we wait until it is broke to try other things.

In the spiritual world ... this may mean trying new and exciting ways to draw people in. It isn't changing God's Message...it is just trying new methods to present the Gospel.

In the physical world...this may mean putting away some old habits and trying some new habits that will spur on new growth and vitality. It may mean paying your bills in a different way, or changing some eating habits or altering the things that we allow our ears and eyes to fixate upon.

2012 can be a year of change. But we got to stop trying to beat a dead horse...we have to have a willing heart and an obedient spirit to change the things that God would have us change.

This same principle applies to many areas of life. Often we do not want to make changes in our life, especially if it is to our disadvantage...but the truth is there are times in our lifes that we NEED to make changes.