Change. It can be one of the most contentious areas of church life. Even the smallest or most insignificant of changes can cause petty bickering, disgruntledness, and even disunity. The church then becomes fertile ground for Satan who “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet. 4:8). We “give the devil a foothold” (Eph. 4:26-27). If we’re going to effectively navigate change, we may need to demolish some strongholds.
Strongholds That Affect Our Attitudes Toward Change
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 refers to strongholds that need to be demolished. They are “arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God” which could include …
human wisdom as opposed to God’s wisdom.
conformity to the world rather than alignment with God.
self-centeredness rather than God-orientation.
perceptions based on human abilities versus possibilities based on God’s power.
Rather than rely on God, we base our assumptions about proposed changes on our own perspective rather than God’s. We dig our feet into the ground and stand firm on our position. We build protective walls around ourselves so we can’t even see how our self-reliance affects the cause of Christ. All we see is how change affects us. It will take a power outside of ourselves to move us.
We Need Divine Power to Navigate Change
Face it. We don’t have it within ourselves to demolish strongholds in our lives. — “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” (2 Cor. 10:3-4) To “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5), we need more than self-determination. We need God’s help.
If we expect people in our churches to grab hold of God’s power to navigate change, we mustn’t wait until we’re in the midst of crisis. We must foster an environment of reliance on God in all aspects of church life. We must steer the Church toward God’s power before change is even on the horizon. So, how do we foster this kind of environment?
Make sure teaching, preaching, and worship point to the awesome greatness of our God. People aren’t going to rely on an anemic God. — “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him.” (2 Pet. 1:3)
Don’t rely on verbal instruction alone. Set an example in all you do of pulling on God’s power. Make it a practice to stop and pray before you act and invite people to join you. If people don’t see us turning to God for help, we’ll do little to spur them on to rely on the divine power needed to demolish strongholds in their lives.
For More: Resources on Divine Weapons for Spiritual Warfare
All Posts about Change Management:
- Managing Change According to Church Purpose?
- Body Life Critical to Change Management
- Body Life Provides Safeguards During Change
- Overcoming Resistance to Change
- Managing Change Well Takes Christ-like Thinking
- Managing Change Well Takes Christ-like Attitudes
- Managing Change Well Takes Christ-like Actions
- Power to Navigate Change Well
- Power of Gospel Gives Perspective in Change Management
- Grace Bookend Your Change Process?
- The Spirit Helps Us Navigate Change
- Power for Change in the Name of the Lord
- Change in His Name
- Change For His Name’s Sake
- Change Possible Because of Resurrection Power
- A Change Process Leading to Growth
- Usefulness of Scripture in Change Management
- Bible Verses to Help in the Change Process
- Need to Make Changes? First Ask, Seek, Knock.
- Guiding People to Navigate Change Well
- Servants Not Controllers of the Change Process
- Shepherds Help People Navigate Change
- Navigating Change May Require Demolishing Strongholds