Adaptability

One skill that we must all learn is the ability to adapt. Circumstances can change on us. Many times, they change unexpectedly. When these things happen, we must learn to adapt. Paul gave us an example in Philippians 4:11-13 Amplified Classic:

Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am.

I know how to be abased and live humbly in straitened circumstances, and I know also how to enjoy plenty and live in abundance. I have learned in any and all circumstances the secret of facing every situation, whether well-fed or going hungry, having a sufficiency and enough to spare or going without and being in want.

I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].

Paul gives us the answer to walking out the skill of adaptability: He could do all things through Christ who strengthened or empowered him. The Greater One on the inside of us enables us to face any and everything that comes our way. Paul said that he knew abundance and scarcity. He knew how to handle hunger as well as being well-fed. Paul was able to adapt to whatever came his way because of Christ’s sufficiency. When you read about the life and ministry of Paul, you see that he survived so many things. He was shipwrecked. He was stoned. He had been beaten many times. One time they snuck him out of the city by lowering him in a basket. He endured so much, but he was able to do so because of his ability to adapt.

Jesus had to adapt as well. Jesus came down from heaven to live among men. He stripped Himself of the attributes that made Him God and lived on the earth as a man (see Philippians 2 Amp. Classic). The Bible tells us that Jesus experienced hunger. He experienced what it felt like to get tired. He would get thirsty. He experienced things that He never experienced when He was in heaven. He felt pain. He felt betrayal. He was criticized and lied on. Through all these things, He adapted. He learned how to deal with the human experience, and He still overcame. The devil was never able to stop Him. We live in victory because of His victory.

God expects us to win. Things may not always go our way, but we can adapt. We can maneuver and strategize. We can lean on the leadership and wisdom of the Holy Spirit. We can be like Paul; we can be ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into us.

We are a Different Breed

We are peculiar people.

You know as Christians, we are a different breed. The Bible says that we are, “the light of the world.” We are “the salt of the earth” We are a city set on a hill that cannot be hid. (Matthew 5:13-14). We talk differently. We act differently. Jeus said in John 3: 31 Amp.Class,

He Who comes from above (heaven) is [far] above all [others]; he who comes from the earth belongs to the earth, and talks the language of earth [his words are from an earthly standpoint]. He Who comes from heaven is [far] above all others [far superior to all others in prominence and in excellence].

We approach our problems differently from the way the world handles them. We have been born from above. We don’t act like the people of the earth. We are citizens of the state (commonwealth, homeland) which is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). We don’t complain. We don’t make excuses. We know who we are and what belongs to us (at least we should). Christians speak to their mountains and expect them to go into the sea (Mark 11:23). The believer is to call those things be not as though they were because we are imitators of God (Romans 4:17; Ephesians 5:1). We are in a spiritual battle that requires spiritual weapons. II Corinthians 10:3-6 The Message tells us that:

The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.

Notice that the world is unprincipled. It has very few morals and values. The world is under the power and influence of the evil one. He is our enemy, and he is the one that we use these weapons on. Our weapons include the Word of God. The Blood of Jesus. The Name of Jesus. The Holy Spirit. The whole armor of God. I could go on and on. God did not have armor made for us. He gave us His armor. He gave us His Word. He gave us the same items that He uses, the only difference is that He knows how to use all His arsenal. We are getting there. As we continue to be doers of the word, we will become more skillful in the things of God. We will experience more victories. We will walk out this life as more than conquerors the way God always intended for us to be.

The Greatest Kingdom There Is

“But throughout the history of these kingdoms, the God of heaven will be building a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will this kingdom ever fall under the domination of another. In the end it will crush the other kingdoms and finish them off and come through it all standing strong and eternal. It will be like the stone cut from the mountain by the invisible hand that crushed the iron, the bronze, the ceramic, the silver, and the gold.
Daniel 2:44. The Message

We are in the greatest kingdom in the universe. There is no kingdom that is stronger or mightier. We were once in an inferior kingdom. The Bible tells us in Colossians 1:13 (Amplified Classic),
[The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.

We were once a part of an inferior kingdom. We were once under the dominion and control of Satan, the god (ruler) of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). Satan’s kingdom is an inferior kingdom. When Jesus was on the earth, He overcame Satan and his demons repeatedly. Jesus represented a much stronger kingdom. We are in that kingdom now. There is authority and power in this kingdom. The Bible tells us that the whole world is under the influence of the wicked one (Ephesians 2:2). Satan has no power over us because we are no longer in his kingdom. He cannot control us, and he has no more influence over us. The Bible tells us that we are to resist him (1 Peter 5:9). We are to stand against him and every demonic spirit (Ephesians 6:13-14). Being in the kingdom of God allows us to have access to God’s armor (Ephesians 6:13). We have access to the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17).

Jesus once said that He “saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18). Satan has never been a match for God and He never will. When you get a revelation of the kingdom that you belong to and the weapons that accompany the kingdom, Satan will never be a match for you either. We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:17). God has seated us in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6). We have access to everything that Jesus has access to. We ought to overcome the way He does. The Bible tells us that, as He is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). God expects us to lead an overcoming life. We are more than conquerors through Him that loves us (Romans 8:37).

Start with what you have, don’t worry about what you don’t have.

Many people have big dreams and even bigger goals. We all want to accomplish great things for the kingdom of God. The problem with many is that they want to start with everything that is needed. Sometimes things don’t work that way. Sometimes we must start with what we have. As we walk with God, things are added to us. Over time, our knowledge increases. Our wisdom increases as well. As we get older, we should be getting better. As we get better, we attract more. I read a quote that said, “Instead of chasing butterflies, just build a garden.” If you work hard enough on the garden, the beauty of the garden will attract butterflies.

That is how success is. Success is not something we pursue; success is something we attract by the person we become. I learned that from the late Jim Rohn, and I have never forgotten it. People all over the world are chasing success and unfortunately never catch it. We must learn to work on ourselves. As we work on ourselves, we become more attractive and attract opportunities that will enrich our lives.

God knows all the details of our lives. The Bible tells us that “the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.” (Psalm 37:23) When you are assured of this, you don’t mind starting at the bottom of the corporate ladder. You are willing to start off small. Zechariah 4:10 (The Message) asks a very good question: “Does anyone dare despise the day of small beginnings?”

You learn a lot at the bottom. Starting at the bottom teaches you how to get to the top. My late pastor used to say, “The path to the prize is greater than the prize itself.” Oh, how he was right. The lessons learned on the road to success are so valuable. They are lessons that you can pass on to the next generation. They are lessons that will help you the next time you face a challenge in your life. God wants to take us from glory to glory, but it’s a process.

You don’t jump from the first grade to the sixth. You don’t go from elementary school to high school. You go from the first grade to the second. The second grade to the third. It is one grade at a time. You just keep going until, the next thing you know, you’re in middle school. You don’t stop there. You just keep going until finally you find yourself graduating from high school. It didn’t happen overnight, but as you kept going, you got smarter and you got better.

It is the same in every process. Don’t run from the process—grow from the process. Embrace the journey, one step at a time. God’s way is always the best way.