“But by shifting our focus from what we do to what God does, don’t we cancel out all our careful keeping of rules and ways God commanded? Not At All! What happens in fact is that by putting that entire way of life in its proper place, we confirm it.” Romans 3:31 (MSG)
If you live life in the same way never shifting to follow where God is going, you will remain stuck in old ways, habits, patterns, thinking, and become bored in a kind of stagnant, slow, and mindless death of your potential. You can even know and do all the religious rules, laws, and rituals, but by neglecting a personal flowing relationship with the Divine Holy One you never really focus on what God is doing. You will become afraid of the unknown because your faith hasn’t shifted to the new level God has beckoned you to embrace. Let’s look at spiritual growth like the manual shifting of gears in a car:
- Proper shifting of gears at the right time and in sync with the clutch lends for a smooth transition from one gear to the next leading to an easier drive and enhances the long term health of the vehicle. Now think of that in terms of how it relates to what God is doing on this very day and everyday not only in your life, but also in the world we live in.
- First gear is the beginning; it gets you going much like coffee in the morning for us night owl’s. It’s slow and begs for a shifting to second quickly or the revving becomes tiresome and goes nowhere. If you stay here long the transmission and engine suffer much like your spiritual life. However, there is a time we all need to slow down and chug along slowly to better understand or learn something Divine. Ask when it’s time to Shift.
- Shifting to Second gear gains you a little more speed and power. Your Spiritual Knowledge is broadened and you gain confidence in what you believe. However, like first gear, second only gets you so far then the revving becomes tedious and your patience wanes as you want to go faster and bigger. Never underestimate the time spent deepening your spiritual knowledge and relationship with Jesus. The Divine will show you when it’s time to Shift up.
- As you Shift to third gear things get steady, your uptake in speed makes the car more maneuverable much like branching out in your faith or taking on more spiritual commitment. Your learning and understanding of His Word continues to increase. Alas, though, even that speed is still not where it needs to be. It becomes comfortable so without focus and caution you can get stuck there for longer than you intended. Pay attention to when it’s time to Shift.
- Then as soon as you Shift into fourth – fifth – sixth gear you’re gliding along in optimum speed that actually includes some slow and fast variations, curvy changes, transitions, bumps in the road, and diverse terrain. You’re soaring along enjoying the ride, but don’t get so cocky you leave God behind. Stay focused on the Divine or temptation will pass by and take you over the cliff. Sometimes, He has us Shift down to regroup, like maneuvering a deep curve, then tells us to Shift back up when the time is right. Stay focused on where God is working / needing you.
- Above all you don’t want to get stuck in Neutral, which translates into idleness, laziness, complacency in thinking we know it all already. We are always to be moving, shifting, and growing our faith towards Hope, Life in the Divine, and Seeking, first and foremost, which gear God needs us in at the moment. And when it’s time to Shift, He will give you the signs just like the car does.
- In all of life we go through great seasons of calm and happiness, but there’s also those seasons filled with pot holes, blinding storms, accidents, and speed traps. God only wants the best for us and when we pay attention to Shift when He says to our ride through life becomes much easier.
Our seasons of life are much like shifting theses manual gears. Spiritually, This Divine Shift says time to grow your faith, to expand your knowledge, to go where God needs You, to be willing to work where He is working by not staying where you feel comfortable. What season of life are you in and What Gear does God need to you to get ready to Shift into? The only Shift you need in Life is a Divine Shift = to shift your focus With God as He Moves! Tell someone today!