John 15:1-2 Jesus said, “I am the true vine and my father is the husbandman, every branch in me that beareth no fruit, he taketh away and every branch in me that beareth fruit, he purgeth it that he may bring forth more fruit”.
Life is in cycles. Some are of the opinion that the cycle of life changes every seven years, while others say it is every ten years. All challenges and stages in life are designed in cycles and once a stage ends another cycle is initiated that has different characteristics that will require different things in order to flourish within that particular cycle.
The visible expression of life is growth and preparation for these cycles are essential because life in itself is expressed through growth. In other words, wherever there is life, it is expressed through growth. For instance, if you are given a plant and the leaves begin to wither or change colour it shows that life has been cut off from the plant. In order words, you can look at the countenance of a person and know that something is wrong. If life is present in an unhindered way, the leaves will be green, so life is characterized by growth. Therefore, growth is change. In other words, wherever there is growth, you find change. Any organization you see experiencing growth and showing advancement is going through changes. They are simply embracing the idea of change and constantly giving expression to it as they ought to.
People that do not grow or develop are people that hold on to fixed ideas. There are two types of people in this category. The first set is individual that do not make any adjustments, and will not allow anything new in their space that will bring about any form of change. So, when they experience stagnation, it is because the cycle they are in is probably over and another cycle needs to start. In other words, the individual is still living with the old mindset of the previous cycle within his life that is already over. The second set of people are those who have not recognized the change they need to make and have not gone through the process of renewal which will enable them to embrace the change at hand.
The change in cycle affects everything in life including government policies. There are things that happen in the natural that affect or show that there is a change in the air that needs to happen and if you do not pick up on this signal and go through that process of renewal or reform it will lead to one stagnating and the process of death begins. Continuous difficulties in life, disharmonious relationships which were once good is a sign that you are refusing to give out or to give up something you no longer need. This means that God needs you to purge certain things in your life that are no longer necessary such as mindsets you have held on to or certain people in your life that have become toxic to your general growth and well-being. In other words, there are certain things you now require at this stage of your life that you are refusing to accept into your life. Anyone who comes around you to suggest those things is met with hostility because you find those ideas or advice repulsive.
Even though everything around you has stagnated causing continuous difficulties for some time, yet you are still holding on to your ideas, your concept of life and your world view. Which is the paradigm of the prism through which you see things i.e. your understanding, your interpretation of scripture, your knowledge of God and all of those things you hold on to in the past that has worked for you but not anymore, you have refused to accept what you now require. This is as a result of you getting too accustomed to the old you and habit.
Jesus said, “No man will straight away desire the new” because men are creatures of habits for the old is always better to them. But those that are really progressive on the earth are those that have come to a place where when they get to make that switch, they re-examine their life then make the necessary change. In other words, wherever they see life or wherever they see freshness or something new whether it is in their industry or not, they go there to quickly understudy the fundamental principles that are responsible for the outward appearance. Thereafter, they begin to see how they can adapt those fundamental principles into their own life and their industry. This means if you understand the fundamental principles through which an army wins a war, you can adapt those fundamental principles into how you grow your business, once you understand the principles used.
In conclusion, every believer must love and embrace change wherever they are whether it favours them or comfortable for them. This is because if change does not happen, growth cannot occur and where there is no growth the opposite is inevitable.
`Poju Oyemade