How to change your life!

Although every human on the planet is individual in every way, we also have many things in common. We all have, a heart beat, blood, hair (not all of us), life (again – questionable), a desire to be loved, a need to belong etc etc. One of overriding factors that we have in common is that we are all looking for change. We are all looking for something different. My wife loves watching ‘Extreme Home Makeover’. If you haven’t seen it, the producers of the show find a family who endure ‘impossible hardships’ and decide to do something special for them. They send them to ‘Disneyland’ (or some other awesome location) for a week, and in that time, they knock down the families old house & build them a palace in exchange.
When the family arrive back ‘home’, all the neighbours give them a huge welcome back to the street. The family is unable to see the new house because a huge bus is blocking the view. The family step out of the limousine, say Hi to their neighbours, and then they all shout ‘Hey bus driver – move that bus!’ – and they do! The new house is always stunning, it is a mansion with luxuries they could only have dreamed of. I have never seen the families cry because they wanted their old ‘shack’ back. They always hug each other & run to see their new home.
That is a visual demonstration of each of us.
Some time ago, the news reported that, ‘fathers for justice’ stormed onto the set of the National lottery and caused a disruption on live television. The ‘fathers for justice’ team want change & the millions of people watching the Live Lottery Draw are hoping their number comes up so they too can have a change!
We all long for something new. We all want something different to happen to us in life. That is why birthdays are such a big deal. We are not only looking for new presents, but also a new experience to embrace for our lives. My wife had her birthday recently. I bought her a tandem skydiving experience. She jumped from 10 000 ft & fell 5000ft in 40 seconds - then floating to the ground under the parachute for the next 6 minutes. It is something different, it’s new & it is exciting!

In Luke 19:1-10, we read the awesome story of Zacheaus (Zach) the tax collector. He did three things in order to change His life. Jesus then responded with three things.

Zach 1
The first thing he did was, ‘He acted on God-intrigue’
Zach had heard about Jesus, & that He was coming to town. He heard enough about Jesus to be intrigued. What did He look like? What did He sound like? Maybe He will shake my hand, perhaps I can get an autograph, I wonder if he is wearing this years ‘three strap style sandal’ or last seasons ‘two strap style’. Perhaps He will do that wine miracle thing again I will get a free drink. All of that is conjecture – we are not sure what it was about Jesus that intrigued him, but he had heard enough to be intrigued.
There comes moments in all our lives when ‘God intrigue’ kicks in. Moments when we get interested in God & Truth. Different events in our life stir up ‘God-intrigue’. When 911 sparked a wave of neo-terrorism, I received a lot of phone calls from people who for the first time in a long time began to think about God, eternity & truth. The birth of babies often stirs up God-intrigue. When you see the ‘miracle’ of birth, you can’t help but questions the ‘origin of the species’. Death stirs up God intrigue, as does having everything money can buy, but still feeling empty on the inside.
Perhaps as you read these words, something about God is connecting with you & you are beginning to get intrigued (perhaps for the first time OR perhaps something is stirring in your heart again from something God spoke to you about a long time ago.) Zach was not only intrigued, but he also acted on the intrigue. When you act on God-intrigue, you are one step closer to living a changed life.


Zach 2
The second thing Zach did to get a changed life was, ‘He rose above his obstacles’ (literally). In Luke 19:4 it says that Zach… ‘Climbed a tree’. Zach was not the most popular man in the city. In fact, he was one of the most despised men around. He was a tax collector. They were known to be men who cheated money out of people so they could live a better lifestyle. They made the poor – poorer & charged extortionate rates out of the middle & upper classes.
On the day Zach met Jesus, he would have had to have braved the crowds of people, ignored their mutterings (v7), paid no attention to their jibes & even then he could not see. So he climbed a tree & literally rose above his obstacles.
Your perspective is completely altered by the elevation you have. This is a great truth for us as we seek to live ‘changed lives’
When my daughter was three, I lost her in a department store. One minute she was holding my hand & the next second she was gone. After calling her name calmly for ten second (no response), I ran to the entrance / exit to the store and asked them to shut the doors because I had lost my daughter. After closing the doors, the staff & I & others in the shop ran around trying to find her. I was panicking! The problem was that I could not see over the racks of clothes – she could be anywhere. So I rode the escalator up to the second floor. On the way up, I could see over the racks of clothes & I had a great birds eye view of the shop. My elevation completely changed my perspective. The racks of clothes that were previously obstacles to me, were now nothing……there was Georgia, sucking her thumb near the check outs. Phew – I nearly hugged her to death.
In Ephesians 1:20 it says that Jesus sits in ‘heavenly places’. His elevated view gives Him a great perspective on our lives. Ephesians 2:6 goes on to say that ‘We (if we are in relationship with Jesus) are seated with Him in heavenly places’ too. Relationship with Christ means that your elevated position gives you a different perspective. Where previously obstacles seemed insurmountable, now you begin to get God’s perspective. You can now see past the obstacles, now ‘all things are possible’.
In life you can get a better education, read self help books or even climb a tree. But only God can give you a permanent change of perspective.

Zach 3
From the story of Zach in Luke 19, the third thing he did to change His life was, ‘He changed His mind’. In verse 8 Zach says that He is going to give away half of his possessions to the poor & give back to those he has cheated, four times the amount he took!’
His change of mind preceded a change of life. His change of mind preceded a change of action.
In Romans 12:1 it says, ‘Be transformed by the renewal of your mind!’ The Mind is the place where you formulate habits. Read this by Sean Covey

Who Am I?

I am your constant companion. I am
your greatest helper or heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down
to failure. I am completely at your command.
Half the things you do you might just as
well turn over to me and I will be able to do
them quickly and correctly.

I am easily managed - you must merely
be firm with me. Show me exactly how you
want something done and after a few
lessons I will do it automatically. I am the
servant of all great individuals and, alas, of
all failures, as well. Those who are failures,
I have made failures.

I am not a machine, though I work
with all the precision of a machine plus
the intelligence of a human. You may run
me for profit or run me for ruin – it
makes no difference to me.

Take me, train me, be firm with me,
and I will place the world at you feet. Be
easy with me and I will destroy you.

Who am I?

I am Habit!

When I was in school, I was bullied for several years. After three years, I began to think and act like a victim. It became a habit to me. I was used to thinking like a victim. I was used to behaving like a victim. But God spoke to me & reminded me that I was NOT THAT man! It was a life changing word from God to me. But nevertheless, I had to change my habit of thinking as a victim. I had to change my mind!
Repentance is exactly that. To repent does not just mean to say sorry, it means to turn around to change – to live different! That is exactly what Zach did in verse 8.
Perhaps you need to change your mind today. Why not change your mind & change your actions – it is step number three in living the different life you know you need to live.

Jesus 1
The first thing Jesus did, was HE was prepared to be interrupted! In Luke 19:1, it says that Jesus was ‘passing through’ Jericho. He was on His way to somewhere. He was busy, but not too busy for Zach.
Amazingly, the majority of the miracles that Jesus accomplished in His 3 years of ministry, took place while He was on His way somewhere. He would travel to a place, & whilst traveling stop & do great things for people He met along the way.
The reason Jesus did this, is because the nature of God is that He is prepared to change his schedule according to your needs. Jesus had not planned to stay in Jericho that day (Note from verse one that He was just ‘passing through’). He was passing through Jericho to get to another destination. However something about Zach (perhaps His desire to see / have something new) caused Jesus to stop and say, ‘Come down immediately. Today I must stay at your house!’ Wow, God changed his plans for a little man!
Wherever you are in life, you have to understand that God is not too busy for you. There are 6 billion people on the planet & God is interested in you. You are not just a face in the crowd. You are not just a number in heavens roll of honour. You are someone whom God is passionately committed to. The bible says that ‘God knows all about a sparrow’s life – bvut you are worth far more (Luke 12:7).
The point is quite simple, if God has the capacity to know about the life cycle of a bird, HE is more than capable of having more than enough time for you. In fact that term ‘El-Shaddai’ means – ‘More than enough’. God is not too busy, why not have a talk with him for a while today, you will find that HE is more than ready to listen AND talk back.

Jesus 2
The second thing Jesus did to change Zach’s life was ‘He threw his lot in with Zach!’
In verse 5 Jesus says, ‘I must come to your house today!’ Zach was a man despised above most others. Jesus didn’t mind what ‘other’ people thought about Zach. Jesus wasn’t like some who associate with people because it makes them look good. Jesus wasn’t so concerned with how He looked, he just wanted to make sure that Zach looked good & felt fulfilled in everything!
Today, Jesus would associate with, Marilyn Manson, Eminem, your church pastor and everyone in between.
Zach didn’t have the ability to change his life on his own. No amount of self help books could help him enough to change his life substantially for eternity. The only way he could truly have his life changed was to connect with Jesus, to let Jesus spend time with him, change his mind on his lifestyle & act accordingly.
The best thing you can do for a changed life is ‘let Jesus’ throw His lot in with you. You can change certain areas of your life with Jesus help, but for a true life changing experience that lasts on into eternity, Jesus is your best bet.
What does it mean for you personally, to respond to the words, ‘Let Jesus throw His lot in with you?’

Jesus 3
The last thing Jesus did to bring change to Zach’s life was that ‘He acknowledged Zach’s decision’ In Luke 19:9 Jesus says, ‘Today Salvation has come to this house!’ Jesus made a point of not delaying in acknowledging Zach’s change of heart! Jesus did not say, ‘Are you sure Zach?’ or ‘Zach this decision does not affect your statutory rights’, or ‘Would you like to take up the money back guarantee offer?’ or ‘Would you like 40 days to think it over so you don’t make an emotional decision?’
Jesus takes up Zach on His offer immediately! Right now where you are, Jesus is prepared to listen to you and take you at face value on the things you say. Today would be a great day to make some life changing decisions. You could decide;
• To quit some addictive behaviour
• To stop a cycle of thinking
• To repent from your way of life
• To attend a bible / leadership training college
• To get more involved in church life
• To pray & read your Bible more
• To pursue the Call of God on your life without delay.
Whatever your decision, give it to God in prayer today, act on what you say & watch God help you to change your life!



Zach did three things for a changed life
• He acted on God intrigue
• He rose above his obstacles
• He changed hid mind
……………and so can you!

Jesus did three things to help Zach’s life change
• He was prepared to be interupted
• He threw His lot in with Zach
• He acknowledged Zach’s decision.
……………and He will for you to!