Enduring Transition: Application from Acts
/“Christ changes us through transition”
Time and time again, Pastor Brandon Briscoe reminds C&YA that the book of Acts is transitional. I think he has said this over 100 times now considering we’ve been in Acts for almost two years. This is imperative to our understanding of the book altogether because it is outlining the transitions and the shift in dispensations.
Dispensationalism is a hot topic around Living Faith Fellowship and something believers should come to understand. For me, understanding dispensations after coming to MBT was eye-opening. It answered many questions I had about how God dealt with his people in the Old & New Testaments. Understanding dispensations allows us as believers to rightly divide the word of God and understand how the Lord dispenses his grace to people. What is happening in Acts is a transition from the dispensation of the law to the dispensation of grace (learn more about biblical dispensations on The Postscript).
Acts 6:14 For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.
Applicationally, the word “transition” is essential to a believer’s walk. We experience a transition in our lives when we are saved. We transition from our old man to our new man; we transition from Satan’s Family to God’s family; we transition from our sinful nature to our spiritual nature. Christ changes us through transition, which reproduces growth and maturity.
“...when I decided to dedicate my life to Christ, I made the choice to set my wants and desires aside”
Recently, I have endured a lot of transition. Over the past six months, give or take, I have become a mother, a Bible study leader, a discipler, and decided to switch careers altogether. All of these things are exciting and things I want to pour myself into daily. These things are also answered prayers, new responsibilities, and have been stretching me a lot. But throughout all of this transition, I have found myself filled more with anger and sadness than joy and excitement on a day-to-day basis.
I knew it would require my life when I chose to follow the Lord. All I want is to glorify him with my life and the things he has entrusted me with. Little did I know that as I got older, grew spiritually, and decided to have a baby, my life would even more so not be my own. See, here’s the thing: I believed, naively, that I was busy when I was working full-time and being a wife. It was “cute and fun” as some might think or even say. But, I truly had no idea what busy looked or felt like up until these last six months. I often have a constant feeling of dread as I look at my day or week and realize no time will be spent doing what I want to do. And let’s be honest, those things are all self-focused: I want to sleep, eat good food, read a few books, and spend time with those I love the most. But, at the end of the day, what do those things bring me? Sure, happiness. Sure, rest. And those aren’t bad things at all! But they aren’t producing eternal things, and when I decided to dedicate my life to Christ, I made the choice to set my wants and desires aside so He could be glorified.
I knew I needed to address where my heart was at. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” I am not capable of searching my heart on my own; the Lord is the one who does that (Jer 17:10), and he brought me to that realization. Rather than continuing in my sin and allowing my selfish, bratty, entitled heart attitude to rule my life, I needed to turn to God’s word and ask him for help.
Asking God for help required me to first take inventory of my life. What does my life look like? Why am I feeling the way I am? What are things I need to give up? What are things I need to submit to the Lord? These were all questions posed throughout Pastor Brandon Briscoe’s message over Acts 20:22-27. He used Paul as an example to show us how important it is to take inventory of our lives to see where our focus is at, which really comes down to two things: whether our focus is on ourselves or on the Lord.
As I began taking inventory of my life, I was able to see that my focus has been on myself. Thankfully, through Brandon’s message, I was able to redirect that focus and be reminded of a few things based on my own testimony as I endured all of this transition: I must trust God completely, I must eliminate my self-focus, and I must fully believe that Jesus is enough.
“The thought of needing to have everything together led me to believe I wasn’t fit for the work.”
Trust Through Transition
Before any of the transitions happened in my life, God was already aware of it all and knew that it was going to take place. He has a plan for my life, and oftentimes I fail to remember that. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” The Lord is with me as I endure all of this transition, and he will still be there as my life goes on. This should bring believers immediate comfort because we don't have to have it all figured out.
One of the main things I had to trust God with was stretching my capacity because of the number of new roles I was taking on. I cannot do anything on my own or in my power. I may think that I can, but I am repeatedly reminded of the fact that I need the Lord in all things (Prov 3:5-6).
Oftentimes I hear people say that they are asking God to stretch their capacity, and this is usually when a new transition is taking place in their lives. It never made sense to me until now. Asking God to stretch my capacity doesn’t just look like praying for a stretched capacity and waiting around to feel more “stretchable” — it looks like praying for more capacity and then giving things up to him! We are not capable of meeting every single expectation we have set for ourselves or what others may expect from us. That is unrealistic and always leaves people feeling inadequate, like they’ve failed, and can even cause them to hide. When we give things up to God and stop trying to do things in vain, he does the work a million times better than we ever could have.
The thought of needing to have everything together led me to believe I wasn’t fit for the work. As I was experiencing the major transition of entering into motherhood, I was then trying to figure out how to lead my girls in Bible study and my disciple. These are things that are close to my heart and so important to me, yet I felt so inadequate. My time, energy, and heart seemed so focused on my son that it didn't make sense to me how I would give that over to anybody else.
As I was processing through this and asking God for help, I had a conversation with some close friends. They were asking my husband and I about how Bible study was going and through that conversation, I was met with this from them: “Rather than continuing to feel inadequate or allowing yourself to believe that you shouldn’t be in this spot, press in. Don’t dwell, and know that the Lord is the one doing the work.” This brought me peace and reminded me that yes, the Lord does the work. He is using me along the way and it isn’t about me or my capabilities. I can make myself believe that doing certain things will make my Bible study the “best,” but in reality, God’s ways are better than mine will ever be. He’s entrusted me to be a good steward of my Bible study by drawing near to him (Psa 73:28). In the end though, he does the work and changes hearts.
I also needed to remember the Lord’s grace, trusting that it is sufficient and I am not perfect. I need his grace all the time, and it is imperative to remember that along the way rather than always setting myself up for failure when I am trying to do it all on my own.
2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
“But how will souls be saved if we’re too tired or exhausted?”
Eliminating my Self-Focus
Something that often occurs as women enter into motherhood is feeling like they’ve lost themselves. Like they’ve lost their identity. It isn’t something they would necessarily change, but there is a transition into understanding who you are now. I have greatly struggled with this, but then I realized something. My identity isn’t found in who I am as a mom now; it is still, and always will be, found in Christ (Gal 2:20). Paul addresses this in Acts 20:24: “...neither count I my life dear unto myself.” I was seeking value within myself as I was desiring to have parts of my pre-motherhood life back. This caused me to be dissatisfied and resulted in anger and bitterness. As I was seeking value in earthly things, I was never able to be satisfied. Instead, I had created a dangerous cycle of negative emotions that were beginning to take root in multiple areas of my life.
Emotions play a part in transitions in life because they produce change. Change can be difficult for people because of the different feelings they have with whatever change they are enduring. As people continue to follow the Lord more, finish discipleship, finish D2, take other LFBI classes, take on more leadership roles, start dating, get married, have kids, they will have to learn to manage their time. This plays a critical role in transition because as you become entrusted with more things, the time you have for yourself lessens and you become more servant-minded. Or at least that is the goal. The emotions I was experiencing (anger, sadness, bitterness, etc) were a product of me being self-focused and not having the mindset of what I can do for others. I was feeling so tired and drained because I constantly felt like I was giving, giving, giving, and I was, but my heart behind that was gross. I wasn’t thinking about others; I was strictly thinking about how I was feeling, and I wanted it to change because I wanted to be happy. I wanted to be in control of the situations and make sure everything went “right”.
Almost everyone can relate to this in some way. We all have been in a situation where we have felt overrun and that we’ve reached our limit. But how will souls be saved if we’re too tired or exhausted? How will we know where our Bible study members are at if we choose to not buy into their lives? How will we know where our disciples are at if we’re already doing too much this week because of school or work and tell them we can’t meet? How will we see growth in our own lives if we tell the Lord that we just can’t sit at his feet this week because there’s too much going on? The excuses are endless and are all a result of our focus being on ourselves. Jesus never used the excuses we make DAILY because he predetermined that other people’s souls were more important than his own.
Jesus is Enough
Two years ago, when I was experiencing pregnancy loss, I was slowly learning about how I had to make a decision in my life: whether or not I believed that Jesus was enough even if I wasn’t able to have a baby. God used James 1:3-4 in my life mightily: “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” Being patient in life in all things causes us to turn to the Lord, trust in his plan, set ourselves aside, and ask ourselves if we truly believe that Jesus is enough no matter the outcomes. If we don’t get what we want, will we still choose to glorify and obey him?
I’m faced with this same question now. I’ve clearly allowed myself to forget the work that God did in my life just two years ago considering I have been unable to realize this truth lately. I am thankful for a God that doesn’t give up on me and brings me to the remembrance of what he’s taught me already.
“Understanding that Jesus is enough is what sets true believers apart from those who just say they are Christian.”
At the end of the day, I don’t need anything else. I don’t need to have a break from all things ministry. I don’t need to have it all figured out within all of the roles that God has placed in my life. Jesus already paid the price for my own sins so that I could spend eternity with Him. Really, what more can I ask for? Understanding that Jesus is enough is what sets true believers apart from those who just say they are Christian. Knowing and believing that statement every single day allows us to have peace and comfort in all things.
Throughout all of this transition and learning, and even unlearning bad cycles and habits, I know that this is just a moment. A moment that God is stretching me to remember that I can trust him always, to rid myself of my self-focus and believing I can do things on my own, and that no matter what, he is enough.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Hannah Hatton is a discipler and small group leader in Midtown Baptist Temple’s College and Young Adults ministry. She is on the discipleship team and C&YA Blog team.