"Transition Leads to Transformation" RESCUE RADIO with Marjorie Cole

0:00 Music. Rescue Radio, because there's a war for your soul. Amen. Father God, we thank you for the revelation of your wisdom, your truth, your justice, your mercy, and the revelation of your soon return. Thank you, Lord, that your will be done. Your kingdom come. Your kingdom will prevail against all the wickedness that we see just crawling all over the place.

0:47 And we thank you, Jesus, that you prevailed against the enemy, the serpent, when you crushed his head on Calvary and rose again from the dead three days later. We thank you for giving us power over all the power of the enemy, that nothing shall by any means hurt us. We thank you for giving us your shields of faith and protection, binding and loosing the power to forgive. We thank you, Lord God, for our authority to trample on serpents and scorpions. We thank you, Lord God, that we can take power and authority over the enemy who is trying to wrestle us away from you and wreck our lives. We bind and forbid him, Father God, in the name of Jesus Christ. And we declare that the light of your truth, Lord, make manifest his hidden works of darkness in our lives and all around us, that he will be defeated because he has been already defeated. We thank you, Lord, for victory.

1:30 We thank you for the coming of Jesus Christ. We thank you for the promise, the wisdom, the counsel, the direction. And we also thank you, Lord God, for the promise that no weapon, no witchcraft, no words, no sorcery, no enchantments, nothing formed against us or our families or those who work for us, pray for us, or love us will prevail because we are more than conquerors through your love. Thank you, Jesus. And thank you for those who are joining us today, Father. In Jesus' name, amen. Well, I think we should talk about, you know, we're kind of in an interesting time right now. Usually this time of the year, there's a lot of transitions going on. You know, people are graduating from school. People are getting married. People are moving out of their homes. They're moving into another place.

2:10 There's a lot of transitions that are going on just now, this time. Transitions from spring, winter to spring, all kinds of lovely things going on. It seems like we're in a transition period almost all the time. to me anyway. And so... Well, think about this. You know, you go from jobless to employed or you go from being single to being married, from leaving home, being on your own, from having no children to having children to being a mother or father. You know, just everything is full of... I mean, life is transitions. It's really go from being well to being sick or from being young to being old. You know, some transitions only go in one direction. That would be young to old, right?

2:54 But we're eternal, so that doesn't really matter. That's right, that's right. Some people go from married to single. You know, there's a whole— Money to no money. There's people that are homeless now that have transitioned from high-paying jobs to being homeless. And there are people from being hated and lonely and to be separated and hopeless to love. Some people have found, you know, true love, the real love of Jesus. And they've been found and gathered and comforted in hope from... Depression, defeat, and to a desire accomplished. So sometimes, you know, some people have so many desires and goals, and those things just seem to just fall apart sometimes.

3:41 Well, you know, can I say that transition actually has to lead to transformation? Otherwise, it's pointless. You just go around in a circle, but there is a point to transitions, and it's kind of a place of change, a place of moving, growing, learning, and actually ultimately a place of arriving at our destiny. Well, transition can be a place of destruction. Yeah. You know, if we're transitioning from health and wholeness to lies and destruction and... Well, with the purposes of God, though, it's to be changed from glory to glory. And that, you know, even though, here's the problem, we have to realize that nothing ever stays the same.

4:23 We want it to stay the same. We kind of, sometimes. We grow up, we grow old, And you know there's a lot of times people are afraid of changing because they don't know the future. They don't know what's going to happen. And especially if you're stuck right now in the transition of a very painful place where the lie is that this is never going to end, this is never going to change. And so we have to know that transition and transformation are on your side because things don't stay the same. And so God helps us in those hard times to prevail. Right, and a lot of transitions are very uncomfortable, and there can be a lot of fear of the unknown, what's going to happen to me, what's going to happen to my family.

5:07 And I think of a transition just as kind of a foundation for what we're talking about here today from Joshua chapter 3. It says, Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and they set out from Acacia Grove. This is Joshua now. The children of Israel about ready to go into the promised land after 40 years in the wilderness, and the old people died off, and now the young ones are there ready to go in. And came to Jordan. He and all the children of Israel and lodged there before they crossed over. They crossed over. There's a crossing over the Jordan. It's a transition. So it was after three days that the officers went through the camp. And they commanded the people saying, when you see the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, this is that holy box that represented God's presence and God's covenant with the people.

6:02 When you see that being carried and the priest carrying it, then you shall set out from your place, set out from your place and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and Ed about 2,000 cubits by measure. Do not come near it that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before. So they had to, there's this huge group of people. They have to be back enough, far enough back where they can see where the ark is going. Which represents, again, the presence and covenant and power of God with them. And Joshua said to the people, sanctify yourselves. No, I'm sorry. I jumped ahead too far.

6:46 Do not come near it, middle of verse 4. Do not come near it that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before. You're coming into a new way, a new place. And Joshua said to the people, sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you. And so sometimes we think, you know, as we're looking as believers, as we're looking at the plan and purposes of God, we get into these transitions that are uncomfortable. Some seem like they're very welcome, but a lot of them are unwelcome. Somebody, wife loses a husband, a husband loses a wife, children really go astray, and you don't know exactly what's going to happen there.

7:28 But the point is, of all these transitions or these changes in the Lord, changes that the Lord allows us to go through, there's a plan and a purpose for all that. And we can't see it at the time. Maybe we can see it from a distance, but we're not sure what's going on, so it's a matter of trusting when we don't understand. Amen. Well, Jesus said it, too. He says he was going to be glorified in John chapter 12, and he said, you know, that he says, the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone.

8:10 But if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it. He who hates his life, and this world will keep it unto eternal life. So we see that there is a transition. There is a seed that's been in the granary, you know, safe in the granary, is now going to be cast out. It's going to be sown in the earth. And only as that happens, as it's being cast to the ground, to lose its identity as a seed, it becomes transformed. And that transformation or transition, moving from a seed to a plant, from being stored in the granary to being in the ground, is necessary to bring forth a full and complete purpose for the seed, which is to become a plant and keep.

8:55 You know, and become and being the source of many, bringing forth many seeds. So we can see that God has got a purpose in us, even things that are uncomfortable, like falling into the ground, abiding alone, giving up your identity. You know, really, we can only control a really super tiny part of our life at any one moment, and that is simply the moment we're living in. And when we focus on the minute, we realize there is also a day, then there's a week, then there's a life. And most of us are just kind of focused on trying to survive the minute, the moment, the year. And some, on the other hand, they want to jump in and go with the flow while others resist the change.

9:36 So change can be positive, it can be negative, but it is going to be. You're not going to be able to stop it. It's like a force. Resisting it is futile, because time demands transitions, and we know really we can avoid stagnation and death. But on the other hand, some people are carried away. They're afraid to get—they're going to lose their identity, lose their position, betray the heritage. For example, people are born into a certain situation, like, I'm a Lutheran. I'm going to stay a Lutheran. I'm never going to change. I'm going to—I mean, I'm this and that. But Ecclesiastes says that there's a time for every purpose under heaven. A time to require, and they all require change, a time to be born, a time to die, all require transition, change, or for life to keep moving.

10:22 Let's look at, I just wanted to share briefly a few biblical examples of change and transition, and basically all the people of God really had to go through this one way or another. It's called a fiery trial. Well, Adam and Eve went from the garden to outside the garden. To the snake pit. Yeah, and you think of Joseph, he went from, you know, he was a favored son, then he was thrown and he was sold as a, Slave, he went into prison, then he went into the palace. Nice transition there. Yeah, but it was terrible for a while.

11:03 But it had to be to bring forth the transformation. You think of Ruth, the wife of, well, she lost her husband. She was a young widow. She had to move to a new country, and that's where Boaz, she doesn't know what's going to happen. She's still grieving for the loss of her husband. First husband that died, and then she meets with Boaz, and she becomes in the lineage of Jesus Christ. Well, what about the children of Israel? They were small in number, then they went across because they had to avoid the plague, the famine. They went into Egypt, and they transitioned into being from friends to slaves. They lost their freedom. Then they gained their freedom again, transitioning across the Red Sea.

11:47 And then, of course, we come to the place where they were transitioning out of the wilderness into the promised land, but the promised land is full of giants. So you see all kinds of movement changes, transitions, courage. We need to have courage to follow God in all of his leading. Well, like Amos, you know, he went from being a farmer to being a prophet. Mary and Joseph, they're thinking, you know, Mary, the mother of Jesus, they're thinking they're going to have this, get married and have kind of a normal life. He's going to be a carpenter. and then all of a sudden the angel of the Lord speaks to her, you're going to be the mother of the Messiah, and everything gets topsy-turvy. Everything gets turned upside down for God's purposes. And you think of the 12 apostles.

12:29 Some went from being fishermen to being fishers of men. Simon the Zealot from being a radical revolutionary. He transitioned from there to being part of the actual Jesus revolution. You think of Mary Magdalene. She was demonized, fully demonized, but she became one of the most loyal followers of Jesus. And Paul, who was a religious murderer. And he became a statesman for the gospel. And then you think of John, but Paul went through all kinds of transitions like shipwrecks and stuff and getting his head lopped off at the end. And then John, the apostle John, in his old age, he was a respected elder.

13:13 And then he was shipped off exile to Patmos, a death island, a prison island. To, all these transitions were part of God's purpose, and a lot of them were very, very painful, but yet, as they went through the pain, they kept their trust in the Lord. That's right. It was God's purpose being revealed, being revealed and carried out. Well, all of these transitions are very demanding, and they always require a new depth of faith in God and require that we grow by dying and survive by changing. But the question for many today would be, well, where is the safe space?

13:55 You know, we always talk about safe spaces. You know, where can I be protected? But really, a safe space is really a place where you're controlled and confined and vulnerable and fearful. It's not really that safe. But people have been bought into that lie. There's only one real safe space, and there's only one way we can leverage and go through all these different transitions, transactions, treachery, you know, what all it might be, is there's only one way to stay protected from the unknown and the uncontrollable forces of life, and that is the safe space in Jesus Christ. Why? Well, because He never changes. He is always the same. Yesterday, today, forever.

14:38 He doesn't change His mind. He He will never go away or abandon us. He said he wouldn't. He will never leave us, even though the most horrible transitions, my death, whatever that we have to go through, we don't go through those things alone. When all others leave and cannot come along, we will never go by ourselves because Jesus Christ is with us, because he can save us. He's the only one. So just knowing that Jesus is always there for you changes everything about transitions, about being transformed, all of it. It's all in Jesus. We're transformed, changed from glory to glory because we're walking with Him. The steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord.

15:21 The future is not a secret to Him. All the transitions and changes that are required we will make with Him. He knows He's not unfamiliar with our future. He's not going into uncharted waters like we sometimes feel we are. He will be with us when we have to launch out into the deep. You are not alone. It's not on you. It's not up to you. But here's the thing. Jesus didn't say, have a perfect life. He said, follow me. And that's exactly what it—abiding in the vine, allowing Jesus to be our safe space, to choose to follow him without wavering. This is where courage comes. This is where faith comes. This is where life is good.

16:03 And that in all of his seasons and transitions, there is a—there's power, there's things to be learned, there's transformation actually being made into his likeness and image. And that's the whole purpose, he says, that we're conformed into the image of God. He says, whom, then in Romans 8, verse 29, whom did he predestine or foreknew, all those that he foreknew, and who did he predestine and foreknew? He predestined them to be conformed into the image of his Son. And then 2 Corinthians 3, verse 18 says, but we all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as it is by the Spirit of the Lord.

16:46 So we know that all things work together for good. If God is for us, who can be against us? And so be encouraged that even though your life may be turned upside down right now, it may be like floating crazy downstream, out of control, you know, you're all by yourself. You're not. You're not by yourself. So again, get into the Word of God. Abide in Jesus. Recognize that place of safety and abiding. The Lord is our safe space. He is our source. He's our supply. He's our strength. He's our purpose. He is the completion of our life. It is in him we live and move and have our being. In him, there needs to be no fear of things getting out of hand or losing control.

17:30 When you're following Jesus, you don't have to freak out. It's not a command to freak out. It's not a command to figure things out. It's a command to walk by faith, living in the place of thanksgiving, rejoicing and peace, abiding in Him and knowing that He is our life source. He is our life with, you know, He is our life with all of its pleasant and unpleasant transitions. He is our provider. This is where you make a new covenant with the Lord. Okay, Lord, you said you'll never leave me or forsake me. I am feeling forsaken. I'm feeling abandoned. I'm feeling confused. I don't know what to do with my life. You know, I want my life to count for something, and it looks like it's going into the toilet here.

18:12 Whatever it is, you go back to the first place of saying, you know what? I'm abiding in Jesus Christ, and God never changes. He doesn't leave me behind. He doesn't forsake me. He doesn't let me figure it out by myself. And then he goes on to say in Jeremiah, he says, he will answer before we even call. And in Philippians 4.19, he says, he will supply all of our needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. And in Matthew 6.33, he says, seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you. So again, man, there's no problem here. Satan wants to make everything a problem, and if there's no problems, he'll create problems so that he can give you a solution to the problem.

18:54 And this is where we kind of get all snatched up in the chaos, because we're trying to figure things out, fix things, manipulate things, circumstances and people to get things to turn out our way. But you know what? Following Jesus is the only way, and it's the best way, because God is at all, or preordained well it's like a lot of times in our lives we try to find security and things staying the same exactly just when we get into a place where you're kind of comfortable with, how things are going then the change comes the technology improves yeah all of a sudden your technology is out of date yeah and you got to learn something new and and even with a job, you know you go from a job where you feel like you're pretty secure you pretty much know your way around.

19:41 And then you get into another job where you got this huge learning curve, and maybe the people that you work with aren't the greatest, but it's a transition that God is leading you. If you're acknowledging the Lord, He is leading you. You mentioned it earlier, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. Amen. And all of these transitions, We have to know the end leads to transformation. Making us, creating us into the image of Jesus Christ, making us more like Jesus. We're looking in a mirror darkly for now, but we are being changed from glory to glory. Things that are happening in us and spiritually that we are not aware of.

20:23 So the best thing to do is relax, rest in God, rejoice in God, be thankful, and give Him full access to your life. You don't have to have a perfect life to be a perfect, lovely, wonderful person of God. Many of the things that God is allowing to happen to us are testing our ability to trust, to follow Him, to know who we are. And if you know who Jesus Christ is, that He doesn't change. He loves you. He's for you. He's made a way. He is your life. He is your strength. He's the only one that will never leave you. He's going with you everywhere you go, everywhere, including through death, the death door. He's going with you everywhere, including into eternity. If you know that.

21:05 Then you don't have to worry about finding a safe space because you're already in a safe space. It's called abiding in Jesus Christ. And He's with us. He's for us. But the thing is, our perspective, we get so distracted by the crazy of this world, to absolutely, oh no, what if anxiety every day, every way, every day, even through the weather app. Anxiety is provoking people to freak out, find a safe space, tuck in, take care of themselves, isolate, all the opposite of what God is saying. God is saying, reach out, go preach the gospel, heal the sick, love the people. Cleanse the lepers, feed the hungry, just get out there and Do what God is calling you to do, and you won't have to worry about any of this, because in the end, it will all be a wonderful transformation of your life, your destiny, your purpose, and you will not have to be discouraged or regret at the end of your life that you squandered it, that you lived in squalor and squandered your life because you were afraid.

22:06 It's like the guy who had the talents, the five, four, the two and one talent, the guy that squandered his talent, buried it in the sand because he was afraid he was gonna lose it. And he was the only one that got in trouble. So squandering your life, sitting on your gifts, shutting your mouth, being afraid, not doing anything for God or for his kingdom in this most exciting of all times. This is the most exciting day that we're living in, a day of power and authority and a purpose to help people. And some people like to, you know, live in nostalgia. And when you get older, sometimes you think, oh, you know, the way things were, the good old days, the old music. It's all a trap. It's a trap because your past...

22:48 It should be a resource for the present and the future because that's part of your story and helps give you a perspective on things. You can't live in the past. You can only live in the present. And knowing that the Lord has your future in mind. And perfect love casts out fear. So fear, again, of going forward, fear of letting go, fear of not knowing, fear of going into a new place, all of these things. we remove and exchange that fear for faith and perfect love, knowing that we're following Jesus. And so, Father God, we thank you for the steps of a righteous man in order by the Lord. You've given us a place to stand, abiding in you, little branches hooked into the vine. You are the vine. You're the anointed one.

23:30 You are our source and our supply. You give us strength. You give us joy. We thank you, Jesus, for never leaving us or forsaking us. And we pray today that as people are listening to this, that they will be encouraged to get back into the Word of God, start reading the passages that bring hope and encouragement, truth and direction. Father, I pray a refreshing, a divine refreshing on everyone who hears this broadcast, either today or in the days that they will be refreshed in their courage in the Lord to get up, get up. You've been sitting along the side of the road, just sitting there with your backpack and your walking stick. Get up and start following Jesus again. You still have time to do it. Doesn't matter what happened in the past, just follow Jesus.

24:12 He knows where you're going. That last thing may have been horrible and hellish and tried to kill you and take you out, but you're still walking. Now get up, follow Jesus, let him lead you, carry you if he needs to, and be transformed into the image of God's dear son. Yeah, and those that are in this place right now where maybe they've lost a loved one or they've lost a mate, lost a child—, just a job transition or financial. They've taken a big financial hit. Or just graduating from school. You're graduating from school. You're dealing with the empty nest thing. And you're a young person wondering, okay, it's one of the greatest transition points is graduating from high school. Praise you, Jesus.

24:54 It really is. We pray for the graduates then. Yeah, for the graduates, Lord, that there's so many voices trying to lead them here and there. But, Lord, I pray that anybody that's listening here with whatever transition is going on, however glorious it seems or however gory it seems. We just pray that, Lord, each one, Lord, like God told Joshua, he said, have the people focus on me. You're going into a place where you've never been before, but it's going to be okay. I'm with you. The Ark of the Covenant was that representation that God is leading them and God is with them. He is leading you and he is with you. So keep your focus on that in the midst of all the things.

25:40 Don't give in to fear, but let the peace of God rule in your heart. Yes, Father. In Jesus' name. Amen. And we want you to check us out at liferecovery.com. There's a lot of information there. There's a lot of books, manuals, CDs, whatever you want. Just many teaching tools. So today we're going to just recommend taking the devil to court. Why not take him to court? He's been trying to accuse you endlessly of all kinds of things you didn't even do. So let's learn how to take the devil to court. That is LifeRecovery.com. And we bless you and may you have a wonderful day. Music.