ADAPTING, GOD’S WORD ON

HOW DO I ADAPT TO GOD’S WAY OF LIVING?

Colossians 1:15 . . . Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
John 13:15 . . . I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.

Jesus’ life serves as an example, or role model, of adapting to God’s way.
Romans 2:29 . . . No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not a cutting of the body but a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit. Whoever has that kind of change seeks praise from God, not from people.

God’s Spirit produces a change of heart, which helps us to adapt to God’s ways.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 . . . All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.

Reading and studying the Bible is one of the ways God prepares us for whatever he has in store for us.
Matthew 26:39, 42, 44 . . . He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine.” Again he left them and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away until I drink it, your will be done.” So he went back to pray a third time, saying the same things again.
Pray to God about adapting to his will.

Luke 1:17 . . . “He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah, the prophet of old. He will precede the coming of the Lord, preparing the people for his arrival. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will change disobedient minds to accept godly wisdom.”

2 Timothy 2:25-26 . . . They should gently teach those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will believe the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the Devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.
God often uses others to prepare us for change. But don’t be surprised at the unlikely people he may choose to do the job.

1 Peter 1:14 . . . Obey God because you are his children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of doing evil; you didn’t know any better then.
Adapting to God’s way involves a life of obedience.

WHY OR WHEN SHOULD I ADAPT?
Romans 12:2 . . . Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

Adapting our thinking allows us to better understand God’s perfect will for us even when we are called to behave contrary to what is customary in this world.

1 Corinthians 9:20-23 . . . When I am with the Jews, I become one of them so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with those who follow the Jewish laws, I do the same, even though I am not subject to the law, so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with the Gentiles who do not have the Jewish law, I fit in with them as much as I can. In this way, I gain their confidence and bring them to Christ. But I do not discard the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. When I am with those who are oppressed, I share their oppression so that I might bring them to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ. I do all this to spread the Good News, and in doing so I enjoy its blessings.
Adapting to others is an effective tool of sharing Christ. But be careful. We never win unbelievers to Christ by adapting their sinful habits.

HOW DO I BEST ADAPT TO CHANGE?
Ecclesiastes 3:11 . . . God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.
It is wise to adapt to the normal cycles of change in life. But it is unwise to adapt, or compromise, the changeless truths in life.

2 Corinthians 5:2-5 . . . We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long for the day when we will put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. Our dying bodies make us groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and have no bodies at all. We want to slip into our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by everlasting life.
Having an eternal perspective towards our physical changes helps us to adapt to the aging process. Since we can’t reverse the aging process, we may as well adapt to it. After all, aging is part of the graduation ceremony.

1 Corinthians 10:1 . . . I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, what happened to our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. God guided all of them by sending a cloud that moved along ahead of them, and he brought them all safely through the waters of the sea on dry ground.
God has brought you through change before, and he promises to do so again. Sometimes he uses “time honored” methods to take us through change. Other times he uses radically innovative ways to help us through radically challenging change, including miracles.

James 1:2-4 . . . Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.
Times of trouble, which lead to the testing of our faith and the increasing of our endurance, help to strengthen our character and better prepare us to adapt to whatever the future holds. Use times of change and challenge as growing times rather than giving-up times.

Proverbs 19:2 . . . Zeal without knowledge is not good; a person who moves too quickly may go the wrong way.
Be knowledgeable and deliberate regarding options. Don’t race your lifestyle into high speed when your brain is still in neutral.

Jonah 1:1-3; 3:1-3 . . . The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh! Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction in order to get away from the Lord. He went down to the seacoast, to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping that by going away to the west he could escape from the Lord. . . Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message of judgment I have given you.” This time Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all.

We are to adapt with obedience regardless of our personal preference. The best way to adapt to change is to adapt to the Author of all change.
Genesis 12:1, 4 . . . Then the Lord told Abram, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you.” So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed him, and Lot went with him.

Hebrews 11:8 . . . It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.
You don’t need to know all the details of God’s plan for you in order to adapt to it. Full knowledge of all of the details is not a requirement for obedience. Sometimes adapting to God’s way means moving forward in faith and obedience, realizing that if he knows the way we don’t have to.

Exodus 14:15-16 . . . Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! Use your shepherd’s staff-hold it out over the water, and a path will open up before you through the sea. Then all the people of Israel will walk through on dry ground.”
Sometimes we must adapt quickly. There’s a time to stop and pray and a time to pray on the run. Progress without prayer neglects God. Prayer without progress neglects purpose.

WHAT KINDS OF THINGS SHOULD I BE UNWILLING TO ADAPT TO?
Exodus 23:2 . . . Do not join a crowd that intends to do evil. When you are on the witness stand, do not be swayed in your testimony by the opinion of the majority.

Ezekiel 11:12 . . . And you will know that I am the Lord. For you have refused to obey me; instead, you have copied the sins of the nations around you.
Ezekiel 20:32 . . . “You say, ‘We want to be like the nations all around us, who serve idols of wood and stone.”
We should not adapt to those around us when they are not following God’s ways.

2 Chronicles 30:7 . . . Do not be like your ancestors and relatives who abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and became an object of derision, as you yourselves can see.

Psalm 78:8 . . . Then they will not be like their ancestors-stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God.
We should not adapt the heritage or traditions of even our relatives or family if they are causing us to disobey God.

HOW DO I NOT ADAPT TO THOSE THINGS I SHOULDN’T, BUT WANT TO?

Ephesians 4:14-15 . . . Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. Instead, we will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.
Our focus should be on becoming more like Christ, adapting to what he wants for us, not what we want for ourselves.

Proverbs 22:24-25 . . . Keep away from angry, short-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul.
We should be aware of the company we keep and the influence they have on us.

Zechariah 1:4 . . . “Do not be like your ancestors who would not listen when the earlier prophets said to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: Turn from your evil ways and stop all your evil practices.’”
Even if we have made wrong turns in the past, God still desires our repentance today. He will set our feet on the right path and help us to adapt to that which is right and good.

PROMISE FROM GOD:
Romans 12:2 . . . Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

Colossians 1:15 . . . Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
John 13:15 . . . I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.
Jesus’ life serves as an example, or role model, of adapting to God’s way.

Romans 2:29 . . . No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not a cutting of the body but a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit. Whoever has that kind of change seeks praise from God, not from people.
God’s Spirit produces a change of heart, which helps us to adapt to God’s ways.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 . . . All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.
Reading and studying the Bible is one of the ways God prepares us for whatever he has in store for us.

Matthew 26:39, 42, 44 . . . He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine.” Again he left them and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away until I drink it, your will be done.” So he went back to pray a third time, saying the same things again.
Pray to God about adapting to his will.

Luke 1:17 . . . “He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah, the prophet of old. He will precede the coming of the Lord, preparing the people for his arrival. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will change disobedient minds to accept godly wisdom.”

2 Timothy 2:25-26 . . . They should gently teach those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will believe the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the Devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.
God often uses others to prepare us for change. But don’t be surprised at the unlikely people he may choose to do the job.

1 Peter 1:14 . . . Obey God because you are his children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of doing evil; you didn’t know any better then.
Adapting to God’s way involves a life of obedience.

WHY OR WHEN SHOULD I ADAPT?

Romans 12:2 . . . Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.
Adapting our thinking allows us to better understand God’s perfect will for us even when we are called to behave contrary to what is customary in this world.

1 Corinthians 9:20-23 . . . When I am with the Jews, I become one of them so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with those who follow the Jewish laws, I do the same, even though I am not subject to the law, so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with the Gentiles who do not have the Jewish law, I fit in with them as much as I can. In this way, I gain their confidence and bring them to Christ. But I do not discard the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. When I am with those who are oppressed, I share their oppression so that I might bring them to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ. I do all this to spread the Good News, and in doing so I enjoy its blessings.
Adapting to others is an effective tool of sharing Christ. But be careful. We never win unbelievers to Christ by adapting their sinful habits.

HOW DO I BEST ADAPT TO CHANGE?

Ecclesiastes 3:11 . . . God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.
It is wise to adapt to the normal cycles of change in life. But it is unwise to adapt, or compromise, the changeless truths in life.

2 Corinthians 5:2-5 . . . We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long for the day when we will put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. Our dying bodies make us groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and have no bodies at all. We want to slip into our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by everlasting life.
Having an eternal perspective towards our physical changes helps us to adapt to the aging process. Since we can’t reverse the aging process, we may as well adapt to it. After all, aging is part of the graduation ceremony.

1 Corinthians 10:1 . . . I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, what happened to our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. God guided all of them by sending a cloud that moved along ahead of them, and he brought them all safely through the waters of the sea on dry ground.
God has brought you through change before, and he promises to do so again. Sometimes he uses “time honored” methods to take us through change. Other times he uses radically innovative ways to help us through radically challenging change, including miracles.

James 1:2-4 . . . Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.
Times of trouble, which lead to the testing of our faith and the increasing of our endurance, help to strengthen our character and better prepare us to adapt to whatever the future holds. Use times of change and challenge as growing times rather than giving-up times.

Proverbs 19:2 . . . Zeal without knowledge is not good; a person who moves too quickly may go the wrong way.
Be knowledgeable and deliberate regarding options. Don’t race your lifestyle into high speed when your brain is still in neutral.

Jonah 1:1-3; 3:1-3 . . . The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh! Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction in order to get away from the Lord. He went down to the seacoast, to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping that by going away to the west he could escape from the Lord. . . Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message of judgment I have given you.” This time Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all.
We are to adapt with obedience regardless of our personal preference. The best way to adapt to change is to adapt to the Author of all change.

Genesis 12:1, 4 . . . Then the Lord told Abram, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you.” So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed him, and Lot went with him.

Hebrews 11:8 . . . It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.
You don’t need to know all the details of God’s plan for you in order to adapt to it. Full knowledge of all of the details is not a requirement for obedience. Sometimes adapting to God’s way means moving forward in faith and obedience, realizing that if he knows the way we don’t have to.

Exodus 14:15-16 . . . Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! Use your shepherd’s staff-hold it out over the water, and a path will open up before you through the sea. Then all the people of Israel will walk through on dry ground.”
Sometimes we must adapt quickly. There’s a time to stop and pray and a time to pray on the run. Progress without prayer neglects God. Prayer without progress neglects purpose.

WHAT KINDS OF THINGS SHOULD I BE UNWILLING TO ADAPT TO?

Exodus 23:2 . . . Do not join a crowd that intends to do evil. When you are on the witness stand, do not be swayed in your testimony by the opinion of the majority.

Ezekiel 11:12 . . . And you will know that I am the Lord. For you have refused to obey me; instead, you have copied the sins of the nations around you.
Ezekiel 20:32 . . . “You say, ‘We want to be like the nations all around us, who serve idols of wood and stone.”

We should not adapt to those around us when they are not following God’s ways.
2 Chronicles 30:7 . . . Do not be like your ancestors and relatives who abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and became an object of derision, as you yourselves can see.

Psalm 78:8 . . . Then they will not be like their ancestors-stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God.
We should not adapt the heritage or traditions of even our relatives or family if they are causing us to disobey God.

HOW DO I NOT ADAPT TO THOSE THINGS I SHOULDN’T, BUT WANT TO?

Ephesians 4:14-15 . . . Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. Instead, we will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.
Our focus should be on becoming more like Christ, adapting to what he wants for us, not what we want for ourselves.

Proverbs 22:24-25 . . . Keep away from angry, short-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul.
We should be aware of the company we keep and the influence they have on us.

Zechariah 1:4 . . . “Do not be like your ancestors who would not listen when the earlier prophets said to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: Turn from your evil ways and stop all your evil practices.’”
Even if we have made wrong turns in the past, God still desires our repentance today. He will set our feet on the right path and help us to adapt to that which is right and good.

PROMISE FROM GOD:
Romans 12:2 . . . Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.