A Paradigm Shift

Are you ready for God’s new work in your life? Sometimes we think we are ready, but we are not willing to make the adjustments necessary for God’s new work.

No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.Matthew 9:16

When God begins to do something new in us, it requires a paradigm shift. It takes a risk in exercising our faith in the direction of God’s leading.We cannot process the information in the same way we have before. Otherwise, we are patching an old garment on a new cloth as Jesus stated. This patch will look terrible because it will stand out. In addition, the new patch will not work because the new cloth will pull away from the old garment. 

The Israelites were faced with a paradigm shift in the desert.

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  “I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”  Exodus 16: 11-12

And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: ‘Let every man gather it according to each one’s need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.’” Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less.  So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one’s need.  And Moses said, “Let no one leave any of it till morning.”  Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. Exodus 16:15b-20

The Israelites were delivered by God’s mighty hand out of the Egypt. While in the desert, God sent them daily provision of bread and meat. He told them not to save any of the bread for the next day because He was going to provide for them every day. However, some of the Israelites out of fear, tried to save some for the next day. This was a new season in their lives where God asked them to fully rely on Him for their everyday needs. They had to let go of their grim past and exercise their faith daily for God’s provision. 

The Israelites had to let go of their fears and insecurities of the past. They were used to having harsh leaders back in Egypt. That was their old cloth. They did not trust those leaders because they mistreated them. However, God was not like their earthly pagan leaders.

God brought them out of Egypt and placed Moses, a very humble man, to lead them.  They had to let go of their distrust of bad leadership to be able to embrace God’s new leadership in their lives. They had to let go of their self-preservation despite all their fears.

Those that saved extra manna for the next day, found it full of warms. Those Israelites were trying to place the fresh manna in an the old environment of fear and insecurity by saving it an extra day. Their man-made strategy did not work, and the manna stunk and became moldy. The same is true with God’s new work in our lives. We need to make room for it by letting go of the past patterns.

God’s new work will stretch us. I feel that stretch right now in my life as God has opened new doors for me. I have to let go of my fears and my old ways of doing things. I need to adjust by trusting God without having all the answers.

How are you responding to God’s new work in your life? Are you trying to hold on to your old patterns in this new season? It’s time to let go. If we desire to see God’s new work in our lives we need to let him stretch us.