Making the “Shift”
I really believe “Shift” must happen in all of us! Shifts are challenging transitions we make that ultimately lead to a life of integrity. Yesterday I listed the first of 10 Key Integrity Shifts that I believe have to be made in order to live a life of integrity in every arena of life. Here are 5 more:
#6. Graceless Religion, to Grace-filled Gospel (Romans 1:16) Religion has its place but believers are called to proclaim the message of a grace-infused gospel. It is a message of empowering love and acceptance that cannot be experienced anywhere else. Are you hung up on your “religion” or has the message of grace so touched you that you can’t help but speak of how “amazing” it is?
#7. Growing information, to Maturing spiritually (Colossians 1:28-29) Becoming a mature believer is more than acquiring more information about God and the church. It is living out the demands of the information we already have, because of the calling God places on our lives.
#8. Natural man, to Spiritual man (1 Corinthians 2:14) The leap from natural to spiritual is a mysterious work of the Holy Spirit. But it makes all the difference in the world. Living under the influence of the Spirit of God brings spiritual depth and clarity.
#9. Starved “Loner” to authentic Community (1 Thessalonians 1:8) “Life sharing” is vital to growth and development as a Christ follower. It is easy to go it alone, but when we do we sacrifice the benefits of learning and loving other believers. Without an experience of authentic community we’ll seek out illegitimate ways to fulfill that longing for life in community.
#10. Reluctant commitment to Radical connection (Jeremiah 17:7-8 NLT) The word radical means to be “rooted”. It’s easy to find people who will “commit” to something, especially if there are benefits. But Christ calls us to a life deeply rooted in Him. It is far more than our sometimes shallow commitments. To be rooted in Christ is to move from being merely a fan, to being a fully devoted Christ follower.