Help! I want to change. Part #3

Want to Change Overview

In this third installment of the series “Help! I Want to Change,” the Pastor builds on the foundational truths established in the previous two messages — that God created humanity with the unique capacity to change, and that eternity dwells within every born-again believer. This session focuses on what the Pastor calls the pathway to change, or entering into God’s rest. Drawing from Psalms 19:7-11, Romans 12:2, Galatians 6:7-8, and Isaiah 40:28-31, the message explores how the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul — returning the believer to a place of restoration, refreshing, and intimate relationship with God. Through vivid illustrations, including pruning an overgrown apple tree, caring for infants in a daycare, and the remarkable instinct of an eagle locking its wings against a storm, the Pastor makes the case that change is not merely something God expects — it is something He desires for us more than we desire it for ourselves. The central challenge of the message is simple but penetrating: we must genuinely want to change. Toiling in our own strength is part of the curse system, and the only true pathway forward is ceasing from self-reliance and learning to wait upon, and come together with, the living God.

Want to Change Outline

• 00:00 – Series Recap and the Soil Analogy: The Pastor revisits the first two messages of the series, reminding listeners that God created humanity like soil — uniquely capable of change — and that eternity has been placed within every born-again heart.
• 08:30 – The Pruned Apple Tree: A personal story about pruning a neglected apple tree illustrates how God’s pruning process, though it may look and feel like loss, ultimately produces abundant and lasting fruit in the believer’s life.
• 16:00 – Corruption in the World and God’s Goodness: The Pastor addresses the source of corruption in creation, distinguishing clearly between the God who heals, gives life, and provides abundantly, and the god of this world who steals, kills, and destroys.
• 24:00 – The Diaper Illustration and the Stiff Neck: Using the relatable image of a crying baby being changed, the Pastor confronts the reality that most people resist the very change they need. The concept of a stiff neck as a refusal to repent is explored with directness and pastoral care.
• 33:00 – Psalms 19 — The Law of the Lord Converts the Soul: An exegesis of Psalms 19:7-11 reveals the progressive work of God’s Word in a believer’s life: converting the soul, making the simple wise, rejoicing the heart, enlightening the eyes, and promising a great reward.
• 42:30 – Sowing to the Spirit vs. Sowing to the Flesh: Galatians 6:7-8 grounds the teaching in the principle of sowing and reaping, showing that sowing to the flesh reaps corruption while sowing to the Spirit reaps everlasting, enduring life.
• 51:00 – Waiting Upon the Lord — The Hebrew Word Qavah: The Hebrew word qavah, translated ‘wait,’ is unpacked to mean coming together with God rather than passive sitting. This convergence with God is shown to be the secret of renewed strength for the believer.
• 58:00 – The Eagle and Entering God’s Rest: The natural behavior of an eagle locking its wings and riding a storm upward becomes a powerful metaphor for the believer who waits on God and is carried above corruption into a place of clarity, peace, and provision.
• 1:04:00 – Practical Steps and the Call to Change: The Pastor closes with a direct exhortation to give God the first part of every day, to prioritize Scripture over social media, and to cease from self-reliance so that the eternal life within can flow outward.

Scripture References

Psalm 19:7-11, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 12:2, Galatians 6:7-8, John 6:63, Isaiah 40:28-31, Matthew 24:35, Acts 17:28, Hebrews 11, Genesis 1:9, James 1:17, John 3:16, Proverbs 3:5-6, Proverbs 4:23

Key Takeaways

• God created humanity like soil, uniquely capable of change, which means your life can genuinely grow better when you intentionally sow the Word of God into it.
• Being born again makes you a brand-new creation — the Greek word kainos means a prototype that never existed before — and this new creation is designed to carry and release eternal life.
• The biggest hindrance to spiritual growth is not circumstance or opposition but the simple unwillingness of a person to be changed, which is why cultivating a genuine desire to change is the first and most critical step.
• God’s pruning of your life is not punishment or rejection — it is purposeful preparation, and the fruit that follows a season of pruning will far surpass anything produced before it.
• Toiling in your own strength to produce change is part of the curse system; the pathway to lasting transformation is entering God’s rest by ceasing from self-reliance and coming together with Him through His Word and Spirit.
• Sowing to the Spirit produces enduring fruit in every area of life — marriage, family, work, and relationships — while sowing to the flesh produces only corruption and ultimately nothing of eternal value.
• Like an eagle that locks its wings and lets the force of a storm carry it above the turbulence, the believer who waits on God will mount up with renewed strength and live above the corrupting pressures of this world.

Want to Change Notes

Change Is Built Into Your Design

The Pastor opens by establishing that change is not foreign to human nature — it is fundamental to it. Drawing on the Hebrew distinction between eretz (the earth as a whole) and adamah (the soil, derived from adam), he demonstrates that humanity was made like cultivated ground. Animals are fixed in their behavior, but a person is living soil: what is sown into them determines what grows. When the incorruptible seed of God’s Word is planted through new birth, the potential for extraordinary transformation is activated. Understanding this removes the excuse that people simply cannot change and replaces it with the responsibility and privilege of stewarding what God has placed within.

Why God Prunes the People He Loves

One of the most memorable illustrations in the message is the story of an overgrown apple tree that produced almost nothing until the Pastor pruned it back severely — two truckloads of branches. The following season showed minimal growth, but by the third year the tree was producing hundreds of apples. This mirrors John 15, where Jesus declares that the Father prunes every branch that bears fruit so it will bear more. The Pastor is clear: God’s pruning is not an indication that something is wrong with you. It is the very evidence that He sees your potential and is making deliberate, loving investments in your destiny.

Desire Is the Gateway to Transformation

The central pastoral challenge of the entire message is this: you must genuinely want to change. The Pastor uses the image of a daycare worker checking diapers — everyone around you can smell that change is needed before you are willing to admit it yourself. He also contrasts two kinds of infants: those who cry to be changed and those who cry because they do not want to be changed. He applies this directly to the Christian life, stating plainly that the greatest hindrance to spiritual growth is not lack of ability or divine willingness, but human resistance. Wanting to change — truly, actively wanting it — is where the process begins.

The Soul Restored Through God’s Perfect Law

Psalm 19:7-11 forms the biblical backbone of the message. The Pastor walks through each phrase to show a progression of restoration: the law of the Lord converts the soul (Hebrew: shub, meaning to return, to be fetched home, to be restored to the starting point), the testimony of the Lord makes the simple wise, the statutes of the Lord rejoice the heart, and the commandment of the Lord enlightens the eyes. This is not merely religious information — it is a living encounter with God’s Word that returns the believer to their original design. Keeping these commands carries a great reward, one the Pastor frames as far more valuable than gold.

Waiting on God Means Coming Together With Him

Isaiah 40:28-31 introduces the Hebrew word qavah, typically translated ‘wait,’ but the Pastor reveals its deeper meaning through its appearance in Genesis 1:9 where the waters are gathered together in one place. Waiting on the Lord is not passive inactivity — it is an active convergence, a coming together with God to ask what He wants and to align yourself with His direction. This kind of waiting produces renewed strength, the ability to run without growing weary, and the capacity to walk without fainting. The image of the eagle locking its wings into a storm and being carried above it crystallizes the truth: those who wait on God are not exempt from storms, but they are carried above them.

Living Above Corruption in a Corrupted World

The Pastor draws a consistent thread throughout the message distinguishing between the corruption that entered creation through sin and the incorruptible Word of God that endures forever. Matthew 24:35 is cited — heaven and earth will pass away, but Jesus’s words will not. Romans 12:2 calls believers not to be conformed to this world’s patterns but to be continuously transformed by the renewing of the mind. This renewal, represented by the Greek word nuos (to be repainted, reupholstered, redone again and again), is described as an ongoing process. Just as a house must be swept and repainted repeatedly because of the dust of this world, the believer must continually return to God’s Word to remain free from the corruption that surrounds them.

Frequently Asked Questions