How to Handle Big Changes
by Drenda Keesee
The one thing we can count on in this life is change. Luckily, we have a loving Father who draws close to us in uncertain times!
I have faced countless changes: deciding to homeschool, pastoring a church with my husband, moving, facing the loss of loved ones, and more. Over the years, I have learned that when I let go of my control over situations and choose to submit to God’s will, I feel at peace.
Seeing changes as new beginnings, rather than endings, makes you open to all the wonderful opportunities that God puts in front of you.
God loves you and wants to help you win in ALL the areas of life. I assure you, nothing is too big or too small for His time and attention. I want to encourage you to go to God before you become anxious or fearful, which is why I created these tips for you, tips that have helped me every time I tackled a major life change.
Facing your fears
God is bigger than your circumstances, bigger than ANY of the obstacles standing in your way! John 14:27 (NIV) tells us, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Believe me, if God has brought you to it, He will bring you through it. He will protect you and give you the victory!
The enemy has so many tactics to scare you out of your God-given purpose. Don’t let fear take root. Instead, take up the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit, and use it to extinguish fear, insecurity, and doubt.
Psalm 119:28 (NIV) tells us, “My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.” The Word of God is your strength; use it, speak it out loud, and put it before your eyes every day.
Trusting God for the outcome
When unexpected news comes your way, do you get sweaty palms, knots in your stomach, or have trouble sleeping?
You’re not alone! For years, I was that woman: fearing that things wouldn’t turn out well, trying to control the things that were far beyond my control. If you usually respond to change that way, remember, our God is the God of new beginnings!
Second Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Part of staying joyful in times of change is trusting that God has called you out of the darkness and made you a new person and given you a new life—one of peace, joy, and provision.
Accept what’s beyond your control and give it to God. He is before you and ahead of you, and He will orchestrate the victory in His perfect timing!
Celebrating new opportunities
No matter how big or scary the change, if you walk through it with a positive attitude, you can have peace. I believe sometimes God moves us into new situations because we are too afraid or anxious to do it ourselves.
Don’t listen to what the world tells you is impossible; we know with God ALL things are possible!
If you take your focus off of your fears and potential problems and focus on your hopes for the future, God will continue to reveal His amazing purpose for your life.
God never stops giving us BIG dreams; sometimes we just stop hearing them. I want to empower you to open your heart to what God is trying to tell you. His love will help you rise far above your fears, doubts, and insecurities and into the extraordinary future He has for you.
I hope this has inspired you today and given you the encouragement and wisdom you need to walk into the future with a heart of hope!
Please share this with someone who needs encouragement today!
~Drenda
ps…Are you looking for a good church? Be sure and listen on Saturday evening or catch the 3 services on Sunday for Faith Life Church!
Drenda Keesee’s contagious zeal and humorous personal experiences help make her ministry of spiritual, emotional, and relational wholeness one that will bless your life and spark a new fire in your spirit.
A wife of over 30 years and a mother of five children, Drenda has ministered at churches, seminars, and conferences, and through the mediums of television and radio, for more than 20 years.
Her books, The New Vintage Family, Better Than You Think, and She Gets It are available wherever books are sold. In these heartfelt books, Drenda shares her personal journey and the life lessons that have brought her to where she is today, as well as practical answers that all people need to live a joyful life.
Drenda and her husband Gary founded Faith Life Now, a ministry designed to spread the message of freedom in the areas of finances, faith, marriage, and family. Tune in for their weekly messages here. Faith Life Now hosts conferences worldwide and sponsors both Fixing the Money Thing, which Drenda co-hosts with her husband Gary and Drenda.
Through their own life experiences, the Keesee’s have found the principles from God’s Word to be powerful and effective. At one point, Drenda was a young, suicidal feminist with no hope of ever being “good enough” for her own standards of perfection. She never wanted the “inconvenience” of a husband or children, and she was on her own path to success. But the stress of trying to achieve perfection and perform for love left her broken and used. She had success, but it was nothing compared to the pain and loneliness it had also brought.
That’s when God got a hold of her heart. It was there—at her lowest point—that she found the One who accepted and loved her, faults and all. Since that transformation, Drenda has had a passion to reach women who find themselves where she once was.
She married Gary after attending college, and there she found herself in a personal boot camp of sorts. She says, “I cried and told God, ‘I can do anything but be a wife and mother.’” She committed to learning how to do it God’s way. Through the many years of raising their children and struggling to make ends meet, Drenda learned from their mistakes. “I didn’t know how to be a wife and mother, but God saved our marriage, taught us how to parent our children for success, showed us how to have financial success, and then the irony of all ironies, He called us to ministry.” It’s truly because of these life experiences that Drenda can now share so many insightful principles for people who are now going through the same struggles.
