What God Says to You as He Changes You

By Rick Warren

Does the inability to make changes in your life frustrate you? Maybe you’ve concluded that you’ll never change a certain aspect of your life. You’ve tried and tried and tried, but you feel stuck.

I’ve got good news for you. Jesus Christ can change anything—and everything—in your life.

Take, for example, the story of the four friends who bring a paralyzed man to Jesus in the book of Luke, chapter five. It’s a story of a man whom Jesus radically changes.

Jesus says three things to the man that change him forever:

1. The first thing Jesus says to him is, “Be encouraged” (Matthew 9:2 NLT).

As Jesus changes you, he encourages you. He cares about you. He cares about every area of your life. That’s why he says to you, “Be encouraged.” He knows that going through change can be challenging.

2. The next thing Jesus tells the man is, “Your sins are forgiven” (Luke 5:20 NLT).

Most of the world is dying to hear the words, “You are forgiven.” We’ve all blown it. We’ve all messed up. We’ve all made mistakes. None of us are perfect. So we all need forgiveness. And Jesus forgives us instantly when we come to him.

3. Jesus concluded by telling the man, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” (Luke 5:24 NLT).

 The paralyzed man had given up all hope of being healed. Walking seemed impossible. Jesus told him to do the one thing he had never done in his life—and likely the one thing he never thought he could do. And Jesus will equip you to do what seems impossible, too.

After God encourages you and forgives you, he’ll ask you to do something that seems impossible. But here’s the good news. God will give you the power to do it.

The Bible tells us unmistakably that God can—and will—change even the most hopeless situation. Will you let him?