Inertia and change

in-er-tia |iˈnərSHə| noun

A tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged

The 21 Day Fast has begun, and for some, it's just one more exercise in denying yourself the pleasures of entertainment, while for the few, it's an opportunity for great change.

Everyone is stuck in some kind of rut at different times in their lives.  No one is who they ought to be, and if they think they are just fine, they are in a deeper rut than they know.  But just like the laws of physics, an object in motion tends to remain in motion, while an object that is stationary remains so unless a force greater than itself moves it from it's place.

We can be either of those objects: an object in motion, heading the wrong direction, but unable to stop or turn aside, or an object stuck, static and immovable.  Our negative minds and stubborn attitudes keep us far from God, but though we know we need to change, inertia has us locked into old habits and behaviors.  Just knowing we need to change isn't enough.

A greater force needs to dislodge us, or to push us out of our rut and onto a different pathway. In the 21 Day Fast, that greater force isn't God, but you.  The hatred of your old life has to be the force that drives you to find more of God, to know Him and to hear Him.  He can't and won't change you without you pushing yourself to change first.   Only then does He come to aid and strengthen you, and in the end it's all because of Him.  

Some people will end their 21 Day Fast in awe of God's amazing presence and power that He revealed to them during this time.  They will be the ones who hated the old mediocre faith that was stuck in a rut, and pushed themselves to give their utmost to God.  Meanwhile the rest will be counting the hours before they can finally watch their favorite reality show and go back to the movies... 

Check out this page tomorrow for the next topic of our 40 Day Project.  Find the original lesson sheet attached here from November 2012: Inertia, 40DP Session 1

On Thanksgiving of 2012, we held the first course of the 40 Day Project, where we taught how to change our lives in 40 Days.  Beginning Thanksgiving, running through Christmas and culminating on New Years Eve, we met every Sunday and Friday, with a total of 15 in-depth life lessons.  Now that we have begun the 21 Day Fast, we are reposting these lessons with a brief summary to keep you inspired. And for those of you who joined in our project last winter, we hope to refresh and reignite that desire to see big changes in your relationship to God.  Enjoy!