Still Basking: Change Is Required

Recently, as I sat in one of the many powerful Women of Wellness (WOW) General Sessions, the Holy Spirit used Pastor Chandra Williams to drop four simple but powerful words into the atmosphere:Recently

STOP. START. STRENGTHEN. SURRENDER.

Those words stayed with me. One week later and I’m still basking in what God did during that time. Still processing...still reflecting and...still paying attention to what He was confirming and reaffirming in me. Sometimes God will allow us to hear something publicly that He has already been speaking to us privately. And when that happens, you know it hits differently.

For me, those four words were more than good points from a powerful teaching message. They became an invitation to take a closer look at my own life, my own journey, and the places where God may be calling for change.

STOP

There are some things we have to stop and it took me a minute to recognize this in my own life. Some habits, patterns, ways of thinking, responses and cycles we have carried longer than we were ever supposed to. Sometimes we keep asking God to move us forward while continuing to practice what keeps pulling us backward. But then there comes a moment when we have to recognize that everything that has been part of our story does not have permission to remain part of our future. What a wake-up call that was for me!

START

Then there are things God has been telling us to start. I can only chuckle at the realness of this right here. Maybe it is something we have delayed because of fear, uncertainty, lack of confidence, or because we have been waiting for everything to line up perfectly.

But obedience, oh obedience, does not always begin with certainty. Sometimes obedience simply begins with a yes. There are moments when we have to stop waiting for another sign and even seeking validation from others and start moving on what God has already placed in our hearts.

STRENGTHEN

And then there are areas that are not necessarily wrong; they just need strengthening. It could be our prayer life, our discipline, our boundaries, our relationships, our confidence or our commitment to the assignment God has placed in our hands. Everything does not need to be discarded. Some things simply need more attention, more intention, and more consistency.

SURRENDER

And this one right here is a WHOLE mic drop!!! Surrender. Some things we were never meant to control. Some burdens were never ours to carry. Some outcomes were never ours to manage. And sometimes the change God is asking from us is not about doing more. Sometimes it is about finally releasing what we have been holding too tightly. That can be difficult because surrender requires trust. It requires us to say, “God, I may not understand how this is going to work out, but I trust You enough to take my hands off of it.”

When Confirmation Keeps Coming

Maybe you have experienced this too. You have prayed about something. You have thought about it. You have asked God for clarity. And somehow, through different conversations, messages, Scriptures, or circumstances, He keeps bringing you back to the same place. At some point, we have to ask ourselves whether we are still waiting for confirmation or whether God is waiting for our response.

That is what these four words challenged me to consider:

What do I need to STOP?

What do I need to START?

What needs to be STRENGTHENED?

And what do I finally need to SURRENDER?

Change Is Required

The theme of our WOW experience was Change is Required, and I’m realizing more and more that change is not always comfortable, but it is often necessary. Not because everything about us is wrong. But because growth requires movement. Becoming requires releasing. Transformation requires willingness. And we cannot become who God is calling us to be while insisting on remaining exactly where we are.

So yes, m y sisters, I’m still basking. But I’m also listening...I’m reflecting...I’m asking God to show me what needs to change in me before I spend too much time looking at what needs to change around me. And my response is becoming very simple: Yes, Lord. Whatever has to change in me, I’m willing. Maybe that can be your prayer too.

STOP. START. STRENGTHEN. SURRENDER.

And whatever God is placing His finger on in this season, don’t run from it. Instead, can I encourage you to lean into it...pray through it...and walk it out. Because sometimes the very change we resist is connected to the growth we have been praying for.

Change is Required.

And as I’m still sitting with these words myself, my prayer is simple: 'Lord, help me to recognize what needs to change, trust You with the process, and have the courage to move when You say move.' Maybe that can be your prayer too. Whatever this season is revealing, don’t despise it. God may be using it to prepare you for what you’ve been praying for.

With faith and expectation,

Rev. Dr. Cheryl A.S. Hurley

Your Spiritual Empowerment Coach

YOU Matter.

🎙️ Let’s Keep the Conversation Going

If this message spoke to where you are right now, Episode 6 of the YOU Matter Podcast, “You’re Not Behind, You’re Being Positioned,” is a beautiful continuation of this conversation.

Sometimes change can make us feel delayed, uncertain, or even like we’ve missed our moment. But what if you’re not behind at all? What if God is using this season to prepare, protect, strengthen, and position you for what’s next?

Take a few minutes, tune in, and let it encourage your heart.

🎧 Episode 6: “You’re Not Behind, You’re Being Positioned”

Listen on Spotify by clicking the podcast image, or listen directly here: https://bit.ly/3R0apzm