Can Bad Change Be Good | Elder Terence Atkinson

You're listening to a message to go from acts church. We hope this message

will light up your day. I want to do a message with you because

this is what the Lord put my heart to share during the season. Can

bad change? Can bad change be good? What a strange question? Can

bad change be good? Now? How many we are familiar with things always

changing for the bad? Have you experienced such things in your life? You

know, things are going well and suddenly they don't go so well and they

change for the bad. Have you experienced that? Can I see your hands?

Am I speaking to myself? Oh? No, I am not.

I'm speaking to all of you. It's true. You know, we live

our lives and we hope that everything that we do will find success, and

it should because we are believing in the lot of Lords and the King of

Kings. And you know, he's a winner. Jesus Christ is a winner.

And what descriptures say about us, we are more than a conquer Ruh.

You know somebody described this. I recently heard this, so I'll share

it with you, and I think somebody you've heard it. Okay, you

know Many Paquo. You know who's Many Pakeo is? You know he's a

Filipino boxing champion over so many weights, and he has made millions and millions

of dollars. So he's a conqueror. But you know what his wife is.

Your wife is very rich. Did she have to go in box?

No, she's more than a conqueror. She didn't have to do anything,

and she's more than many paccio. Well, I think that was a very

good description, so I thought i'd keep that in my head. We are

more than a conquer rh So how is it that change? We can have

bad change coming out of things that are good. Do you know that the

only thing that does not change in life is changed? Think about it.

Every second we have changed. We are not the same person we were one

second ago. We are older, ourselves have changed. Maybe we don't see

it straight away, but my gray hair has grown ever so minusculey, but

it has happened. So the only thing that does not change is changed.

Does that mean that God changes? God is changeless, and that is very

important to us. It's very very important to us that God is changeless.

In Hebrews thirteen eighty, it says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today,

and for ever wow of number twenty three nineteen. God is not a

man that he should lie, nor a son of man that he should repent.

He has he said and will he not do? Or has he spoken?

And will he not make it good? Do you know it's so important

that God is an unchanging feature in our life? Do you know why?

Can you imagine? Can you imagine if every night the stars changed his direction?

Can you imagine if we did not have a north pole or a south

pole and our magnetic fields changed every night? Do you know if that were

to happen, we would not have GPS. Do you know that if that

were not to happen, or we would not be able to go anywhere.

It's true, the plane will be flying and you're supposed to be going to

London and it ends up in China because the magnetic field has change. Because

what does navigation light rely on? It relies on the magnetic fields. The

position of the sun. God in his wisdom, has shown us that there

is an importance to something not changing. He does not change, and for

us to have some kind of stability in our lives, he does not change.

You know, He does not change, And that's why we have directions

because like the GPS. We would not be able to find a way if

God would. Can you imagine if God would to tell you, Okay,

today I want you to love everybody you see, and then tomorrow he tells

you, please go and slap everybody you see. You would have nothing with

which to build your life on because you would be schizophrenic. Another word for

it is considered insane. You nobody can look at you and decipher. One

day, you know, you're so good. In the next day you're so

bad. We've had bosses like that in the office, right, Oh,

yes, we've had bosses like that in the office. One day they're so

good and the next day is so bad. Yeah. And you know when

you go to officer, you know, people know how to interpret whether it's

going to rain or not. God, this sky's dark, gonna win.

Oh, he's gonna rain. So sometimes you know, people used to come

and ask me, how's the boss to day? I said, well,

I think today we're going to get a decision from him, though not the

right day. Some day when Milwaukee say now, anything you want, go

for it. You know how to read. So that's how it is.

But let me go to scripture and I will be able to expound this a

little bit further. Our first example Paul Paul in Acts sixteen sixteen to thirty

two. But I'm not going to read every verse. I just go some

of the verses so that you get an idea what I mean. Now,

as it happened as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed

with the spirit of divination met us, who brought her master's much profit by

fortune telling. Do you know how demons tell the fortune? They lie?

You know how they lie? They work in tend them. I'll give you

an example. Okay, if I tell good, what you do is that

you stand at the door and the next person that walks out there, without

knowing trip him. Put your leg on trip them to And then I'm here

at the message and I'm telling you the Lord has revealed to me that the

next person who walks at that door is going to trip and fall. So

little did you know that God? What God did? Actually, he tied

a little string across the door. So the next person that he pulled a

string, the person fell, and he said, Wow, a prophet is

in a myst what can tell the future. So don't believe everything you hear

when people are telling the future, it's a setup. Okay. As Christians,

we do not believe that. We believe God orders the way we go.

So when somebody tells you, oh, I know this fortune teller,

how they tell all, you tell him it's a lie. That's why God

hates people going to fortune tell us it's in the scripture. Why does he

hate that? Because he knows it is a many pulation of people, and

God hates that. It is an evil. Okay. So this girl followed

Paul and us crying out, say these men are servants of the Most High

God, and proclaimed to us the ways of salvation. And this she did

for many days. Okay, it's stranger. Paul did not react to it

straight away. He let it go on for many days. But then you

read the scripture. After a while he got fed up and he said,

okay, come out from her, you evil spirit. And the spirit came

out, and the people were very angry because their source of money were gone.

Okay, it's so like us. Right. I can tell your testimony.

I was in x PJ maybe about four weeks ago, three or four

weeks ago, and I was coughing. I mean, I was you know

I couldn't say two words without going into a coughing binge. Have you tried

sharing a message like that? It's very irritating for you all to hear somebody

every few menu you get irritated. You come to hear God's word and you

are coughing. You know how irritating it is for the speaker, because the

speaker knows that they have to deliver a message from God, and their physical

ailment is preventing you from hearing what you need to hear. But like Paul,

I let it go on for a little while until I just got fed

up, and in front of the whole congregation, I said, I rebuke

you, cough in the name of Jesus, get out, and you will

not hinder the people of God. And immediately the cough stopped immediately. And

I later found out that everybody noticed that the cough went immediately, only I

did not notice. So this was over, So okay that listen all right.

I had a fall in my house about three weeks ago. This fall

was a nasty fall. I slipped in the shower room. I slipped my

head just missed the wall, and I felt, I mean I really felt

hard. It wasn't the kind of fall where you can hold, and this

was without an ability to prevent kind of follow right, so my hands were

not in play. So I fell. I just missed the wall, and

I missed the glass because I got a whole glass wall and on one side.

So I fell missing these two things. And I fell on the ground

and then I listened to my body and okay, I don't think anything's broken.

I think you can and get up. So I got up. Then

I came out and told her, you know, I fell. Since I

didn't hear you say, I got a lot of petting. So anyway,

what happened was it hurt my back, my lower back, so much so

that sitting down was a problem. Getting up was a problem, and I

thought it would go away. It did not go away. After a week.

It's really painful. Sit down and get up, Sit down and get

up. It's painful. Until I got fed up and the Lord reminded me,

do you remember the cough? Then I said, oh, yes,

God, I get it. I said, you pain in my back,

I command you to go right now in the name of Jesus. And it

left immediately. So I was really excited. I said, wow, God.

So now you're showing me ways I can get my body in order,

because I also have a problem in my left foot. Okay, I don't

know how this problem came away, very painful at the top of the foot,

like tendon was stretched or damaged. Again, this has gone on for

a long long time. It's hurtful to put on a shoe. I have

to limp whenever I walk, as you notice I'm not limping now. And

then about one week after my back issue was why am I suffering this pain

in my leg? I command your pain in my foot get out from me

right now in the neme of Jesus, and it left immediately. So I

have one more thing to take care of some one more long ago in x

Men devotion, I fell into some water and I hurt my back, which

has been giving me problems for all these years. That'll be the next thing

to go. But what I want to tell you so why this means something

is because when I shed this in x Clang last week, a lady came

up to me and she said she had a friend who just fell in the

toilet the day before I came. The doctor says she has to have help

for the rest of her life. She needs aid from now on for the

rest of a life. And it's exactly the same kind of all that I

had. What's the difference. Jesus is his name. So now Paul had

said get out, and so you know, if you read the scripture,

do you know what Paul was going to do with Silas. They were going

to pray. That was the plan. The plan was just going to pray,

and this creature was bothering them, and then he commands them to go.

And what did the people do? They beat them, They beat Paul,

They beat Silas, and when they had led many stripes on them,

they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having

received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fasten their

feets with stocks. So wasn't a good plan in play. They wanted to

go to pray, and what happened the plan changed for the bad. You

can even be wanting to do something for the Lord. You can be doing

you may want to do something to praise him or to worship him, or

do work for him, and when you set your mind to get it done,

suddenly something goes wrong and the good plan becomes bad? Do you fall

to pieces? I want to tell you what Paul and Silas did. Having

received, But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.

Did they change? No, the plan changed. Something that was meant

to be good became bad. They suddenly in prison, But they did not

change. Their purpose did not change. Hey, can you do Can I

do something to make sure that despite what goes on around us and in front

of us, we do not change our purpose. You see, winning is

not about the circumstance. Winning is the purpose being fulfilled. And here we

have Paul and Silas fulfilling that very purpose. What did they do at midnight?

They were praying and singing hymns to God. Read what is said earlier

on they were going to pray. Did their purpose change? Know? Their

venue changed? Okay? And I want you to know. Scripture says that

the prisoners were listening to them. You want the people that you share with

to listen to you. It happens when you do not change your purpose irrespective

of what goes on around you. If you're a business boss and you have

purposed in your life that you're going to be the best boss. Ever,

best boss doesn't mean weak boss. It means being fair. It means being

just. Do you know it's more important to be just than to be fair?

What is that such a thing? Yes? Yes? Was it fair

that people work one whole day and got one talent and people who worked one

hour and got one talent? Was it fair? No? Was it just?

Yes? What was it just? If you work for me one hour,

I will give you what I think you deserve. Praise the Lord for

that, because God says, you follow me. That's what he said.

He said, you follow me, So you followed the Lord. Thank god

he didn't, you know he he doesn't change what he plans to be.

He has decided to be a just God. And that's just the way it

is. But at midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to

God, and the prisoners were listening to them. What happened? Scripture says

that the Bible the Bibe Scripture says that the prison was shaken, the doors

were open, the chains fell off everybody, And guess what, none of

them ran. Did you ever wonder why none of them ran? Scripture has

given you the answer. The prisoners were listening to them, and when the

shackles fell, there was no need to run because their spirits were now free,

their minds were now free. They no longer were shackled by the past,

by the wrongs that they had done. They were shacked, no longer

shackled by their wrong way of thinking. They were free now in belief of

Jesus Christ. That's why the prisoners did not run. Do you know if

the prisoners were not changed, when those prison gates were open and when the

shackles fall out, they would have been out the door. They would have

run. But why didn't they run? They were free. There is a

kind of freedom that supersedes gates and walls around you. And that's the kind

of freedom that we have to be looking forward to, because when we are

free like that, nobody can trap you, nobody can get you down,

nobody can destroy your faith, no one can hinny you because you're free.

And what the scripture says, he whom the sun sets free is free in

the so then the prisoner were They didn't run, and the jailer said,

what as I do to be saved? The miracles don't stop, do you

know? They continue? They even affect the very ones who are harmful to

you. So now the the the warden says, hey, you know what

must I do to be saved? Do you know that if Paul and Silas

changed, if they allow that bad plan to affect their purpose. And they

moaned and groan and grife in the prison, saying, God, we wanted

to pray, and you put us in this dark place. What's the matter

with you? That's what we do. Ryno, don't put up your hands,

Rynod. When things go bad? What do we do? We say,

God, what's the matter with you? Don't you know your word?

I'm not supposed to be like I'm supposed to be living abandoned life. You

call this abandoned life a lot? Actually God wants you to do not change

your purpose. So Paul and Silass believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and

you in your household will be saved. Then they spoke the word of the

Lord to all those in the house and they were saved. Can a bad

change be good? You better believe it better? You see, we purpose

to do good, but maybe we don't see like God sees. We need

to do what God wants us to do. What we purpose to do in

the place God wants us to do it. And this is where sometimes we

don't get our vision very correct. But that's okay. Trust the Lord the

purpose to pray. Things took a bad turn. They were beaten and sent

to prison. What did they do? They remained focused, They prayed,

and they worship. And I want you to know, the best miracles happen

in the dark places. The best miracles in your life will happen in your

darkest moments. The best miracle in my life happens when I'm in the greatest

pain. Do I appreciate being healed of that back pain? You better believe

it. Can you imagine every day in the office, how many times I

have to sit down and get up, And that's the time it's most painful,

Getting into the car, getting out of the car most painful. Do

I appreciate it? You better believe in? Salvations occurred. Now the scripture

does not say salvations occurred, but salvation says, don't do anything to yourself.

We are all here. Why would they all remain? Ask yourself?

Even those that harm you get saved. Plans change purpose must not. Let's

move on. Second example, Gideon Okay, Gideon in Judge seven four to

seven. It goes on. Now you know this, But the Lord said

to Gideon, the people are still too many. Bring them down to the

water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be

that of whom I say to you, this one shall go with you,

the same shall go with you. And whoever I say to you this one

shall not go with you, the same shall not go with you. So

he brought the peace people down to the water, and the Lord said to

Gideon, Okay, just before that, there were about thirty thousand people with

Gideon. Isn't that a wonderful army? I mean, you call for help

and thirty thousand people come and say yes. So it seemed like a good

plan, right, And then what does God say? No? You know

why he said no, I will not allow glory to be robbed from me,

because if thirty thousand people go and I give you that army, they

will say it is because of my strength that we want. God had nothing

to do with it. So sometimes we have plan A, Plan B,

Plan C, and Plan D, and that God comes and he puts a

stop to all of it. You have your answer. Because God does not

want to share any of the glory that is due to him. So he

tells the first group of people, those of you that fear go back.

Twenty thousand people left. Do you know, God rarely wants to use those

that fear others. He loves to use those that fear him, because if

you fear him, you will not fear others. So twenty thousand people feared

somebody else. So he says, go back. It's okay, you don't

have to fight. So now we come to the next group of people,

right, and he said he brought the people down to the water, and

the Lord said to get in. Everyone who laps the water with his tongue

as a dong laps, you shall set apart for yourself. Likewise, everyone

who gets down on his knees to drink. Okay. I shared this message

in Klang last week, and maybe I was not so clear, but I

want to be a little bit clearer now. There was a difference, okay,

between getting on your knee and lapping like a dog. All right.

There were people who got down on your hands and knees and they drank the

water like that. Okay. Then there were those that got down on the

knee and they scooped up the water and drank. Brought the water to your

face and drank like that. The ones who brought the water to the face

was three hundred. The ones who got down on all fours were nineteen thousand.

No, no, no, let me see what ten thousand, nine

thousand, seven hundred, nine thousand, seven hundred. God said, send

the nine thousand, seven hundred away. You know, God uses those who

know who they are in him. You are not an animal. You are

a representative of His image here on earth. So the people who brought the

water up to themselves, that was a human way of doing it. That

was a representation of mankind, or a representation of authority. You know,

on one hand, God wants to use those that fear him. On the

other hand, God wants to use people who know the authority. Why did

my pain go away? Was it because I was anything special? Or I

knew the authority that I had in the name of Jesus commanded to go?

Then the Lord said to Gideon, by the three hundred men who lapped,

let me say, lamp, deliver the Midian knights into your hands. Let

all the other people go in peace. And the Lord said this the people

who are with you are too many for me to give the mini knights into

their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against me, saying my own

hand has saved me. I think this is a very very important reason why

seemingly our plans go bad. Whenever something you have planned does not go the

way you expected him to have gone, and you do get disappointed, because

most of us get disappointed when the plan doesn't go exactly the way we want

it to. The question you got to ask yourself is is it a bad

change or a good change? Most of us will think it's a bad change

because we always think our plans are pretty good. Ah, you didn't go

according to plan. I'm upset. But actually, when we realize that God

does not change, it's good. We can trust the Lord. We're gonna

ask the Lord. Okay, Lord, what is your direction for me?

Sometimes get this, we are too prepared even if we are doing the Lord's

work. Wow, do you know can we prepare God out of the equation?

You better believe it. We think we can. And you know what

we always do? We always do, And that's why plans change. Because

God does not want anyone but him to get the glory. It is a

danger to plan God out of the equation. It is a danger. Guys,

don't do it. Let me tell you we did it, Elmble myself.

We did it. We thought we had everything planned, and plans changed,

They really really changed, and God sort of herded us into a new

and I don't like to use this word. I use it very sparingly.

He herded us into a new season. It's not a word I like to

use because everybody kind of uses this word. Season too easily hurted us into

a new season where we had to do things that we normally would not do

because and as we disgusted among ourselves, we made the mistake of planning God

out of the equation. So God fights for us fiercely. And how does

he fight for us fiercely? He blocks our plans, He changes our plans,

and let me tell you, he brought our plans to not Yeah,

you know how God changes plans for us, for both of us. He

brought it to zero. He brought our plans to zero. So we only

had one door open, and that was the door we wanted to take.

If you asked me today, I would say I know this is his reason

because there's a work that we need to get done. So it's a danger

to plant down plan God out of the equation. Then you never have to

run into that situation. Like us, we change our needs, but God

remains the same. We change our needs, but God remains it. He

just needs us to trust him, not in our plans, not in our

backup plans. Does that mean you don't have a backup plan. Let your

backup plan be Jesus. But you know this, Cuss your backup plan with

him. I would say that, discuss your black up plan with him.

God, what do you think? And then he will say he will give

you wisdom. The journey to the Answer teaches us to observe and see how

God sees. How does God see? Do not fear if God is with

you. If you fear, return and you want to get somewhere, don't

fear. If God is telling you to start a business, don't fear.

If you fear, don't start the business. The other thing is, no,

you're calling, No you're calling. Do not drink like an animal.

If you are a man, man or woman. In this case, the

man went out to all and not women. But you know what I mean,

Okay, I hope you're getting something. And now we come to the

very last example of the day. Jesus plans even change for Jesus. You'll

be the judge after I read to you in Luke eight forty to fifty six.

And behold, there came a man named Jerius, and he was a

ruler of a synagogue, and he fell down at Jesus feet and begged him

to come to his house, for he had only one daughter, about twelve

years old, and she was dying. Can you remember this story? What

did Jesus say, Okay, I will come. Isn't it wonderful? God

has already said it's okay, it's in the bag, I'm coming. So

he is walking towards Jerrus home. That's the plan, right. Guess what

happened? There was a change? What was the change? There was a

woman who had an issue of blood, who said, if I can but

touch the garment, I shall be healed. And what did she do?

She went and she touched the hem of his garment and she was healed.

But do you know that delayed Jesus because now Jesus stopped where he stood,

stopped where he was, He looked around and say who touched me? Who

touched me? Oh touched me? That was he touched me? Okay,

he stopped and then the woman said he is I and he said, well

well done. Power came out from me because of your faith. Well done.

I just love it. I mean, if it was me, and

if I was Jesus, I'd be saying that. Maybe you know he did

because he was excited. I mean, would it not be exciting for him?

He is built and structured so that any faith touches him, power goes

out. That is his makeup. So don't you think he gets excited when

somebody gets it? You better believe it. He gets excited when you touch

him in faith because even though he wants to stop it, he cannot stop.

How he has structured himself that when somebody exercises faith, power comes out.

And this scripture proves it. Because Jesus did not stop and say,

does anyone here what I sense someone here has an issue of blood and wants

to be healed? Did he say that? No, she was already healed

when she said it was I. You know, I'm gonna draw your attention

something this is this is a personal belief. I mean, I don't know

whether that, But did you find it strange that the woman's issue of blood

was for twelve years? And guess how old Jerry's daughter was. She was

about twelve years about the time this girl was born, this woman started the

issue of blood. Could it be that in the Lord's plan and purpose you

were going to see a fantastic miracle take place? And it was all coordinated

and planned Because Jesus stopped and addressed this woman, the child died and people

came and said, Jesus, no need to come, the child is already

dead. And what did Jesus said say is they don't worry about it.

I'm on my way, I'm in the plan. Don't stress about it.

I'm in the situation. What's dead to you is not to me. What

you consider death, I consider sleep. What you considered an end, I

say, is just the beginning. Oh I'm you know that my head is

actually standing. If you can see, it's not because the cold. It's

not because the call. Jesus said, somebody touched me for I perceived power

going up from me. And he said to her daughter, be of good

cheer. Your faith has made you well. I want you to know that

you don't have to worry about whether Jesus hears you, because if you have

faith to believe that if you but touch his garment, you shall be healed,

meaning that you don't have to worry if you've but if you have any

kind of faith that you have touched the presence of the Lord, you shall

be healed. And guess what, that's the way is wired. It will

happen. The wiring on the wall has been wide in such a way that

if you turn the switch on, the light will shine. Do you have

to after you turn the switch, say to the electricity works so the light

can come on? No, why it has been wired such. Jesus is

white to respond to your faith. So when Jesus heard it, he said,

do not be afraid, only believe, and she will be made well.

In fifty four instance, he put them all outside, took her by

the hand, and called, saying, little girl, little girl, arise,

Or if it was in Jesus's voice, he might have said it like

this, little girl, arise. Then her spirit returned and she arose immediately,

and he come arded her that she be given something to eat. Even

with Jesus, the plan changed, even with Jesus, and when the plant

change. Somebody died, But I want you to know and again, purpose

was not changed. Do you know that Jesus said I'm coming. Did his

purpose change because people said she's gone? No, it did not. The

purpose did not change. And he followed through. And I'm going to tell

you something, right, Sometimes Jesus and or the answer seem delayed. Am

I correct? Sometimes you don't get the answer when you want it. It

seems delayed. Right. Scripture is giving us a reason why you know it

may be because Jesus is presently responding to someone's faith along his way to you.

Let me make this a little bit clearer. I am praying, let's

say for h Okay, let's say I'm praying for other Mabel's healing, praying

and praying, praying. Jesus is coming to me to help her. But

along the way, because as he walks, his anointing permeates and those around

on his journey towards me, people are being touched and getting saved. Then

he comes and he heals her. But because of that journey of faith that

I believe for her healing, others were touched along the way. Can you

believe that you know a battery has the potential to see many things happen.

You put that battery in your touch and go smartag machine. You think it's

only good for that, it's good for anything that uses nine or take it

out using something that still works. The Lord is interested that any time he

is dealing with one issue, he's dealing with many at the same time.

Do you know that? Do you know that your prayer for someone to be

healed is cause for him to visit you, And in the process of visiting

you, people around you and along the way are going to be addressed,

They are going to be healed, they are going to be touched. So

let's get over this thing. Let's get over ourselves that he only needs to

respond to us, because let's not limit him. Do we think that just

because Jesus is on the way to us. Do we ever think that because

Jesus is on the way to us, others will see him. Oh,

because Jesus is on his way to heal Elder Maioble, other people are going

to see him. That anointing that's coming towards you is going to make an

impact. Respond to him and get their blessings because you have drawn him towards

you. What descriptures say, lift up the name of Jesus and all men

will be drawn unto him. How do we lift up the name of Jesus

when we are praying for somebody and believing? What are we doing? We're

lifting up his name? And when his name is being lifted up, people

are being drawn to him. Delay is never a reason for fear. Fear

makes it such. If you fear your situation, you fear God things of

people more than you fear God. You'll be asked to go home. In

other words, you won't get anything all right. Delay is something that tries

to bring fear upon your life. Is delay a reason for you to fear?

No? Because Jesus always has the last word. And I want you

to notice truth triumphs over fact. You are people who live the truth,

and Jesus is his name. Don't be people who live fact. There are

many people who live their lives factually who see no change or miracle happen in

their life. Don't come and talk to me about Jesus. I have cancer

and I will die in my cancer. And guess what they die in their

cancer. Don't for a minute think that the Lord doesn't have your back.

He has your back always. So today, if you've got good plans then

have gone bad, don't fear He's on his way to you, and even

as his on his way to you, because you continue to believe, others

around are getting touched. Do you know if you can continue to believe that

you will see the power of God happen in a matter grade away Because you

are a battery. You are a station, a station of His anointing to

permit it and to grow and to see others being touched. So if your

plan is not so good, praise the Lord. He has your back.

So sometimes you seem like you're going into some dark place, It's okay.

The miracles happen in dah places. Remember, people can get saved because you

believe, because you don't change your purpose, because you continue to stand from

and with that, I pray that you will be able to answer this question.

Can bad change be good? Obviously it can. We hope you've been

blessed by this message. For more information on our church, please visit as

church dot org. We all also active on Facebook and Instagram. We're believing

that this week is going to be a good week, a hit for you

God, bless,