Discipline, the second phase of Transition is the most difficult phase and, like it or not, can last months or even years. That is precisely why it takes discipline. Not only will you have to keep your eyes on the vision ahead, you will have to navigate through the land mines of discouragement the enemy will lob your way. Consequently, you will actually determine the length of the delay. Few there are who will go through this phase unscathed. Fewer still who do not end up blaming someone or something else for the delay.

The courageous will look toward themselves before they blame others and realize the peripheral issues were not the problem. The thread of truth that God is addressing lies within ourselves; no matter what the external problem might seem to be.

THE MAGNETIC PULL
In this phase the magnetic pull of our “tomorrow” seems to be contrary to the circumstances of our life and/or the situations we find our self in. These outside events may even seem to war against God’s call, but it is all a part of God’s preparation for our transition. During the Discipline stage we are taught to overcome the last of our weaknesses that will limit our success on the other side of transition. We cannot become what God created us to become if we do not let go of the baggage that will drown us in the waters ahead.

Even if we are not overjoyed at the thought of transition, we eventually begin to feel like we just want to get it over with. So many matters seem out of our control. This is just where God wants us to be – out of our control. Once we give up the need to control our destiny, God looses us to go there.

THE DISCIPLINE OF “BEING”
Here we also learn the discipline of “being” where we are. The act of “being” keeps our focus on today. In “being” we learn not to overlook the mundane of today for the supposed joy of tomorrow. The Bible calls this “occupy,” and it is hard to keep doing, but it does build leadership in us.

WHEN GOD IS SILENT
Yes, as is often the case, in the discipline phase God does seem to be silent – why? Because, we have yet to fulfill the last thing He directed us to do. It is not necessarily disobedience; it is usually a matter of timing or finishing the process needed for the transition to occur. In either case, here we learn a major attribute of broad leadership – a double dose of patience!

For the prophetically gifted – this is a true “death to self” process and there are no short cuts. For those so gifted, I empathize, it is hard to see the future and then have to wait for it to come.

The next post will be on “The Delight of Transition”

Blessings,
John Paul

As the years have passed in my life and ministry I have gone through several times of “transition” I have noticed three distinct phases to transition, Desire, Discipline, and Delight. I’ll address the first, Desire, below and the other two in the next posts.

DESIRE
The first phase, Desire requires a very intense time of mental and spiritual reorientation. Here you experience one of two types of deep felt emotion, either elation or sorrow, as the reorientation becomes more defined.

Some, at first, experience elation only and with it a false sense of euphoria. I say “false” because at this time you sense the excitement of the future and seldom consider that hardship will eventually be mixed with destiny. You just want to get there - now - and like a bad penny, you cast any flickering thought that there might be a coming cost to your newfound destiny aside.

Some will experience sorrow because you are being directed to leave a place you have come to love. Others will have sorrow with the leaving of family. This might mean cutting the strings they have to you and/or you have to them. That cutting is often emotional and painful, but you cannot become a leader if strings of control are attached to you. In addition, you cannot follow the wind of the Holy Spirit if you are anchored to your friends or your family.

At this juncture in transition, it is as if God is taking you away from the desire of your heart and that departure often creates a spiritual quandary. So the Lord begins the process of making you uncomfortable where you are. Some might say, “He stirs the nest.”

Sometimes one feels both sets of emotions within minutes of each other as your desire for the location, job, or career to another location, job, or career.

One thing you can count on - when God orders you to go through a time of transition, regardless which emotion you have, God is bound to make you restless and uncomfortable to insure you become willing to leave where you are so you can become what He has created you to be. He is simply waiting for our “yes” to His direction and for our desire to become His desire. It is here that He gives us the “desires of our heart.”

Blessings,
John Paul Jackson