As you ask the Lord for wisdom, you will begin to see that a person’s problems fall under one of two categories—things that can be changed and things that cannot be changed. Examples of changeable things include educational achievements, the qual- ity of a relationship with the Lord, connections with friends and family, job skills, health, an addiction to drugs or alcohol, the overall quality of life, bad habits, and so on. Examples of unchangeable things include the past, shattered relationships (especially if the other person is dead), damaged health, a poor work his- tory, a prison record, wasted years, and permanent damage from injuries. The unchangeable things that afflict our clients are usually heavier burdens to bear than the changeable things. Often, our clients spend a lot of time and energy fixating on and trying to change the unchangeable things in their lives. As a result, they have no energy or desire left to work on the things that they can actually change, such as getting a GED, maintaining sobriety, or securing a job. Frustration and discour- agement set in. Things stay the same and often get worse because negative things have a synergy that leads to crushing despair and hopelessness. Strategies for Life Change S o what do we do in our rescue missions as ministers of the gospel? The first thing we do is to help our clients distinguish between the changeable and the unchangeable. For changeable things, we can help our clients develop action plans with goals, objectives, specific strategies, timetables, and desired outcomes. Helping our clients fix the changeable parts of their lives for the better gives hope and encouragement to press on. For the unchangeable things that weigh heav- ily on their hearts, we offer real hope by helping them implement the following 10 strategies. 1 Invite your guests to ask God to change the unchangeable—God can make a way when there is no way. He can move mountains, and He can open doors that no one can shut (Reve- lation 3:7). Scripture abounds with examples of the Lord doing the impossible. Infertile women have babies, dead men come back to life, the blind see, and the lame walk. Ask God to do the impossible. 2 Help your guests understand and rest in God’s loving and wise good pleasure. Help them get a bigger view of God—that He is totally sovereign (in control of everything), perfect in love (He is for us) and infinite in wisdom (He knows what He is doing). If you hold a pencil point very close to your eye and then shut your other eye, you will discover that the tiny pencil point will block out much bigger objects across the room. This is what happens with God and our prob- lems. When we go through rough times, we hold our problems right in front of our eyes and block out God. We no longer see the Lord. We need to help our clients get a fresh and clear vision of the Lord so they can see that no matter how big their problems are, God is always bigger. 3 Help your guests give thanks to God for their situations (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Scripture never commands us to feel thankful for bad situations, but we are told to give thanks as an act of the will. This might go against everything we feel in the moment. Giving thanks when things are bad is a declara- tion of faith in a sovereign God who always works all things together for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28). It is a declaration of trust in the goodness and wisdom of God. It is our victory cry that at the end of the day, we know that we triumph in Christ, and even death is swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:51–58). 26 WWW.AGRM.ORG MAY/JUNE 2017 Examples of unchangeable things include the past, shattered relationships, damaged health, a poor work history, a prison record, wasted years, and permanent damage from injuries.