3 Ways to Be a Person Who Actually Changes the World
I’m concerned that the world-changers have become weary! We all wish we could make an impact on the world that leaves a defining imprint of our lives on the history of families, cities, and nations. It’s an inspiring idea yet many people find themselves stuck in the mundane, waiting for a movement-maker to call them out into a greater story. Why do we hold back from the inner knowing that we are created for something bigger than ourselves? What keeps us from stepping out into the unknown-yet-thrilling adventure of life as a leader?
The challenge is that false humility and low self-esteem are plaguing the church today. False humility strips away our boldness and our God-given anointing. It’s the lie that says if we were great we would steal God’s glory, so we settle for a reduced version of ourselves which fosters low self-esteem. I’d like to remind you that it’s impossible to steal God’s glory when it was given to you!
“For the very glory you have given to me I have given them so that they will be joined together as one and experience the same unity that we enjoy.”
John 17:22 TPT
Low self-esteem causes us to shy away or crumble in the defining moments of life. Yet true world-changers face fear with both fortitude and faith. A prime example of one life that altered the course of history occurred in 1955. A forty-two-year-old black woman, exhausted from a hard day at work, refused to sit in the back of the transit bus. The southern bus driver warned her that her defiance would be cause for him to call the police and have her arrested. But she had had enough of white bigotry. She resented being judged by the color of her skin instead of by the integrity of her heart, so she steadfastly refused to move. Her name was Rosa Parks.
Rosa wasn’t a part of a movement because there was no movement at the time. Instead, Rosa stepped out of the crowd and made the call. Ms. Parks put her shoulder into the boulder of history, gave it a shove and history moved! She didn’t just cause a movement, she catalyzed forward motion.
Will You Decide to Change the World?
Like it or not, we all, at some point in our lives, will be challenged to rise up and take a stand just like Ms. Rosa Parks. If we want to be history makers, I believe we need to embrace the following core values of world-changers:
1: Courage
Fear is the most socially accepted sin in the church. Every year at the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, I do an exercise to confront fear within our students. I ask them to write down what they would do if they were ten times bolder. After a few moments, I point out to them that if they’ve written anything down, then they have sadly partnered with fear in some area of their lives. Boldness doesn’t develop in you through wishing you were bolder. It develops in you through purposed, practical, and often pre-determined action.
Remember, the mindset of a world changer is not to avoid fear at all cost, rather it’s recognizing the presence of fear yet moving forward in spite of it. This is how the core value of courage is developed within you. When it comes to going after what God has called you to, confronting fear is an opportunity to experience your God-given authority in action.
2: Risk
The dogs of doom bark at the doors of your destiny. In order to drown out the snarls of utter doom, it requires that you take up supernatural faith. To step through the doors of the calling that God has on your life, will require coming face to face with the fear and shame that comes along with the potential of failure. The life of a world changer requires risk and learning how to fail well.
An interesting thing is that most often it’s not what happens in our lives that scares us. Rather, it’s the stories we make up about what could happen that actually cultivate fear. To develop a core value of taking risk, entertaining thoughts that reduce you to your fears must stop! If you are going to apprehend all that God has for your life, view risk through God’s perspective plan “not to harm you but to surround you with peace and prosperity and to give you a beautiful future, glistening with hope” (Jeremiah 29:11 TPT).
3: Perseverance
Step up! Even when you don’t feel like it. Romans 15:4 says, “Whatever was written beforehand is meant to instruct us in how to live. The Scriptures impart to us encouragement and inspiration so that we can live in hope and endure all things” (TPT). Perseverance is persistence. It’s rooted in unwavering hope, and as we can see in this verse when it’s combined with the encouragement that is found throughout the living Word, something amazing happens…. When you couple God’s Word with never giving up, you’ll find a tenacity growing within you that refuses to allow fear to delay your destiny. This is key to apprehending your heavenly call and making a noted impact on the world around you. In other words, if you want to change the world, you must decide to be a person who perseveres through challenges, the storms of life, the voices that would try to silence you and any force that would defy God’s plan and purpose to prosper you.
Building the muscle of perseverance only happens when you place your hope in what God says is true about your life and don’t delay on the present promises God has spoken over you.
Later in life, Rosa Parks wrote, “Without a vision the people perish but without courage dreams die.” Imagine a world where Rosa Parks bowed to the societal opinion of her innate value! Rosa Parks is a hero in history and is an example that it just takes one to change the world. Are you that one?
Take my world-changer assessment quiz to gain awareness of what may be impacting your ability to influence and change the world in which you’re destined to make a difference!
My Prayer For the World Changer In You
Today I want to pray for a supernaturally courageous spirit to be on your life, and for a spirit of boldness to encapsulate every challenge or fear you may be facing. Lord, I ask that you would awaken us to our dreams and help us to look at obstacles with a new spirit of perseverance. God, give us vision for the legacy we are leaving on earth, that we would have a burning hope and urgency to create a better world for our children and children’s children. Jesus, give us righteous indignance about our life purposes; that we would be filled with faith to believe what you say about us. Bless us with a gift of boldness and perseverance, and may we be the bravest risk-takers the world has ever seen! Amen!
I want to challenge you today to be the kind of person who does not give up! What is something that you’re persevering for or taking a risk in?
Originally posted on 07/25/2019 on krisvallotton.com, this version adopts The Passion Translation for some verse references.
Kris Vallotton
Kris Vallotton is the Senior Associate Leader of Bethel Church in Redding, California, the co-founder of Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM) and Moral Revolution. Kris is a noted prophetic voice worldwide and a bestselling author. He has written more than a dozen books and training manuals to help prepare believers for life in the Kingdom.
He’s a highly sought-after international speaker, equipping people to successfully fulfill their divine purpose. Kris has a diverse background in business, counseling, consulting, pastoring, and teaching. He loves to both teach to the masses and advise leaders one-on-one, utilizing his experience and his prophetic gift to assist world influencers in achieving their goals. He commonly provides counsel to governmental and business leaders on practical strategies for cultural transformation and has unique expertise in economies and building prosperous communities. He is also the author of a weekly blog on www.krisvallotton.com.
Kris has been married to his wife Kathy since 1975, they have four children and 10 grandchildren. Kathy has recently written her first book The Good, the God, and the Ugly that is filled with stories of the Vallotton family.
