Under New Management

The owner of one of my favorite restaurants recently sold his restaurant, and the new owners were not able to properly manage the place. The quality of the food went down, and the restaurant closed this year. When Alan Mulally took over Ford Motor Co., the company was on the brink of bankruptcy, with a $17 billion deficit. Through his innovative style of management, he transformed Ford’s toxic culture into the successful global enterprise that we know today. Management matters. The quality of a thing greatly depends on the quality of the management running it. This is also true of our lives. When we are born again, our life comes under new management, and we see dramatic improvements as the Spirit of God takes over the management of our life.

“Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.” Jeremiah 10:23

Before the new birth, we are in charge of our lives, managing the day to day affairs, making decisions, directing the course of our life as seems good to us. We might listen to our peers, to the culture, to people we respect, etc. for advice, but ultimately we are running things. There is also the influence of the evil one in our lives – we are not making our decisions completely alone. Just as he was in the garden advising Adam and Eve to eat from the tree that will kill them, so he has our ear, advising us to do things that lead to depression, destruction, and death. He is there to steal, kill, and destroy our life any way that he can, and to use us to do that to the people around us as well. That is his goal, and most of us do not even realize he exists and is there trying to influence our lives in a negative direction.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2a

When we are born again, we come under new management. The Holy Spirit moves into our life and begins to transform us, moving us into the life God intended when He created us. He turns things around, transforming us into the people of God. He uses God’s word, the Bible, as a resource to guide the transformation, just as Mulally had a system that he used to transform Ford. He uses the other believers to help us in our transformation, just as Mulally used the team at Ford to work together under his strategy to turn the company around. He removes the things from our life that are choking out the life of God in us, just as Mulally removed the luxury brands at Ford that were holding the company back from success. Under the Holy Spirit’s management, our lives are dramatically transformed over time, and we move away from a life leading to death, moving into a life leading to a good life.

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

Even after we are under new management, the evil one is still there, trying to lead us astray and shipwreck our lives. The sin nature is still there as well, tempting us from within to stray from the path. But the Spirit gives us the ability to resist temptation and move forward in our walk with Christ. He empowers us to “just say no” to sin and temptation.

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105

God’s word also helps us in our walk, building a strong foundation (Matthew 7:24-27) for our lives as we absorb it into our lives and make it a part of who we are. The distractions of life are also still dancing around us daily, trying to choke out the fruit that God is bearing in our lives, so we must constantly prune our lives of the things that compete with the life of God that is in us through faith in Jesus.

This spiritual power to resist sin and evil, the strategy of putting God’s word into our hearts and minds, and the pruning away of the things that are competing with the life of God in us is the overall plan that our new management under Jesus the Messiah will implement to move us from failure to success in life. It is a strategy that will lead us successfully into the life that God created for us to experience. It will bring us the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) that He wants us to have in our life. Management matters.

Who is managing your life today. Are you in charge, or is the Holy Spirit managing your life? Who makes the decisions? Who decides what is right and wrong? Do you agree with God or the culture on controversial issues, such as same sex marriage and gender confusion? The team of departments at Ford had to cooperate with Mulally’s management approach in order to experience the success that they have had. Are you cooperating with God in the management of your life, or are you pushing back against His leadership in your life?

What are some ways you have pushed back or are pushing back right now against God’s management of your life, His word, or the work of the Holy Spirit in your life? What are some examples of how you have let the Holy Spirit work in your life to transform you over the years? What role has God’s word played in your transformation? What are some of the key verses from the Bible that God has used in your life transformation?

What are some areas where there is still work to be done to bring your life into full compliance with God’s management plan for your life? What can you do today to begin to more fully embrace the leadership of the new management of God in your life? Is there a specific area where you would like to see improvement? Turn to God now. Fully give Him management of your life. I promise that it will be the best thing that you have ever done, and you will experience the joy and peace in your life that you have always wanted.

Lord God almighty, I come before You today and ask that You would fully take over the management of my life. I submit to You, to Your word, and to the Holy Spirit, and ask that You would transform me by the renewing of my mind. Lead me by Your Spirit in the everlasting way. Help me to make godly decisions daily. Implement Your strategy for life in me. Empower me to resist sin and the evil one’s attempts to shipwreck my life. Give me a desire to fill my heart and mind with Your word. Prune away the things in my life that compete with and oppose Your plan for my life. I look forward to the changes You will be making in me as I walk with You the rest of my days. Thank You for caring about me, and for taking over the management of my life. I pray this in Jesus name, amen.