Transition. It is a word that often leads to a dramatic change in life path. It can lead to certain changes in location, career path, spiritual path and even relationships. Transition often begs for the attention of the believer, so that when certain things show up in their lives, the only choice is to obey God. There is no way of running or hiding from these seasons. Many times, in this Christian walk, God leads us down a path of transition. He often does it in ways that are unfamiliar and sometimes unwelcome. Because His ways are higher, the transition will also lead to some sort of pruning process that chips away at the things within us that are unlike Him. More often than not, these seasons lead us to our knees.

Because these seasons are so important in our Christian walk, lets first discuss what a transitional season is. Transition is defined as the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another. Within transitional seasons there are four important things we as Christians must do to maintain our focus and continue to grow our relationship with God.

The first one is to understand that you are in a transitional season. A transitional season is one that is hard to detect, due to the fact there seem to be so many things around us begging for our complete attention. Satan often uses things around us to get our mind off of where we are in Christ. He throws darts and often we catch them. Because Satan is often on our backs, we have to continually stand guard and focus on Christ. In these seasons, I often like to listen to the bible or even read it out loud so that these fiery darts are easier to combat. A great Bible verse for understanding that you are in a transitional season is Ecclesiastes 3:1, "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." Because God leads us through different seasons, the only way to figure out what season you are in is to seek Christ above all else. Don’t seek your emotions or your circumstances, seek Christ. Once you do He will open your eyes to the season He has put you in.

The second one is to surrender. Surrender the season to God. Let Him know that you are choosing to trust Him with all your heart and not lean on your own understanding. When surrender is your go to, it becomes your habit. And when we build these habits in our lives, God builds our lives around His. Another important point about surrender is that you must do it all the time. Remember those fiery darts I just discussed? When we constantly surrender, we give no place to the enemy. Our minds become guarded with God's word instead of our minds being distracted by the enemy. Remember to stay focused and keep surrendering.

The third one is to trust God's words. Often in these seasons, God is trying to speak to you. No matter how you hear God, start to get into the habit of listening during prayer. The way to do this is to just get into His presence. Play worship music, listen to His word, read His word. Do whatever you have to do to just be with Him for a while. Don't allow your schedule to take the place of God. Just come to Him with faith, believing and trusting that He is going to speak to you. Once you do that just listen. And to be honest, this will take some time. It will feel awkward but stay in His presence until He speaks. Often God even speaks with social media or sermons, so learn to turn your ears on to hear Him completely. As soon as He speaks trust that what He is saying is true. And if you are waiting for certain promises to come about in your life and you are feeling discouraged, trust anyway. Learn to trust despite your circumstances and feelings.

Lastly, the fourth one is to embrace your transitional season. Trust what comes, focus on what is and let go of what cannot be controlled. Do not try to control the season, and do not try to manipulate God's promises for coming in your time. Trust God and let all that comes, come in His time. Often when we want the things that God wants for us, it is easy to try to manipulate. But that is not the way that God wants you to behave. He wants you to wait patiently and allow His spirit to prune what needs to be pruned. He is trying to grow your tree, with the seeds of His love, word, and Spirit. Allow Him to and embrace where He is leading. One Bible verse that fits here is Ecclesiastics 3:11, "He hath made everything beautiful in his time: also, he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end." Embracing your transition will place God in the midst. As God's word states in Psalms 46:5, "God is in the midst of her (him); she (he) shall not be moved: God shall help her (him), and that right early." Remember embrace what you cannot change.

Transitions bring glory to God. They change your heart and grow your mind. Transitions beg for a complete focus on God and allow for the things in your life to play the background against God's will. Allow this transition to shape who God wants you to become. When you do that no longer will the transition feel like a burden but a blessing.