A Plan To Change.
In the 15th Century the Priest Thomas a Kempis said, “If every year we uprooted a single fault, we should soon become perfect.”
Have you ever spent a whole year learning one thing from Jesus?
Most of us fail in our efforts to change and become like Jesus because we try hard for awhile and then give up. We try, but we don’t train. We don’t keep our focus long enough and we don’t go deep enough; we don’t develop a plan for how we can work with God’s grace to change to become like Jesus on the inside in that one area. We suffer from the “gopher hole syndrome”: every time we close up one hole another one pops up! Of course, the holes are just symptoms—our real problem is the gopher. We need to dig down deep and keep digging till we find that critter and then we can remove him from our yard! When the gopher is gone then the holes will go away. To change your character you start by dealing with one problem, digging underneath it to deal with your heart in that area over time. Jesus and the authors of Scripture continually.
Have you ever spent a whole year learning one thing from Jesus?
Most of us fail in our efforts to change and become like Jesus because we try hard for awhile and then give up. We try, but we don’t train. We don’t keep our focus long enough and we don’t go deep enough; we don’t develop a plan for how we can work with God’s grace to change to become like Jesus on the inside in that one area. We suffer from the “gopher hole syndrome”: every time we close up one hole another one pops up! Of course, the holes are just symptoms—our real problem is the gopher. We need to dig down deep and keep digging till we find that critter and then we can remove him from our yard! When the gopher is gone then the holes will go away. To change your character you start by dealing with one problem, digging underneath it to deal with your heart in that area over time. Jesus and the authors of Scripture continually.
What Is A VIM Plan?
Dallas Willard developed a simple process to help identify and work intentional towards a specific desired change. He called the process V-I-M, which stands for
Vision, Intention, and Means.
Vision:
What change do you want to make and why do you want to make it? What is one example of how God is inviting you be more like Jesus? This is like
Jesus saying to you, “Re-think how you’re living your life in light of your opportunity to start living with me today in the Kingdom of the Heavens” (Matthew 4:17, par). Your invitation to Christlikeness with God’s help might be a Bible teaching to learn to obey from your heart or a personal struggle to overcome.
Intention:
What obstacles will stand in your way and what choices will you face in making this change? Assess what makes this change difficult for you. What part of you resists
making this vision? To “grow in grace” in this area what attitude would you need to overcome?
Means:
What will you do to make this change? Select some spiritual disciplines to use in your training with Jesus to become more like him in this specific area. Practice these activities in a Rule of Life with Jesus for six months or more.
Vision, Intention, and Means.
Vision:
What change do you want to make and why do you want to make it? What is one example of how God is inviting you be more like Jesus? This is like
Jesus saying to you, “Re-think how you’re living your life in light of your opportunity to start living with me today in the Kingdom of the Heavens” (Matthew 4:17, par). Your invitation to Christlikeness with God’s help might be a Bible teaching to learn to obey from your heart or a personal struggle to overcome.
Intention:
What obstacles will stand in your way and what choices will you face in making this change? Assess what makes this change difficult for you. What part of you resists
making this vision? To “grow in grace” in this area what attitude would you need to overcome?
Means:
What will you do to make this change? Select some spiritual disciplines to use in your training with Jesus to become more like him in this specific area. Practice these activities in a Rule of Life with Jesus for six months or more.
Lets Get Started.
- Prayerfully consider what sin/struggle you need to focus on during this season.
- In a few sentences, write down your vision, intention, and means to address this area of your life with Jesus.
- Write a short prayer, naming the sin/struggle you need to overcome and the virtue God wants to develop in you by his grace.
- Search for key scripture passage (related to your personal challenge) to meditate on or memorize.
- Explore self-denial exercises (e.g., silence, solitude, fasting, submission, frugality, Statio).
- Share with a soul friend regularly for confession of sins and struggles, prayer, and encouragement.
- Explore other disciplines God is leading you to use.