ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Let me tell you something about me… Before pastor – music
I remember working hard at music.
Playing a lot. Practicing a lot. Putting in the time.
But there were seasons where I was not really getting better.
I was mostly playing what I already knew how to play.
YOU SHOULD NOT WANT TO HEAR A MUSICIAN PRACTICE.
Real practice is going to be riddled with mistakes.
A musician who is really practicing pushes to the edge of ability.
• Faster than comfortable.
• Attempting what you cannot quite do yet.
• Pushing the boundaries of error.
GROWTH HAPPENS AT THE EDGE OF YOUR ABILITY.
If you never make mistakes, maybe you are only repeating what you already know & NOT growing.
At some point I had to stop merely playing and start stretching.
WE WANT TO GROW, BUT OUR MOVES DON’T ALWAYS MATCH
We know where we want to get better.
Career. Money. Health. Relationships. Faith.
But knowing where you want to go is not the same as making the moves that get you there.
Let’s talk CAREER:
- 30% of workers say they need more education or training to get ahead. Yet 47% of those workers took no additional training in the previous year.
They know they need a new level. But nearly half made no new training move.
Let’s talk MONEY:
- For every $100 Americans have after taxes, we are currently saving less than $3.
We know homes are expensive.
…Emergencies happen.
…Retirement is coming.
We want a different financial future.
But do our financial moves match it?
Let’s talk HEALTH:
- Only 1 in 4 adults meet both the aerobic and strength-training guidelines, while obesity remains around 4 in 10 adults.
These numbers have barely budged over the last 10 years.
We have watches, apps, trackers, smart scales, programs…
But new tools don’t automatically create new moves.
Career. Money. Health. Different areas. Same tension.
We know what we want.
We may even know what needs to change.
But wanting change is not the same as making change.
A new level requires a new move.
And that is why I want to talk to you today about a message called:
SAME MOVES = SAME LEVEL.
If I keep making the same moves, I should not be surprised when I keep ending up on the same level.
Maybe what needs to change is not the dream.
Maybe it is the move.
And this is not just a modern problem.
The Bible gives us a picture of people who were moving, working, traveling — but still ending up in the same place.
Israel had been circling the same territory for a long time.
And eventually God stepped into the pattern and said two words that some of us may need to hear today: LONG ENOUGH.
Deuteronomy 2:3 NIV
“Then the LORD said to me, ‘You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north.'”
Israel was moving.
But they were moving in circles.
Then God says: LONG ENOUGH.
And then God gives them a new move: NOW TURN NORTH.
Not just stop. Change direction.
THREE MOVES THAT BREAK THE PATTERN
1. RECOGNIZE THE PATTERN
Patterns become normal.
“This is just what I do.” “This is just how it always goes.”
Romans 12:2 NIV
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
What pattern keeps producing the same result?
You cannot change what you refuse to recognize.
If you are stuck… there is a pattern. Do you recognize it?
2. LET GOD RENEW YOUR THINKING
Romans 12:2 tells us to RENEW OUR MIND.
Different moves often begin with different thinking.
• Maybe I can change.
• Maybe it is not too late.
• Maybe failure is not final.
• Maybe God has more for me.
THINK NEW THOUGHTS! BECOME BRAND NEW!
2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
Jesus changes us and makes us brand new.
Your old pattern does not have to become your future.
3. MAKE A DIFFERENT MOVE
Eventually insight has to become action.
James 1:22 NIV
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.“
Not a perfect move. Not a giant move. A next move.
A different result may require a different move.
Israel had to do this…
You have to do this…
APPLY IT TO YOUR STUCK PLACE
1. Recognize your pattern – Where are you stuck?
Marriage. Career. Business dream. Education. Health. Finances. Faith. Relationships.
Name the stuck place.
2. Let God into that place.
Do not divide your life into “spiritual” and “everything else.”
God can help you with your marriage, your job, your career, your education, your health, and your future.
There are people all over this room who can testify: God helped me there.
Invite God into the place where you feel stuck. Let Him renew the way you think about it.
How?
Pray honestly.
“God, this is where I’m stuck. Show me what I’m not seeing.”
Open Scripture.
Ask, “What does God say about this situation, this fear, this habit, this decision?”
Get wise people involved.
Talk to someone mature who knows God and knows you.
Let God renew your thinking by changing what you’re listening to, believing, and repeating.
3. Make a different move this week.
• Start the business research.
• Call the school.
• Schedule the workout.
• Have the conversation.
• Create the Bible-reading time.
• Go to the Connect Group once.
• Ask for help.
WHAT WILL YOU DO DIFFERENTLY THIS WEEK?
A new move does not have to be huge.
It just has to stop repeating the move that keeps you stuck.
JESUS – THE ORIGINAL PATTERN BREAKER
Humanity had a pattern: SIN -> FAILURE -> DEATH.
Generation after generation.
Under the old covenant there was another repeating pattern: SIN -> SACRIFICE -> RETURN AGAIN.
Hebrews 10:3-4 NIV
“But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”
The repeated sacrifices kept pointing to the same problem.
We needed a new move.
John 3:16 NIV
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…”
God made the new move. He sent Jesus.
Jesus stepped into the pattern of sin and death.
He died. He rose.
Hebrews 10:10 NIV
“We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
JESUS BROKE THE PATTERN.
If you want to break the deepest patterns in your life, start with the One who broke the deepest pattern of all.
Believe the gospel. Receive Jesus. Repent – turn toward Him.
Take your next step in Him.
We do not want church to simply be: hear a good message, feel encouraged, go home, have a nice week.
We want to be a church where people actually move.
• People come to Jesus.
• Marriages get healthier.
• You experience success in business, education, and God given calling.
• People discover purpose.
• People join community.
• People step into things that stretch them.
• People stop circling the same mountain.
THIS IS WHY we are a church that takes next steps.
CALL TO ACTION: Stop Circling the Mountain!
1. MAKE YOUR MOVE
Where am I stuck? What am I going to do differently this week?
Write it down. Make it specific.
2. START A CONVERSATION
Use the connection card. Jesus. Baptism. Connect Group. Serving. Help. Next steps.
Do not stay stuck trying to figure it out alone.
3. COME PRAY
Some patterns are bigger than willpower.
Bring the stuck place to God. Let somebody pray with you and stand with you.
This does not have to be another lap around the same mountain.
