Acts 10:13-15–And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”  14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 15 And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”
When we consider the stages of life that force us to change, those stages force us to be “pliable” in order to progress in life.  But as much as “stages of life” force pliability, at least physically and mentally, spiritually we are not as “forced”…
Some of our “dogma’s” or stances on things we feel we will never do, are generally based on limited experiences and exposure.  Everything hasn’t happened to us and we’re not done living, so the best we can say without being arrogant, is that “I hope God keeps me from…”  Which is great to resist evil, sin, and danger, but a dogma can turn into a self-righteous barricade, that keeps us from changing for the best.
Peter was faced with this same situation when he had a vision of “unclean” animals while hungry, and petitioned to eat.  Though not eating unclean things were considered keeping the law and righteous, Christ had fulfilled the Law and now change is occurring.  But change can only be actualized, when we act on what God has already set in motion in the Spirit…(So we must worship in Spirit and Truth)
Peter had come to a crossroad, was he pliable to change, or was he going to hold onto something God permitted for a time, but is now moving on from?  Had Peter’s now “dogma” been more important than his relationship with Christ, he would’ve never changed.  Which would have led to him never to ministering to Cornelius, an “unclean Gentile”, proving God is not partial, and has given the Holy Spirit to Gentiles as well as Jews to advance the Church…(Acts 10:30-45)
What helps me walk by faith and live dependent on God is this mentality, “that if I want anything to change, I need to change first”.  That I am not dependent on another person being something for me, in order for me to live at peace, b/c I know Jesus.  As a believer, what advances our spiritual growth and God’s plan overall, is the willingness to change.  Though the process is painfully slow at times in my life, the grace to declare God right, leaves me pliable to change!  This mentality keeps us from being fixed, ridged, and too stubborn to be moved by God, to accomplish anything for His Kingdom…
In His Love, Ld