state_machine.py

machine = {
'field_1': 5,
'field_2': 10
}

def func_1(machine):
  """
  Does something to the machine
  """
  machine['field_1'] = 10
  return machine

def func_2(machine):
  """
  Does something else to the machine
  """
  machine['field_2'] = 5
  return machine

# This is your lookup table of inputs to functions
dict_of_funcs = {
  'input_1': func_1,
  'input_2': func_2
}

# Lets pretend we have a file with the following line separated inputs 
# input_1
# input_2
# (this is super rough btw...don't forget to close the file etc)
for line in file('input.txt').readlines():
  # Get the relevant function
  func = dict_of_funcs[line]
  # Apply the function
  machine = func(machine)
  print(machine)
  
# Ideally each machine should be a new instance of the object
# with no relation to the previous one - but Python doesn't really offer immutability like that