The Power to Change

Scriptures: Isaiah 43:19, Mark 10:27, Philippians 1:6

Wanting to Change

There are few things in life more frustrating than knowing you need to change, wanting to change, and trying to change, but not actually changing. 

How do I know? Because I have tried so hard so many times to change, only to hit the same brick wall of failure time and time again. Before I started learning to master the habits I’m sharing with you, this was my life. 

One example: Knowing that my eating habits weren’t healthy and wanting to do better, I repeatedly tried to change my diet. I made commitments to eat only healthy food. I would succeed all day, but by evening, motivation withered and my willpower weakened. 

The next morning, I’d wake up feeling guilty and do the walk of shame to the kitchen to see the evidence in the sink and in the trash. It seemed like I had the desire to change, but not the power to change. 

Maybe you’ve been there. You’ve tried to change too, but it hasn’t worked for you either. Why? We want to change; we want life to be different. We long for more. 

What makes all this so much worse is that you’ve likely tried really hard. You haven’t just sat around doing nothing. But honestly, we get tired. Exhausted. Whether physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, or all of the above. 

Does all this mean you’re incapable of change? Does it mean you’re trapped with the same annoying problems for the rest of your life? Not at all. 

You can change. I promise. More importantly, God has promised that change is possible for you. Just as I learned it was for me. But there’s a reason change doesn’t come. Scratch that. There are reasons, as in plural, with an s. 

Bad news: We don’t experience lasting change because we try to change in the wrong way. 

Good news: We can learn how to change. 

Great news: We’re going to learn how, together, in this Bible Plan. 

If you’re ready to start living the life you’ve been hoping for and dreaming about, then start believing that you can access the power of God to change.

Scriptures: Romans 12:1-2, Colossians 1:13-14, 1 John 3:1, Romans 15:7, Colossians 3:12, 2 Corinthians 5:20

True You

Here’s a truth you need to embrace if you’re ever going to change: You do what you do because of what you think of you. One more time: You do what you do because of what you think of you. 

God says in Proverbs 23:7 NASB, “For as he thinks within himself, so he is.” 

Who you think you are drives your behavior. So it’s critically important for you to know who you are. 

Who are you? 

We tend to define ourselves by what we believe influential people in our lives think about us. Psychologists call it the “looking-glass self.” We see ourselves through the eyes of others. We let those people define us, but this is not who we are. 

You are not what your parent, your coach, your teacher, your grandparent, or the bully at school said you were or made you feel. 

We can also define ourselves by our worst sins or habits. So you might think, I’m overweight, or I’m too skinny, or I’m an addict, I’m lazy, or I’m a loser. No. That’s not who you are, but we’re all tempted to define ourselves by the worst in us. 

The Apostle Paul shares the key to transformation—real, lasting, eternal change. In Romans 12:2 NLT, he says: 

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. … Romans 12:2 NLT 

Paul says you’ll experience transformation not by changing what you do but “by changing the way you think.” 

God knew you before you were born. He made you. God knows your worst and your best. In fact, the One who knows your worst loves you best. God defines your true you. So who does God say you are? If you’re in Christ, you are forgiven. You’re loved. You’re accepted. You’re chosen. You’re an ambassador of the Most High God. 

That is who you are. God said so. You may fear you’ve screwed everything up, but the depth of your sin is not greater than God’s power to forgive. 

If you’ve believed a lie about yourself for a long time, embracing God’s truth about you won’t be easy. When you discover what’s true about you, I encourage you to pray about it and repeat it. Ask God every day to help you believe the truth about you. 

True and lasting change doesn’t come from self-driven, do-your-best behavior modification. You change by God-empowered spiritual transformation, which happens when you embrace your true God-given identity.

Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Acts 20:24

The Thing About Goals

The book of 1 Corinthians is a letter Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth, a city in Greece. He told them, “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!” (1 Corinthians 9:24 NLT) 

Paul set a destination and knew exactly where he was going. He had a goal. That goal gave him direction. Paul defined his win, but not everyone does. It can be easy to run without knowing the location of the finish line. 

Here’s what tends to happen to people who haven’t defined a win for themselves: They settle for someone else’s. Your parents may decide what they want for your life. Without your own goal, you fall into their plan as if you have no choice. Bosses most assuredly have a way they want your life to go. And they’ll enforce their will unless you’re committed to running your race. 

Most commonly, people without a defined win fall into the current of culture. They live like everyone else. Not having a finish line makes it easy to want a new car like your neighbor’s, a promotion like your coworker’s, and a vacation like your friend’s. You’re living a life, but it’s not really your life. 

So, what’s your finish line? What’s your win? Do you know? I encourage you to take inventory of the most important areas of your life. In what area do you most need to establish a win? Maybe it’s your relationship with God, or your ministry or potential ministry. Maybe it’s relationship with others, or your marriage, or your parenting. It could be your career, or your finances, or your physical health. 

Don’t let this overwhelm you. Choose just one area to focus on as you go through this Bible Plan. No matter how many things you would love to change or accomplish, choose one. 

Next, we need to define your win. With crystal clear clarity, what specifically do you want to do and by when? 

To keep focused on your goal, you may want to consider journaling or sharing with friends. Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at Dominican University, reports that people who write down goals are significantly more likely to achieve them. If you write down your goal and tell a friend, your likelihood increases even more. 

Once you’ve clearly defined your win, write it down and share it with others. You are no longer wishing for a changed life—you are changing your life!

Scriptures: Nehemiah 1:4, Ezekiel 36:26-27, Galatians 6:8-9, Hebrews 12:11, 1 Timothy 4:7-8

It’s Not Luck

Do you ever look at really successful people and wonder, How did they do it? Maybe they’re successful in their jobs or marriages. Or with their health or finances. Or perhaps they seem really close to God and make a great impact for Him. 

How do successful people become successful people? 

It’s not luck; it’s consistency. ​​Successful people do consistently what other people do occasionally. What do successful people do consistently? Habits. 

People who are amazing at parenting or repairing cars or open-heart surgery or crossword puzzles or writing code or Frisbee golf or writing books or acting or taking companies public or preaching sermons or editing videos or performing stand-up comedy or break dancing or juggling chainsaws got there a little at a time. 

Today, through small and consistent decisions, you’re getting somewhere a little at a time. Getting the life you want will be the result of countless seemingly small decisions, done consistently over time. 

Nehemiah in the Bible was the cupbearer for Artaxerxes, the King of Persia. 70 years earlier, the Babylonians had destroyed Jerusalem. Though he had lived his entire life in Persia, Nehemiah was Jewish. When he got word of how bad things were in his homeland, he “sat down and wept” (Nehemiah 1:4). 

You might feel like crying over how some area of your life is not what it was or what it should be. Nehemiah could have thought, There’s nothing I can do. It’s been this way for a long time. I have no power to effect change. (Sound familiar?) But he didn’t. He took action. 

Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem and let the people know of his plan to rebuild the wall. They certainly thought he was crazy. In their minds, the work simply could not be done. 

That may be how you feel about the change you want. You think there’s just no way. But Nehemiah convinced the people they had to do something. 

Under his leadership, the people hesitantly started to rebuild the wall–one brick at a time. The same is true for you. You will change your life one small habit at a time. I’ll say it again: Getting the life you want will be the result of countless seemingly small decisions, done consistently over time. 

In his story, we see that whenever Nehemiah felt discouraged, he prayed. Twelve times we see him face opposition and, in response, pray. Here’s another huge truth for us to learn: We must value progress over perfection. 

You will trip. You will fall. Your journey won’t be perfect. But keep moving in the right direction. Your goal is not perfection; it’s progress. 

When we submit to and obey God, it may seem like a one-time decision. It’s not. We’re training ourselves to be faithful. You don’t become successful when you achieve the goal in the future. You’re successful when you do your strategic habit today.

Scriptures: Judges 16:1-3, Colossians 3:1-9

How to Stop Before You Flop

Have you noticed how people can summarize years of bad decisions with only one sentence? Someone will shake their head sadly and say, “Yeah, he cheated on his wife.” Or, “She got fired from her dream job.” But people rarely ruin their lives by taking one big, tragic step. No. It’s rarely one; it’s more like 56,250. (Remember that number.) 

There are a bunch of these “life summary sentences” in the Bible. One of the most profound is in Judges 16:1, which summarizes the life of Samson. 

“One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute.” 

There were several reasons why entering Gaza could ruin Samson’s life. Gaza was not only a city where Samson could find a prostitute but also the headquarters for the Philistines, the people who hated God’s people. 

The statement “One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute” reads like an abrupt choice. Like Samson woke up with nothing to do and had an idea. I’m pretty sure there are prostitutes in Gaza. I think I’ll just head over there today.

No. Disasters are rarely the result of an isolated decision. They’re always the end of a slippery slope. 

Samson lived 25 miles from Gaza. Do you know how many steps it takes to walk 25 miles? Approximately 56,250. 

Samson did not ruin his life all at one time. He took 56,250 steps in a direction that began a downward, out-of-control spiral. Long before he headed to Gaza that day, Samson must have allowed 56,250 thoughts, little decisions, and self-defeating habits to deteriorate his relationship with God and his own integrity. 

If you read the rest of Samson’s story, you’ll see he continued to make a series of small, bad decisions that led him, step by step, to ruin his life. 

Who does that? We all do. 

Well, we all can. We don’t wreck our lives all at once but a little at a time. We’re all tempted to slide down that 56,250-step slope every day. That’s why it’s so important to get ahold of our habits. 

You’ve embraced your true God-given identity and defined your goal to help your win. Here’s our next challenge: Based on the area of your life where you want to win, what one habit do you need to stop? 

I know 27 probably come to mind. (I know that because 27 come to my mind.) If you try to stop doing 27 things, you will stop doing zero. So how many of those 27 habits do you think God wants you to focus on? One. One at a time. 

So let’s focus on just one habit you want to break. It might be complaining and being negative. Or gossiping. Or maybe you struggle with an eating disorder. Or you may need to stop watching Netflix. Or porn. You may be addicted to a substance. Or biting your fingernails. 

What is the one habit you need to stop? Once you name it, you can work on stopping. You cannot defeat what you cannot define. So define the habit you want to stop, and let God help you defeat it.

Scriptures: Romans 7:21-25, Matthew 19:26, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Ephesians 1:18-21, Ephesians 3:20-21

I Can’t, But God Can

I’ve had several times when I’ve felt stuck. Looking back now, I can’t believe I stayed in the same situation for so long. I remember feeling helpless. I wanted to get unstuck but felt powerless. I’d think, Maybe tomorrow. 

There’s likely an area of your life where you feel stuck right now. You might admit it feels worse than stuck. Your situation feels dead. You may believe your passion has passed. The love is lost. What’s left feels lifeless. 

Why are we stuck? 

Why don’t we make the changes that last? We stay stuck because we rely on willpower instead of God’s power. The Apostle Paul painfully admitted, “I’ve tried. I tried with everything I had. I thought I could. But I can’t.” 

For years, that was the story I kept repeating too. I wanted to change. I would get motivated. I knew I could! And then I would discover, once again, I can’t. 

You’ve been there with your own issue, right? You want to change in some way. You try. You make progress, then regress. You end up back in the same place. Or maybe even farther behind. Why? 

Because willpower doesn’t work. Willpower is a limited resource. Willpower wilts. Still, we try. Because we’re desperate to change. We grit our teeth and give it our all. And it works, at first, for a bit, until our willpower wilts. 

The Apostle Paul knew he needed more power. And that’s why he asked, “Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” That’s the question we all need to answer. But Paul answered his own question with his next sentence when he said, “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:25 NLT). 

Paul understood, I can’t get myself unstuck, so I need a power I don’t possess. The power he found was Jesus. Paul discovered, I can’t. But God can.

The good news is that that same power that helped Paul is available to you. Actually, this is more accurate: The same power that got Jesus out of the grave, resurrected from death to life, is available to you. All you have to do is ask for it. 

At the end of your power is God’s power. He’s always there. When we’re weak, He is strong. 

Choosing to walk by the Spirit is not a one-time decision or event but an ongoing, habitual way of life. From this moment on, and every moment from now on, you can trust in and rely on God’s power, not your limited willpower!

Scriptures: Colossians 2:6-7, Galatians 5:13-17, Galatians 5:24-25, John 15:4-5

Steps

We walk by the Spirit. Or as some translations word it, we “keep in step with the Spirit.” I love the idea of a step—of taking a step. 

As you learn to walk by the Spirit, it might feel awkward, like a baby taking first steps. You’re moving forward into new habits and releasing some bad ones, learning to rely on God’s power instead of your own power. It may be new to you. It might be intimidating. That’s okay. We all have to start somewhere. 

It’s actually exciting. You’re getting to venture out on a new journey. You’re going to need God and experience Him in a way that you never have before. 

I have to believe that as you take those first steps, that’s where the fun starts for God. He created you to walk with Him, and you’re doing it! 

As you do, picture God cheering you on. He’s excited for you. He’s grateful for the opportunity to be in a deeper relationship with you than you may have allowed in the past. He’s rooting for you. 

So do it. Take a step. Don’t put off another day living the life God has in mind for you. Don’t just sit there and say, “Maybe tomorrow.” Today is the day. Take a step with the Holy Spirit. Then take another step. Then another. 

It might feel impossible right now, but remember, this is who you are. Your true identity is a child of God. God made you to show love to you. You were created to live hand in hand with Him. You were designed to follow Him in a faith-fueled, sometimes risky adventure. Taking those steps might feel unnatural now, but there’s nothing more natural to who you truly are. 

So take a step. Then another step. Then another. Those steps will go from unusual to habitual. You’ll be walking in the Spirit of God. And remember, when you walk in the Spirit of God, “you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16 NIV). 

As you take steps, you will trip. So what do you do when you fall? Get back up and keep walking. You’re new at this. Falling isn’t failing. You’re learning and growing. 

​​You can get there. You can enjoy the life you dream about but have not yet experienced. 

You can get unstuck. 

You. You who could never do it before. 

You. You’ll be doing it! 

But it won’t be you. 

It will be God. Through you.