Reminder: Ultimate Change Requires Me to Make a Choice

In review of Ephesians 4:22 it says, “Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception”

Bottom Line:

Throw off all of your bad habits and former ways of living, which was destroying you.

What this means to me:

With regard to my former way of life, I should give it up, it was corrupted by lust and deceitful desires.

Real change requires making hard choices. It’s not enough for me to dream of changing. It’s not enough for me to desire change. In order for real change to occur, I will need to make a decision. I must choose to change.

What I'm learning is that change is intentional and will only happen if I choose it, because it won’t happen accidentally or automatically. In order to be a better me 10 years from now, I need to choose now. It requires a choice.

I often think I’m waiting on God to change me, however its really not me waiting on God. In reality God is waiting on me! He’s waiting on me to say, “Yes, Lord, I’m willing to make these changes.”

I have to make intentional choices in order to grow. There is no growth without change. Also another important factor is that there is no change without loss, and there is no loss without pain. If I’m going to grow, I’ll have to change, and change means letting go of some old things in order to grab hold of some new things.

It’s much like swinging on a trapeze: The trapeze artist swings out on one bar, and then he has to reach out and grab the other one. At some point, he has to let go of one to grab the other, or he’s not going to make it to the other side. If he thinks he can hold on to both, what happens? He gets stuck in the middle, and there’s no place to go but down.

Today’s verse reminds me, “Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception” (Ephesians 4:22 NLT). In other words, let it go. My old habits, hurts, patterns, sins in my life; just let them go. This verse tells me to throw them off and trust that God is working in me “to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13b NIV).