How to Have Lasting Change in Life

In Romans 12:2 I read, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (NIV)

To have lasting change in my life, I need to refocus my mind. Specifically, I need to change my thought patterns away from what I don’t want to focus on and toward what I do want to focus on. Because whatever I focus on is what my mind moves toward.

Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2 NIV). This is the blueprint I’ll need in order to change my thought patterns. It breaks down like this:

“Do not conform.” How often do I let others shape my life? God doesn’t want me to be like someone else; he wants me to be the person he made me to be. So don’t copy, don’t conform, don’t try to be like anyone else.

“The pattern of this world.” Pattern means the model of everything I’ve learned in life so far. If I want to change, I have to change my pattern, or model of living, that I’ve learned in my life. I need to replace the old, unhealthy pattern with a new one modeled after the life of Christ.

“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Transformed is the same as the word used for metamorphosis, the process a caterpillar goes through to become a butterfly. In the same way, God wants to transform me into a completely new person by renewing my mind.

How does this happen? The Bible tells you in Ephesians 4:22-24 “to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (NIV).

This means I need to do some putting off and do some putting on, and the putting off has to happen before the putting on can begin. It’s just like trying on clothes in a department store. Before I can try on the new stuff, I have to take off the old stuff.

I can start today by beginning to let go of the old attitudes, thought patterns, and images I’ve been living with. Then get ready to put on the new garments God has for me.

In summary, I shouldn’t conform to the pattern of this world, rather I should be transformed by the renewing of my mind. To have lasting change, I need to refocus my mind. Specifically, to change my thought patterns away from what I don’t want to focus on and toward what I do want to focus on. Because whatever I focus on is what my mind moves toward. Romans 12:2 is the blueprint I should use in order to change my thought patterns. In breaking this verse down it says, “Do not conform.” I need to consider how often I let others shape my life? God doesn’t want me to be like someone else; he wants me to be the person he made me to be. So don’t try to be like anyone else. “The pattern of this world,” refers to the model of everything I’ve learned in life so far. If I want to change, I have to change my pattern, or model of living. Replace the old, unhealthy pattern with a new one modeled after the life of Christ. Lastly, “Be transformed by the renewing of my mind.” God wants to transform me into a completely new person by renewing my mind. This happens by putting off my old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; so that I can be made new in the attitude of my mind; and to put on the new self, created to be like God. This means I need to do some putting off and do some putting on, and the putting off has to happen before the putting on can begin. I can start today by beginning to let go of the old attitudes, thought patterns, and images I’ve been living with. Then get ready to put on the new garments God has for me.

I am to not copy the behavior and customs of this world, which is selfish and corrupting. My refusal to conform must go even deeper than just behavior and customs, it must be firmly planted in values rooted in my mind. Only when the Holy Spirit renews, reeducates, and redirects my mind am I truly transformed.

Father, thank you for Your Word and Jesus as my savior and example. You want me and I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. Help me to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. 

Today, I ask for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, doing well and making a difference in my new job.  I pray all these things through you Son Jesus’ name, Amen.

Change Takes Time

In Ephesians 4:24 I read, “Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” (NLT)

When God helps me grow spiritually, he doesn’t just snap his fingers so that it happens instantly. He does it incrementally. When God wants to make a mushroom, he takes six hours, but when he wants to make an oak tree, he takes 60 years.

Do I want to be a mushroom or an oak tree?

The Holy Spirit will make changes in my life far beyond anything I thought possible, but it’s not going to happen overnight.

As I strive toward being stronger emotionally, physically, spiritually, psychologically, and financially. I need to be intentional about it. The Bible says, “Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy” (Ephesians 4:24 NLT).

This is how I become more like Jesus. I throw off the old things and the old ways that keep me from getting to know Christ and becoming like him. And I put on my new self with the help of the Holy Spirit. I let God do his work within me, no matter how long it takes.

The result will be, “As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him” (2 Corinthians 3:18 TLB).

In summary, I need to put on my new nature, created to be like God, who is truly righteous and holy. When God helps me grow spiritually, he doesn’t just snap his fingers so that it happens instantly. He does it incrementally. The Holy Spirit will make changes in my life far beyond anything I thought possible, but it’s not going to happen overnight. As I strive toward being stronger emotionally, physically, spiritually, psychologically, and financially. I need to be intentional about it. This is how I become more like Jesus. I throw off the old things and the old ways that keep me from getting to know and becoming like Christ. And I put on my new self with the help of the Holy Spirit. I let God do his work within me, no matter how long it takes. The result will be that I become more and more like him.”

Father, thank you for Your Word and Jesus as my savior and example. You want me and I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. Help me to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. 

Father, help me to embrace my new nature, head in a new direction and to have the new way of thinking that having the Holy Spirit in my life will provide.

Today, I ask for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, doing well and making a difference in my new job.  I pray all these things through you Son Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Change Is a Choice

In Ephesians 4:22 I read, “Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.” (NLT)

Change requires making choices. It’s not enough to dream of changing or to desire change. I need to make a decision. I must choose to change.

Change is intentional. Are I going to be any different in six months? Am I going to be better a year from now? Am I going to be healthier, stronger, and more mature? Am I going to be happier? Am I going to be less in debt? Am I going to be more like God wants me to be?

These changes will only happen if I choose to change, because change doesn’t happen accidentally. Change requires a choice.

A lot of times I think I'm waiting on God to change me. No! God is waiting on me. He’s waiting for me to say, “Yes, Lord, I’m willing to make these changes.”

I will need to make intentional choices in order to grow. There is no growth without change, 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 I let go of some old things in order to grab hold of some new things.

It’s like swinging on a trapeze. The trapeze artist swings out on one bar and then has to reach out and grab the other one. At some point, he’s got to let go of one to grab on to 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 he’s going to fall.

I may be stuck in the middle, and I’m falling because I haven’t let go of the old patterns, habits, and old ways of thinking. I have to let go of my old ways.

The Bible says, “Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life” (Ephesians 4:22 NLT). In other words, let it go. Those old habits, hurts, patterns, and sins in my life, need to be let go. The Bible says 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 2:13 NIV).

In summary, I need to throw off my old sinful nature and former way of life, which was corrupted by lust and deception. This requires change and change requires making choices. It’s not enough to dream of changing or to desire change. I need to make a decision. I must choose to change. Change is intentional. Changes will only happen if I choose to, because it won’t happen accidentally. A lot of times I think I'm waiting on God to change me. No! God is waiting on me. He’s waiting for me to admit my willingness and say, “Yes, Lord, I’m willing to make these changes.” There is no growth without change, there is no change without loss, and there is no loss without pain. If I’m going to grow, I’ll have to change. It means I let go of some old things in order to grab hold of some new things. I may be stuck in the middle, and falling because I haven’t let go of the old patterns, habits, and old ways of thinking. Old habits, hurts, patterns, and sins in my life, need to be let go. The Bible says to throw them off and trust that God is working in my life.

My old way of life before I believed in Christ are now completely in the past. I should put it behind me like old clothes to be thrown away. I should no longer be driven by desire and impulse. I must embrace my new nature, head in a new direction and to have the new way of thinking that the Holy Spirit in my life will provide.

Father, thank you for Your Word and Jesus as my savior and example. You want me and I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. Help me to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. 

Father, help me to recognize and let go of old habits and ways of thinking. Help me to move forward with the decision on my own and know that you are working in me to bring about the character in me that will help to advance your kingdom.

Today, I ask for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, doing well and making a difference in my new job.  I pray all these things through you Son Jesus’ name, Amen.

Personal Change Starts With the Truth

In Ephesians 4:21 I read, “You have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him.” (NLT)

The secret to personal change is not willpower. The secret is to know and face the truth. So, if I want to change, I must know and face the truth about myself and my nature.

I also need to face the truth about my weaknesses, relationships, successes, failures, past, and future.

Nothing changes until I know and face the truth. And that truth is found in Jesus Christ.

Why is it necessary to learn the truth before anything can change in my life? Behind every self-defeating habit in my life is a lie that I believe.

If in debt, it might be because I believed some lies like “I can spend and get away with it” or “I can always pay it back.” I might have overestimated how much I was going to make, or I believed the lie that I needed a much bigger house.

But do I? Am I sure it’s the truth? Can I prove it’s the truth? Am I absolutely certain that what I’ve believed about my finances is true?

How about my relationships? What about the things I say to myself about myself? Is the way I think about my past true? Or is the truth what God says about it?

The Bible teaches that personal change starts with truth. The truth sets me free. The apostle Paul says, “You have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him” (Ephesians 4:21 NLT).

Who is the truth? It’s Jesus. And because Jesus is the truth, he will always tell me the truth. His Word is the truth. The Bible is his Word, and that means the Bible is truth. 

What I hear on television or read in books won’t always help me, because it’s not always the truth. In fact, if I consistently listen to what voices around me are saying, I’ll find my life built on a foundation of lies, misconceptions, deceptions, and half-truths. And I will never change.

But what God tells me is always the truth. God’s Word shows me how to get back to the life I was created to live, and then it shows me how to stay on God’s path. This is why it is so important for me to have a daily quiet time in the Word of God. Nothing will change until I get the truth into my heart.

Continue to choose to face and respond to the truth. Then I’ll begin to see positive change in my life.

In summary, the truth comes from Jesus. The secret to personal change is not willpower, but to know and face the truth. So, to change, I must know and face the truth about myself and my nature. I need to also face the truth about my weaknesses, relationships, successes, failures, past, and future. Nothing changes until I know and face the truth. And that truth is found in Jesus Christ. Behind every self-defeating habit in my life is a lie that I believe. So, consider is this the truth? Can I prove it? Am I absolutely certain that what I’ve believed about it is true? The Bible teaches that personal change starts with truth. The truth sets me free. Who is the truth? It’s Jesus, and he will always tell me the truth. What I hear in and on the media won’t always help me, because it’s not always the truth. In fact, if I consistently listen to what voices around me are saying, I’ll find my life built on a foundation of lies, misconceptions, deceptions, and half-truths. But what God tells me is always the truth. God’s Word shows me how to get back to the life I was created to live, and then it shows me how to stay on God’s path. Nothing will change until I get the truth into my heart. Choose to face and respond to the truth. Then I’ll begin to see positive change in my life.

In this life, others should be able to see a difference between a believer in Christ and a non-believer by the way a believer lives. I am to live as a person of light. Living a believers life is a process. While I have a new nature, I don't automatically think all good thoughts and express the right attitudes. My old way of life before I became a believer is in the past. When I decided to accept Christ's gift of salvation, it was both a one-for-all-time decision and then daily conscious commitments. I am not to be driven by desire and impulse. I must put on my new nature, and head in a new direction that the Holy Spirit provides. 

Father, thank you for Your Word and Jesus as my savior and example. You want me and I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. Help me to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. 

Father, help me to face and embrace the truth that comes from Jesus and your Word. Help me to see beyond my self-defeating habits and lies I have believed. Also help me to get on track with your Word and your desires.

Today, I ask for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, doing well and making a difference in my new job.  I pray all these things through you Son Jesus’ name, Amen.