To Grow, I Must Choose to Change

“Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.” Ephesians 4:22 (NLT) Change requires making choices. It’s not enough to dream of changing. It’s not enough to desire change. To change, I need to make a decision. I must choose to change. Change is intentional. Am 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 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 we’re waiting on God to change me. No! God is waiting for me. He’s waiting on 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 will have to change. And change means that 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 the first one in order to grab the next one, or he won’t make it to the other side. If he tries to hold on to both, what happens? He gets stuck in the middle, and he will fall. I to am stuck in the middle, and falling because I haven’t let go of the old patterns, the old habits, and the 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, those old hurts, those old patterns, those old sins in my life—let them go. 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: Change requires intentional choices. To grow and improve, I must actively decide to make changes, as change doesn't happen by chance. It involves letting go of old habits, sins, and patterns to embrace new ways of thinking and living. Just like a trapeze artist must release one bar to grab the next, I must let go of the old to move forward. God is waiting for me to make that choice, and though change can be painful, it's necessary for growth. Ephesians 4:22 urges us to "throw off your old sinful nature" and trust that God is guiding us toward transformation. I will be intentional today, and not just think about it, but actually do it.

If I Want to Change, Start with My Thinking

“Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.” Ephesians 4:23 (NLT)

Change requires new thinking. In order to change, I must learn the truth and start making good choices, but I must also change the way I think.

The way I think determines the way I feel, and the way I feel determines the way I act. So if I want to change the way I act and feel, I must start with the way I think.

For instance, I can say, “I need to love my spouse more.” But just saying that isn’t going to change anything. I can’t change my feelings just by willpower. I first must change the way I think about my spouse. This will eventually change the way I feel, which will then change the way I act. The Bible says, “Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes” (Ephesians 4:23 NLT).

The battle for sin—and the battle to deal with those defects in my life that I don’t like—starts in my mind. If I want to change my behavior or emotions, start with my thoughts and attitude.

The renewal of my mind is related to the word “repentance.” I know repentance is a dirty word for a lot of people. They think it means something bad, something they don’t really want to do, something painful. They think of a guy standing on a street corner with a sign that says, “Repent! The world’s about to end!”

But “repent” simply means to make a mental U-turn. Repentance is about more than changing my behavior. It’s about changing my mind and learning to think differently.

I turn from guilt to forgiveness, from frustration to freedom, from darkness to light, from hatred and bitterness to love.

I may also need to change the way I think about God. He’s not mad at me; he’s mad about me! I’m deeply flawed, but I’m deeply loved.

So when I want to change, start with my mind. I can change the way I think about all kinds of things—work, relationships, the economy, the world, and my past, present, and future. Changing the way I think will eventually change my emotions and my behavior.

In summary:

The key to change starts with transforming our thinking. The way we think affects how we feel, and in turn, how we act. To change our actions and emotions, we must first adjust our mindset. The Bible encourages letting the Spirit renew our thoughts and attitudes (Ephesians 4:23).

Repentance is about changing our way of thinking, not just behavior. It involves a mental shift from guilt to forgiveness, frustration to freedom, and bitterness to love. Changing our perspective on God is also crucial, recognizing that He loves us despite our flaws. Ultimately, altering our thoughts about various aspects of life—such as work, relationships, and the future—will lead to changes in emotions and actions.

 

To Change, I Must Face the Truth

“You have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him.” Ephesians 4:21 (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. I need to face the truth about my weaknesses, relationships, successes, failures, past, and my future. And that truth is found in Jesus Christ. Nothing in my life can change until I know and face the truth. Why? It’s because behind every self-defeating habit in my life is a lie that I believe.  If in debt, it might be because we believe a lie like, “I can spend and get away with it” or “I can always pay it back.” We might have overestimated how much we were going to make, or or believed the lie that we needed a much bigger house. But did you need that bigger house? Are you sure it’s the truth? Can you prove it’s the truth? Are you absolutely certain that what you’ve believed about your finances is true? What about  relationships? What about the things we say to ourselves about ourselves? Is the way we think about your past true?  Or is the truth what God says about these things? The Bible teaches that personal change starts with truth. The truth sets us free. The apostle Paul said, “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 us the truth. One of the ways he’ll most often tell us the truth is through his Word. Because the Bible is his Word, the Bible is truth. (read more about that in 2 Timothy 3:16-17.) What we hear on television or read in books won’t always help us—because it’s not always the truth. In fact, if we consistently listen to what voices around us are saying, you’ll find your life built on a foundation of lies, misconceptions, deceptions, and half-truths. And we 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 us to have a daily quiet time in the Word of God. Nothing will change until we get the truth into our heart. Choose today to face and respond to the truth. Then we'll begin to see positive change in our lives. In summary: Personal change starts with facing and embracing the truth, especially the truth found in Jesus Christ. Change isn’t driven by willpower but by acknowledging the lies that influence our self-defeating habits, such as financial or relational mistakes. The truth is found in Jesus and His Word, which guide us toward real transformation. By consistently engaging with God's truth through the Bible, we can overcome misconceptions and lies that hinder growth, leading to a life aligned with God’s path.

Change Happens in God’s Power, Not My Own

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Philippians 2:13 (NLT) To experience God’s hope and comfort, I need to see who he is in order to see who I really am—it’s only then you’ll be able to see how he can change me. Change often triggers two negative reactions. First, “I don’t have the time or energy to change.” Life feels too busy—too many responsibilities, too many commitments, too much to handle. Second, “Who am I kidding? God can’t change me. I’ve tried a hundred times, failed, and feel like I’ve disappointed everyone, including God.” Both reactions come from the false belief that change depends entirely on me. That mindset is exhausting and discouraging. If you have to sustain my own motivation to change every day, I eventually give up. But God offers a better way. Isaiah 40:28-31 reminds me where true power comes from: “The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint” (NLT). Real change isn’t about my power. It’s about God’s power working in me. Picture this: my efforts are like a hummingbird whose little wings are fluttering so fast. I flitter here for hope, there for hope, up for hope, down for hope—trying to get hope in my life.  I'm worn out by trying to get to a place of hope on my own. But God’s power is like an eagle, soaring on the updrafts of wind. Eagles don’t struggle—they rise because they are designed to catch the wind. Similarly, God designed my soul to soar on the updraft of his love, not my own striving. To tap into his power, I must stop flitting from one place to another in search of hope and instead say, “God, I need you. I trust you moment by moment.” That’s when I'll feel the updraft of his love, strength, and power. Philippians 2:13 says, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (NLT). God gives me the desire to change, even when I don’t feel it, and he also gives me the power to take the next step. Change happens when I stop relying on my own strength and start trusting in God’s strength and power to transform my life. Hope doesn’t come not from trying harder, but from trusting deeper. God wants me to remember this truth and to continually turn back to him because he is the one who gives me strength to soar. In summary: True change and transformation come from trusting in God’s power, not relying on my own efforts. Often, the struggle to change stems from feelings of exhaustion and self-doubt, believing that change depends entirely on me. However, God offers strength and power through His love and guidance. Like a hummingbird frantically seeking hope, I can exhaust myself by trying to change on my own. But God’s power, like an eagle soaring on the wind, lifts us effortlessly when I trust in Him. Philippians 2:13 reminds us that God gives both the desire and the power to change, and real hope comes from trusting deeper in God, not from trying harder on my own.

Take the Fear out of Decision-Making

“He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” Psalm 23:3 (NIV) Myself, like most, often fear making the wrong decision, and that creates stress. Facing a decision: Should I hold on or let go? Should I get in or get out? Should I find a new job? Should I move? When I can’t make up my mind, I stagger through life. In fact, the Bible says in James 1:6-8 that when I'm double-minded, I become unstable in everything I do. The Greek word for unstable literally means “to stagger like a drunk.” But God says there is an antidote to my indecision. Psalm 23:3 says, “He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake” (NIV). I'll be able to handle the stress of decision-making when I let God guide me. However, I think, “I’ve tried this!” Asking God to guide me, but then I became more confused than I was before. I still couldn’t figure it out. “Why is knowing God’s will so difficult?” Is God playing games with me? Of course not! God wants to guide me. He wants me to know his will more than I want to know it. The problem is I often look for the wrong thing when I'm trying to find God’s will. I'm looking for a feeling. I want to be swept off my feet by some emotion so I can say, “That’s how I know what God’s will is!” I may want a methodical approach to God’s will. I want someone to give me a recipe or a formula to follow. Or perhaps I take a magical approach to God’s will. I'm looking for God to do some fantastic signs like writing it in the sky. All of these ways lead to frustration and cause me to miss God’s will. God’s will is not a feeling, a formula, or something he wants me to be frustrated or fearful about. God does not want me confused, and he does not want me to stress over making any decision. The next time I'm making a big decision, rest in the truth that God will guide me along the right paths—every step of the way. In summary: God guides me along the right paths and provides stability when making decisions. Often, fear and indecision create stress, causing me to feel unstable and confused. However, Psalm 23:3 assures me that God will guide me, even when I feel uncertain. The frustration of seeking God's will stems from looking for feelings, formulas, or signs, but God's guidance isn’t about emotions or magical signs. Instead, it’s about trusting that He will lead me, relieving me of the stress and confusion of decision-making.

Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life

“Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.” Proverbs 4:23 (GNT) God is far more interested in changing my mind than changing my circumstances.  I want God to take away all of the problems, pain, sorrow, suffering, sickness, and sadness in my life. But God wants to work on me first—because transformation won’t happen until I renew my mind and until my thoughts begin to change. Why is it so important for me to learn how to manage my mind? Here are three reasons . . . Manage my mind because my thoughts control my life. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts” (GNT). Your thoughts have a tremendous ability to shape my life for good or for bad. For example, I may have accepted a thought someone told me when you were growing up: Like “You’re worthless. You don’t matter.” If I accepted that thought, even though it was wrong, it shaped my life. Manage my mind because the mind is the battleground for sin. All temptation happens in the mind. Paul says in Romans 7:22-23, “I love to do God’s will so far as my new nature is concerned; but there is something else deep within me, in my lower nature, that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. In my mind I want to be God’s willing servant, but instead I find myself still enslaved to sin” (TLB). One of the reasons I get mentally fatigued is because there’s a battle in my brain 24 hours a day. It’s debilitating because it’s intense, and it’s intense because my mind is my greatest asset. Satan wants my greatest asset! Manage my mind because it’s the key to peace and happiness. An unmanaged mind leads to tension; a managed mind leads to tranquility. An unmanaged mind leads to conflict; a managed mind leads to confidence. An unmanaged mind leads to stress. A managed mind leads to strength, security, and serenity. When I don’t try to control my mind and the way I direct my thoughts, I will have an enormous amount of stress in life. The Bible teaches, “Letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace” (Romans 8:6 NLT). I need to choose life and peace for myself by beginning to manage my mind today. In summary: It's extremely important to manage our thoughts, as they shape our lives. God is more focused on changing our minds than our circumstances, and transformation begins with renewing our thoughts. We must manage our minds because our thoughts control our lives, influencing them positively or negatively. The mind is also a battleground for sin, where temptation and struggles occur, making mental discipline vital. Furthermore, managing my mind is key to achieving peace and happiness, as an unmanaged mind leads to stress, tension, and conflict, while a controlled mind brings tranquility and strength. By choosing to let the Spirit guide my thoughts, I can experience life and peace.

Five Ways God Uses Your Problems

“My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees. Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver.” Psalm 119:71–72 (NLT) Life is a series of problem-solving opportunities. The problems I face will either defeat me or develop me, depending on how I respond to them.  When most people encounter difficulty, they react impulsively or become resentful. They don’t pause to consider what benefit their problems might bring. As a result, they never see how God wants to use problems for good in their lives. There are five main ways that God uses the problems in my life. I need to understand them so that, next time I face difficulty, I can be on the lookout for how God is working. God uses problems to DIRECT me. Sometimes God lights a fire under me to get me moving. Problems can point me in a new direction and motivate me to change. Is God trying to get my attention? As Proverbs 20:30 says, “Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways” (GNT).  God uses problems to INSPECT me. People are like teabags: If you want to know what’s inside them, just drop them into hot water! Think of when God has tested my faith with a problem? What did that problem reveal about me? James 1:2-3 says, “When you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience” (NCV). God uses problems to CORRECT me. Some lessons I learn only through pain and failure. When I was a child, my parents  told me not to touch a hot stove. But I didn’t actually learn the lesson until I ignored their instruction and was burned. Sometimes I only learn the value of something—like health, money, or a relationship—by losing it. That was true for the author of Psalm 119: “My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees. Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver” (Psalm 119:71–72 NLT). God uses problems to PROTECT me. A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents me from being harmed by something more serious. Later I may be able to say like Joseph did, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good” (Genesis 50:20 NIV). God uses problems to PERFECT me. Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders: “We know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character” (Romans 5:3-4 NLT). God is far more interested in my character than my comfort. My relationship to God and my character are the only two things I'm going to take with me into eternity.  I'm going to experience difficulties. Everyone does. When I do, I need to remember that I have a choice. I can let those difficulties defeat me, or I can choose to let God direct, inspect, correct, protect, and perfect me through them! In summary: Problems are not just obstacles but opportunities for growth. There are five ways God uses difficulties: Directing you – Problems can motivate you to change and point you in a new direction. Inspecting you – Difficulties test your faith and reveal what’s inside. Correcting you – Pain and failure teach valuable lessons we might otherwise ignore. Protecting you – Sometimes, problems prevent greater harm or danger. Perfecting you – Challenges build character and endurance, helping you grow spiritually. I need to view problems as tools God uses for my growth, and to choose how I respond: either letting them defeat me or letting God use them to refine me.