How do we overcome? How do we succeed? How do we change?
We’ve looked at a number of keys to successful change in this series, that how we think, who we spend time with, and what we spend our time doing, all matter. We’ve discussed the importance of focusing on what is true, that Satan is the father of lies, and that neither Satan, nor the world, want us to change.
We’ll conclude the series by looking at the most important point of all: for believers, Christ is in us, He is working to change us through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us. Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (NAU).
That is great news! Unlike the world, we are not trying to change ourselves in our own strength, but Christ is at work in us, through the Spirit’s living inside us, to genuinely and permanently change us. Through Christ, we can truly change.
Philippians 2:13 (NAU): “For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
Isn’t that freeing? To state it again, God is at work in us. Even better, He isn’t just changing our outward actions, but our will as well, that we would both will and work for His good pleasure.
We need to have our will and our actions in synch, don’t we? Perhaps the biggest reason we fail when seeking to change is that our wills and our actions aren’t aligned. I might start by acting that I don’t want those dozen luscious donuts, but in the end, I do want them, so I buy them, and then devour them. With God’s working in me, both my inner will and my actions will align with wanting to stop eating boxes of donuts (I do need to thank Dr. Frost from seminary days for his use of donuts as a fun way to illustrate a point).
But what happens if one isn’t a Christian?
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