The Power to Change

For what I am doing, I do not understand.

For what I will to do, that I do not practice;

but what I hate, that I do.
(Romans 7:15 NKVJ)

Wouldn’t it be great if we always knew why we do what we do? If we did, we could change it.

God’s been showing me my utter dependence upon Him lately. Last time, I posted on how we need Him. This is an extension of that topic. We cannot change, permanently, deep down, for the right reasons and with the right outcome, without Him. In order to completely change, from the inside out, all the way down to the motive, we have to get to the root of why we do what we do. Not only do we have to get to the root, that thing has to be uprooted. (ouch)

So, take someone who is addicted to exercising, for example. Say their addiction is completely destroying their relationships and work life. All they can think about and do is exercise. Say they realize their obsession is running their lives and ruining their lives—they're enslaved. So, they want to change, to stop the behaviors. Great! The first step is to ask why am I doing what I’m doing? I mean, they could make some changes, say only jog 5 miles three times a day, rather than 10, but until they know why they’re doing what they’re doing, how long do you think the changes will remain in effect? A couple days? A week?

The key to change is finding the reason behind the behavior. Then, you can dig for the root. Perhaps the person who is addicted to exercising doesn’t like his/her body. Perhaps they fear aging or letting their strength wane, or letting their heart grow weak. Maybe this person feels in control when s/he is exercising and determining the numbers on the scale and in the log. Or maybe they feel completely out of control. At first, they controlled the addiction, now even the doctor is saying “Ease up.” And they can’t. (Happens a lot with addictive behaviors, first you control it, then it controls you.) 

So what do you do when you're out of control? 

When you don’t understand yourself?

When you can’t find the reasoning or the root?

What do you do when you can’t make the change you’d like to make?

You call on God. He breaks into your life’s circumstances and suddenly the Light comes on. You surrender the situation to Him, and let Him dig around in your heart for a while until He unearths the reasons you do what you do. Warning: pain is imminent. Anytime God uproots our “stuff,” it’s a painful process. (Raise your hand if you know what I’m talking about—just happened to me recently, so I’m waving back at you.) But, if you let Him in, He’ll bring the breakthroughs.

If you let Him in, He’ll show you how to get where you want to go.

If you let Him in, He’ll get you there.

If you let Him in, He’ll heal you, set your mind on the right track, forgive your sin, yank out the roots of the old you, and set you free!

Will you let Him into that place you keep hidden from others, the place you think no one knows about?

We don’t have the power to change ourselves from the inside out, only God does. It’s time to let Him in. Stop letting shame hold you back and hold you bound. God can set you free.