Series | The
Purpose Filled Life
Scripture | 2 Corinthians
5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,
the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
Lesson 14 | How Do I Change The Parts of Me I Don’t Like?
The only way you can
really see change in your life is by the power of God. Don’t be deceived into believing today’s
“self-help gurus” that teach you are the source of change in your life. A broken car doesn’t fix it self, nor can
sinful souls heal themselves. True
change doesn’t come by simply “remodeling your life” or looking “inside of your
self,” it comes from “total self-denial” and “full surrender to God!”
Jesus didn’t teach His
disciples to “believe in themselves,” rather He taught them to “deny themselves,
pick up their cross, and follow Him!”
Jesus also taught, “For whoever
wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will
find it,” Matthew 16:24-25.
Likewise, Paul in the
above passage gives the one and only way to truly change your life- come to
Jesus Christ and be made a new creation.
Then for the rest of your life live in total dependence upon the Holy
Spirit and obey God’s commands.
Once you accept Jesus
you’re not in a life long process of “inner-remodeling,” but rather maintaining
the “complete spiritual-renovation” that you received when you were born again
and made completely new. In other words,
after a person is made a new creation they don’t have to keep trying to change
themselves anymore- but rather they are to simply allow the new life they’ve
been given to grow and flourish.
Think of being made a new
creation like going from being a weed to a grape vine. The vine is not the weed anymore because by
its very nature it is totally different.
Then think of sin and bad habits as weeds that try to grow along side of
the vine and steal its life. However, a
good gardener will come and remove the weeds whenever he sees them. And if the weeds affect any of the vines and they
become unfruitful, he prunes them so the vine can always be healthy and able to
produce good fruit.
The same is true in the
Christian’s life. Once you are born
again you are a new creature- you are no longer a sinner (weed) but are a righteous
child of God (grape vine). When you are
tempted to sin and go back to your old ways (like weeds trying to grow in the
vineyard) God will remove them from your life- if you allow Him to. And if you do sin and evil takes root in your
heart- He will cut it out and make you whole again when you repent.
Therefore, ask God to change
every part of you by making you new and let Him keep you holy- without blemish! You were created to be a beautiful branch in
the grape vine of God, John 15:1-10.
Reflection | Do you really believe when God makes a person new, they are actually made 100% new?
Action | (1) Be born again and made a new creation if you haven’t already. (2) Repent of any sins or disobedience in your life and ask God to daily “lead you not into temptation, but deliver you from evil.” (3) Lastly, by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, live according to the new life God has given you.
One Year Reading Plan (Optional) | Nehemiah 7:73-9:21, 1 Corinthians 9:1-18, Psalm 33:12-22, & Proverbs 21:11-12. Click here to read online.
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