Power to Change

Have you ever noticed how children are just plain, unashamedly honest? My children are no exception. In fact, I would go as far as to say, they pretty much have no filter in their evaluations of the world and people around them. It is a full-time job to teach them proper etiquette and society niceties. A week ago, I was driving my kids home from a lunch date, and oddly enough it was completely quiet in the car. All of sudden, my three-year old bursts out, "Mom, we hate your casseroles." My older children started laughing and came to my defense by saying, "Not ALL of them are bad." I took it in stride and laughed with them, but in my mind I started listing my casseroles to evaluate if indeed they were as bad as my children think they are.

My husband, James, said when we were first married that he would always be honest about my cooking and my clothing. This sincerely has worked well in our marriage. Sure, there have been times I have been disappointed he didn't love dinner as much as I did. But, overall our system of complete honesty as worked well. However, a few weeks ago, James said something about some clothes that I wear pretty often. I found his comments very irritating, but I really took what he said to heart and made some changes.

I watched friends of mine parent this week. I took different aspects of their parenting styles and compared them to myself. I saw areas in which I could improve. I saw various ways to handle difficult situations. I watched and I listened.

In each of these situations, I evaluated my life. I saw truth. I made changes. And I ask myself, "Why don't we just do that with sin?" God shows us a sin. We repent. We change. Period. Instead, we often have a ten step process to change; and let's face it, we rarely do. The person struggling with gossip is still typically struggling with gossip 20 years later. The materialist is still materialistic in retirement. Well, the obvious answer is that we are human, and we have a sinful nature. And frankly, this is the pat answer that we, as Christians, would give and use to convince ourselves that our sin is in essence excusable. We just accept the fact that we are sinners saved by grace, and we just keep right on sinning believing that this is our nature and lasting change is not possible. This mentality eases the conscience and completely underestimates the power of God.

Galatians 5:24 says, "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." Crucifying the flesh does not come with a passive "I'll try harder" attitude. It's an active verb that denotes completely denying oneself. Earlier in the chapter it says, "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."

We are not expected to crucify ourselves in our own strength. God has given us the Holy Spirit and His power to face the seemingly insurmountable task. "For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds."

2 Corinthians 10:3-4

Instead of looking to worldly wisdom and "how to" books, and relying on our own strength, we should acknowledge our inadequacy and fall on our faces before our Heavenly Father, begging and pleading for His power to destroy strongholds! We don't have to just manage our sin; we can conquer it.

"He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them." Hebrews 7:25

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." I Corinthians 10:13