At the heart of Christianity is the truth that change is possible. We don’t have to remain stuck in bad attitudes and disoriented desires. Change is possible. The first thing we must recognise, however, is that we can’t change ourselves. People fail and get disillusioned in trying to live better lives because they try to change by power of their own determination. Determination is of course important, but it is not enough. We all need to be saved from ourselves and that salvation must come from God. I have spoken to so many Christians who are eager to change but who have lost hope in themselves. The first problem is that they hoped in themselves in the first place. Our salvation comes externally from God as he works in our hearts by his Holy Spirit. Our part is to simply respond to what he is doing. It is the Holy Spirit who makes a way through the impassable jungle of our tangled-up selves. Yes, you must be determined. But not determined to change yourself. That is just a further expression of the independence that is the root of all human sin. You must be determined to keep in step with the Spirit and not allow yourself to be distracted from the path he is leading you in. And if you fall back, do not despair. There is always opportunity to get your feet back on the path of change. Change is possible if you are willing to respond to God and keep in step with his Spirit.
Ask God to lead you in the path of change in whatever area of your life you most want to see change.
Read Titus 3
