The Battle For Change

[Chad]

The Battle For Change - Message #229 - March 05, 2006

When a new year rolls around we think a little more about making some changes. But personal change comes very hard. Old habits are difficult to break. And many people find them impossible to break.

This is what happens. You come to the place of realizing that a certain habit is bad. For example, with the threat of AIDS today, promiscuous sex can kill you. All the logical powers of your head tell you the habit is bad. Even Magic Johnson promotes abstinence. But your heart is not in step with your head. The power to follow what you know is right is not present. You feel trapped. In fact, you know you are a prisoner of your own lusts. You cannot do what you know is right.

Amazingly enough, your experience is verifying the words of the Bible. Listen, "I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, making me a prisoner of the law which is in my members" (Romans 7:22-23). Here is a losing battle. The mind says one thing, but the power to follow through is absent. I am a prisoner of sin. When I realize my condition, I begin to look in the right place for answers. Interestingly enough, voices from many quarters are telling us to look within for the power to change. But I've already found that such power is not present. I must look outside of myself. I must ask, "Who will set me free from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:24).

Here is the proper perspective. The power for change comes from someone else. Who is it? "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:25). Jesus Christ is the power to change. Jesus Christ is the power to break old habits and form new ones.

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[Mike]

Great thread brother . The transformation of the inner man is the greatest obstacle in our walk of faith . Transformation cannot come without visitation from the Holy Spirit . Both work together with the word , in concert through much prayer and fasting .

This has become the stumbling block of many as the things of the flesh work dilligently to choke this operation of Gods eternal plans for our live's out and to trap us in a nullified stand-still in our daily walk with the Lord.

Usually the cares of this world , and the cravings of our sinful nature , steal our time away only to leave us dry and empty , without Spiritual food . Life on earth is a war against time . Eternity has no boundries as time , so the battle must be achieved while we are still on earth .

Satan is the one who's time is short because he can never escape the stronghold of time . Eternity is a reserved punishment for him and all who follow him .

If we can redeem the time satan steals from us , and allow God to have back the time he has given to us here on earth. Then we would have dealt satan a double blow by choosing to offer our choices here on earth back into Gods hands , to stear us in the way we should go , and take away from satan , the only thing he has very little of , and that is time . Mike