| "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17 |
People are funny (me included). Every start of the year they
pick up their pen and write down a list of things they wanted to change in
their lives -- a New Year's resolution -- only to abandon it before the end of the first quarter. Then the same process will be repeated the next year, and the years after that. It's sad and frustrating.
Truth be told, the reason people can't change is because deep in the recesses of their heart they are not really desperate for changes. They can get by, and a person who can get by is most unlikely to commit to an uncomfortable change.
The same is true with addiction. Unless you can feel its full venom and hit rock bottom (or near it), which you will eventually, you will always find excuses not to dump it today.
The first step towards real change is seeing how dire your situation is (or will be), and consequently, desiring desperately for a change. Only then can you truly begin your journey towards real and lasting change. Before that, no amount of New Year's resolution can make you dump your addiction.
Only when you become desperate for change can God really does miracles in your life. Why? For a change to happen in your life, you have to firmly will it; God cannot do miracles in your life unless you firmly want it to happen. Your freedom to choose is a gift that He truly respects.
So instead of writing your New Year’s resolutions outright why not ponder first the reasons why you want to change. Do you want to change to be like other people or do you have a very deep personal reason -- something that makes you desperate for change? Find that reason first. Use your imagination; you don't have to hit rock bottom before you can truly commit to lasting change. Then ask Jesus to break the strong urge of your addiction for He alone can set you free, not medication. And while God is at work in you, avoid the thoughts, people, places and situations that make you vulnerable to the temptation of your addiction. Then wait patiently. You may not see it now or feel it now, but in Christ you become a new creature, slowly but surely. Just stay on your course regardless of how you feel.
Truth be told, the reason people can't change is because deep in the recesses of their heart they are not really desperate for changes. They can get by, and a person who can get by is most unlikely to commit to an uncomfortable change.
The same is true with addiction. Unless you can feel its full venom and hit rock bottom (or near it), which you will eventually, you will always find excuses not to dump it today.
The first step towards real change is seeing how dire your situation is (or will be), and consequently, desiring desperately for a change. Only then can you truly begin your journey towards real and lasting change. Before that, no amount of New Year's resolution can make you dump your addiction.
Only when you become desperate for change can God really does miracles in your life. Why? For a change to happen in your life, you have to firmly will it; God cannot do miracles in your life unless you firmly want it to happen. Your freedom to choose is a gift that He truly respects.
So instead of writing your New Year’s resolutions outright why not ponder first the reasons why you want to change. Do you want to change to be like other people or do you have a very deep personal reason -- something that makes you desperate for change? Find that reason first. Use your imagination; you don't have to hit rock bottom before you can truly commit to lasting change. Then ask Jesus to break the strong urge of your addiction for He alone can set you free, not medication. And while God is at work in you, avoid the thoughts, people, places and situations that make you vulnerable to the temptation of your addiction. Then wait patiently. You may not see it now or feel it now, but in Christ you become a new creature, slowly but surely. Just stay on your course regardless of how you feel.
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