He's Got the Power

I just shared this with a special friend, but in light of all that's happening in the evangelical world, it seemed to somewhat be applicable to all of us. Who of us can fix ourselves? It is solely the power of God and our trust in Him that changes our hard hearts. Our best efforts fall miserably short of His glory. That sounds depressing, but it's actually encouraging! I don't have to be good enough - I just have to trust that He is and that His power can change me, too.


S - Galatians 3:5-6 (MSG) "Answer this question: Does the God who lavishly provides you with his own presence, his Holy Spirit, working things in your lives you could never do for yourselves, does he do these things because of your strenuous moral striving OR because you trust him to do them in you?"

O - Paul's question answers itself when He describes God "working things in our lives we could never do for ourselves." We can't do them - obviously, it's only God who can.

A - Most days I can point out where I messed up in my thoughts or actions, and I often attribute the lack of self-control or the poor choices to my inability to "learn my lesson." But do I trust the God who began this work in me to complete it? If the weight of sin and the desire to overcome it rests squarely on my shoulders, I will lose the battle. I am human, and my personal choices will never be good enough to transform my own heart and mind. My only hope is for God to change me from the inside out - changing just what I do and say isn't enough. The very heart of who I am needs the touch of God. And if I am truly depending on God to change me, I will be desperate enough to spend time with Him, to read His words of life and allow them to sink deep into my soul, and to cry out with all my heart to my Father.

P - Father, I need You. The problem is that I can act like I don't need You, but the fact remains that I am a pitiful mess without You. Please forgive me for the actions that say I don't really need You in my life each day in order to make it. Despite my human nature, I want to be more like You in my heart of hearts. I trust that in my time spent with You, Your light will penetrate my heart and invoke the change I so desperately want to see.