Changing From The Inside Out
You’ve heard the saying, “out with the old, in with the new”. When we are looking to change something in our lives, we often know what needs to be done. For example, if we want to lose weight, we know that we have to increase the quality and reduce the quantity of food that we eat, and we need to exercise. We have the knowledge to know what to do, but we struggle doing what is needed. Change doesn’t truly happen until our hearts are changed and we become convicted. To change our behavior we have to change from the inside out. If we want change to stick, we have to change both our hearts and minds.
Scripture:
“Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.” – 2 Colossians 3:3
Observation/Application:
How do we drive lasting change? We do it from the inside out. We work with people on their inside first and the behaviors follow. And when it comes to our faith, God does it from the inside out. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we recognize ourselves as a child of God, and heir to the kingdom. We focus on Christ. We recognize the old us is dead. We get rid of all of those bad and destructive behaviors. We take off our old set of clothes and throw them away. We replace them with a new set of clothes, replacing the old ones with new behaviors.
Rigor and discipline is our faithfulness in Christ. God loves all His children. And for us to finish well, to win the race, we need to kick up our faithfulness… our rigor and discipline. We don’t win the race by training like the rest. The easiest way to finish well is to set our minds on Christ, “on things above”. Through the eye of the storm, in times of abundance and joy, at all times and in all circumstances, let us set our minds on Christ. Let us set our minds on things above, and put our confidence in the One who can change everything!
#Making-Change-Stick
Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, thank you for your Word today. It is a beautiful day. My body is refreshed, my mind is renewed. My heart is ready to overflow with your goodness. Let us walk in your Presence today. Fill us with your power and strength as we go into battle today against the evil forces in this world. Let the arrows of the enemy bounce off us life pebbles against a concrete wall. We walk boldly in you, acknowledging that we are the head and not the tail. We give you all the honor and glory and praise, in Jesus mighty name. Amen.
Today’s full reading: 1 Kings 20-21; 2 Chronicles 17; Colossians 3
Scripture References From Today’s Reflection:
- “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17
- “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2
- “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” – Ezekiel 36:26
- “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” – Philippians 1:6
- “But that is not the way you learned Christ! – assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” – Ephesians 4:20–24
Image courtesy of: mabi2000
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