“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7, NLT).
You’ve probably heard the old saying, “Old habits die hard.”
It’s true. By the time we are four or five years old, our personalities have largely been determined. In that short period of time, the way in which we are going to grow up dealing with the world has already been formed. Kind’a scary when you think about!
As we grow older our relationships, our environment, and everything that we come in contact with, adds to the mix, and our identities become further set in stone.
It’s difficult enough to navigate the world as one who is self-assured. But if you grew up being abused or told that you were worthless or have been otherwise tossed around by life, then you live like you’re dodging rocks being thrown at you or you meld yourself into a codependent relationship because you feel like your personality cannot survive on its own.
Wow! No wonder it’s so hard to change! But first, we’ve got to know whether or not we NEED to change. So, we need ask to ourselves, “Is there a better life for me?” And, if so, “What is it and how do I do it?”
These are all good questions. And remarkably, the answer is the same for everyone. Yes, regardless of whether you grew up with the good, the bad, or the ugly, there IS A BETTER LIFE! It is a life in the love, affirmation, and surety of Jesus Christ. How do we do it? He has done it for us!
Galatians 2:20 says, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ in me. So, I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
As Christians, we now know that our identity is no longer the one in which we grew up, rather it is the new identity we have in Jesus. But still, our old habits die hard, don’t they?
To accept and move into the new life that Jesus has given us, we need the Power of the Holy Spirit and we need discipline. Together, God enables us to change our old ways and adopt His new ways, as long as we are WILLING to do so. That means we must restructure the way in which we process our lives – and that is the key to discipline.
It is up to us to search ourselves and find within us the discipline, the ability, to change according to the riches of a life with Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will teach and nurture us with the discipline to change – to become who God created us to be!
David McCall
Executive Pastor
