How Can I Change?

Title of Chapter 6 in the study of Galatians.

As a side note - Proverbs 31 is offering a study of Galatians also in First 5.  When I investigated it, there was a charge for a book, but since I have the book written by Joyce Meyer and am using it, I decided against buying another one.  However, this morning there was an offer of a free download of the study of the first chapters, and since it was free, I downloaded it and printed it off.  I am hoping for a deeper study of this book.  At some point I will search for a similar study on Philippians because that is one of my favorite books of the Bible.  I like the Book of Ruth also, and I did study that through a book by Liz Curtis Higgs (and I just love her!   TA DA!)

Anyway...How Can I Change?

The first section was titled 'The Key to Real Change" and the focus is Galatians 3: 1-4

Key points for me:

I could never change myself through struggle, self-effort, discipline, or anything else without God's help.  He had begun a good work in me, and He would finish it. (Phil. 1:6)  see?  Philippians!!

There has to be effort on our part.  It would be like having the best teacher in the world in the classroom and just sitting there and not making any effort to learn from that teacher.  But I think the point is that we have to trust God to lead us in the right direction with our changes, no matter what they may been we need to trust that God will give us the understanding that we need and know that He is indeed in control and that HE will make the outcomes as they should be.  This does give me more peace about the situations.

Change doesn't come by our trying to change; it comes as we learn our new identity in Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to work out of us what God has placed in  us.

By focusing on what God's lessons have been, and trying to live by showing respect and love to others is what we need to do to change ourselves and to show others the benefits of living a godly life.  Whether they recognize it or not is up to them.  All we can do is focus on how WE act and how WE live.

We cannot give away what we don't have, so God works in us and we work with the Holy Spirit to work out what is in us.

 This reinforces what I just said---about letting Jesus work through us and letting others see the effects of how He is working in our lives.  Leading by example. Living by example.

What we need to do is hear the Word and let it convict us of sin or something that needs to change in us, repent, and receive God's forgiveness and ask Him to help us change.  We need to continue to pray for change to come and study God's Word in the area in which we need help.  Because the Word of God acts as medicine to heal our soul.

 This can apply so much to what is happening in our country today.  Asking Him to help us to change in our way of thinking, in treating others, in reacting to what others say and do?  All of this can be part of healing our souls.

If you have a problem with  jealousy, anger, disobedience, or lust, study that subject in the Bible, purchase Christian books that deal with it, and pray as you study.  The Holy Spirit will use the Word to change you.

This is what I have done with many of the Proverbs 31 OBS and with several other books that I have purchased.  I need to work on the one I purchased, I think written by Joyce Meyer, about forgiveness.  I have struggled with forgiving Mom for how she treated us over the years, and I still have issues with that.  I am getting better about forgetting because I am not dwelling on the verbal abuse and the instances of anxiety when we visited her as much as I used to.  But I still have trouble with forgiving her for all of the things she said, how she treated me, and her keeping Greta and me apart all of those years.  Why?  And how do you forgive your mother for treating you like that?  I do need to work on that! 

The Personal Reflection question:  Have your reached the point where you are no longer trying to change yourself but relying on God's grace to change you?  Explain why or why not?

I didn't really think about this until I read it the other day.  I have been so distraught over what is happening in our country.   I really don't want to talk about any of it with anyone, and I don't like to say that.  In our family there could be explosions because of people's differing opinions.  I don't want that to happen.  So what I need to do is rely on God's grace to lead me in the direction I need to go.  If I need to change my beliefs or my ways of thinking about the unrest, the political scene, the racism discussion, then I need to pray that God leads me to think and act the way that He needs me to be and go.  That is all I can do.  Otherwise, I will drive myself crazy.  I have to trust in Him. I must.

After I pray about these things, I always feel a peace come over me.  What should that tell me?  The Power of Prayer for sure!