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What Do You Need to Change?

I can change more than I think

“God, grant me the Serenity to Accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and Wisdom to know the difference.” 

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. 1 CORINTHIANS 15:51 TNIV

I need something more powerful than motivation  

For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do…I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ROMANS 7:17-19 TNIV

Internal motivation is erratic and unreliable

External motivation is intimidating and overwhelming

We are not saved because of what we know, we are saved because of who we know.

I need the courage to look at what actually holds me back

So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. ROMANS 7:14 NLT

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? ROMANS 7:21-24 NLT

What is sin holding you back from?

– Sin is holding me back from the truth I need to succeed

– Sin is holding me back from the relationships I want

– Sin is holding me from the life God has for me

I need the full power of Jesus working in my life 

Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? ROMANS 7:24 NLT

Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord… ROMANS 7:24-25 NLT

And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. ROMANS 8:2 NLT 

My Notes

Personal Reflection Guide

Find a place to sit quietly with God to think further on this weekend’s message regarding change. As you ponder your own life, how have you seen God’s power bring about change? For those areas where change has been evident, thank him for bringing transformation in you. For those areas where you still desire change, bring those requests to God. Ask God to show you what the roots (rather than the specific circumstances) of these issues are. What would it look like to rely on the Holy Spirit to change those parts of your life you can’t change on your own? Ask God to show you some practical steps to rely on him more in these areas. Perhaps it’s as simple as taking a physical posture of surrender or release, offering these areas up to God for him to deal with. Stay in this moment for as long as you need to. James tells us to ‘confess your sins one to each other, pray for each other so that you may be healed’ (James 5:16 NLT). Is there someone you need to talk to and confess your sin to? Consider bringing this to a close friend or your community group so you can be free from hiding this area of your life. Close your time by thanking God for this time together; ask him for the courage to confess, if necessary, and also for an awareness of where he is working to bring about change in your life. Be mindful of these things as you walk through the upcoming week, thanking God for when you are reminded of his goodness in your life.

Discussion Questions

  1. What have you been learning about yourself, God or others in your personal Bible reading time? What stood out to you this week?
  2. As you look back at your journey with Jesus so far, in what specific ways has your life changed for the better as a result of becoming more like Jesus?
  3. Read Romans 7:14-17. We all settle short of God’s standard in one way or another. When have you been exasperated and/or truly frustrated with yourself, not understanding how you sinned like “this” again? How did this affect your view of yourself?
  4. Continue Reading Romans 7:18-20. According to this passage, why do we fail when we don’t want to and in what specific ways have you seen this passage play out in your own life?
  5. Continue Reading Romans 7:21-24. If our behavior is the branches, then our sinful nature is the root of our life’s tree. As you pursue Jesus, do you deal more with the branch problems or the root problem and in what ways have you seen yourself succeed or fail to change as a result?
  6. Continue Reading Romans 7:25. While we can connect with the Holy Spirit in many ways, the three primary ways are prayer, reading the Bible and through deep connections to each other. Which of these three do you need the most growth in to find lasting change and what is one step you can take this week to begin that change?