You Have to Choose to Change

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES Life's Healing Choices   You Have to Choose to Change By Rick Warren — Jun 14, 2015 “Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.” (Ephesians 4:22 NLT, second edition) Change requires making choices. It's not enough to dream of changing. It's not enough to desire change. In order for you to change, you will need to make a decision. You must choose to change. Change is intentional. Are you going to be any different in six months? Are you going to be better a year from now? Are you going to be healthier, stronger, and more mature? Are you going to be happier? Are you going to be less in debt? Are you going to be more like God wants you to be? I can tell you the answer right now: It will only happen if you choose to change, because it isn't going to happen accidentally. It requires a choice. A lot of times we think we're waiting on God to change us. No! God is waiting on you. He's waiting on you to say, “Yes, Lord, I'm willing to make these changes.” We have to make intentional choices in order to grow. There is no growth without change, there is no change without loss, and there is no loss without pain. If you are going to grow, you will have to change, and change means you let go of some old things in order to grab hold of some new things. It's like swinging on a trapeze. The trapeze artist swings out on one bar, and then he has to reach out and grab the other one. At some point, he's got to let go of one to grab on to the other, or he's not going to make it to the other side. If he thinks he can hold on to both, what happens? He gets stuck in the middle, and he's going down. Some of you are stuck in the middle, and you’re going down because you haven't let go of the old patterns, the old habits, and the old ways of thinking. You have to let go of your old ways. The Bible says, “Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life ….” (Ephesians 4:22a NLT, second edition). In other words, let it go. Those old habits, those old hurts, those old patterns, those old sins in your life — let them go. The Bible says to throw them off and trust that God is working in you “to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13b NIV). PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over What change have you been waiting on God to make in you? What do you think your responsibility is to make that change happen? How is accountability with other believers helpful in making the choice to change and then following through on it? What do you need to do once you make the choice to change? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MJ4VqfCRZI What steps will help you move forward? Today’s Scripture “And walk in love, [esteeming and delighting in one another] as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us...” (Ephesians 5:2, AMP) SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS Esteem One Another We don’t often hear the word esteem used in our culture, but the Bible tells us to esteem and delight in one another. One definition of esteem is to hold in high regard. That means we are to honor and value one another. You may not always agree with everyone around you. They may not always act honorably, but we are to honor and esteem people because they are valuable in the eyes of God. If you had a very costly and valuable piece of jewelry, you wouldn’t just wear it to the gym or leave it on the kitchen sink. No, you would treat it carefully. You would put it in a safe place and protect it. When we see others as valuable, the way God sees them; we treat them carefully as well. We should watch how we talk to other people. We should look for the good in others and honor them for who God made them to be. The Bible tells us that the way we treat others is like sowing seeds, and it will come back to us. Choose to esteem and delight in one another. Sow good seeds, and you will see a harvest of blessing in your own life in return! A Prayer for Today “Father, today I choose love. I choose to honor the people around me. Help me to see the value in others the way You see the value in me. Help my actions and words to esteem and delight in others so that I can be an example of Your love and light in Jesus’ name. Amen.”