Real Change Requires Faith

In Ephesians 3:20 I read, “Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.” (TLB)

Real change in life requires knowing God’s truth, cleaning your spiritual house, and honest community. And, like anything to do with spiritual growth, real change requires faith.

In other words, I have to believe that I can change, with God’s help.

How does God help us to change? There are two primary ways. He can transform us by his Spirit living in us and with his Word, the Bible.

Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes” (TLB).

So the biggest thing we’d ever want to change in life, is not too big for God.

We’ve likely tried and failed to make the change on our own. This is because we never were meant to change alone. We change with God’s power. And how do we get God’s power? Through faith. God supplies his power in response to our faith in him.

Philippians 4:13 is a familiar verse, but the Amplified Bible says it in a way we may not have heard before: “I can do all things [which he has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything . . . through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]”

With the power of Jesus Christ, I can do anything God has called me to do. His power was infused in me when I became his follower.

So, to obtain a change, we need a can-do attitude—not a big ego about what we can do but a big faith in what God is able to accomplish in and through us.

Jesus said in Matthew 9:29, “According to your faith let it be done to you” (NIV).

We get to choose how much we change. I get to choose how much God blesses my life. I get to believe in faith that God can help me make the hard changes.

In all of this, the glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in me. By this power he can do infinitely more than I could ever ask or imagine. Faith starts with stretching my imagination. It begins with a concept, vision or a mental picture. It always starts with an idea. As an example, God gave Abraham a picture. Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. Abraham had something he could visualize. God will grow my faith by stretching my imagination, by giving me a dream. What I can dream and believe in faith, I can achieve.