To Grow, I Must Choose to Change

“Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.” Ephesians 4:22 (NLT) Change requires making choices. It’s not enough to dream of changing. It’s not enough to desire change. To change, I need to make a decision. I must choose to change. Change is intentional. Am I going to be any different in six months? Am I going to be better a year from now? Am I going to be healthier, stronger, and more mature? Am I going to be happier? Am I going to be more like God wants me to be? These changes will only happen if I choose to change—because change doesn’t happen accidentally. Change requires a choice! A lot of times I think we’re waiting on God to change me. No! God is waiting for me. He’s waiting on me to say, “Yes, Lord, I’m willing to make these changes.” I will need 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 I'm going to grow, I will have to change. And change means that I 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 has to reach out and grab the other one. At some point, he’s got to let go of the first one in order to grab the next one, or he won’t make it to the other side. If he tries to hold on to both, what happens? He gets stuck in the middle, and he will fall. I to am stuck in the middle, and falling because I haven’t let go of the old patterns, the old habits, and the old ways of thinking. I have to let go of my old ways. The Bible says, “Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life” (Ephesians 4:22 NLT). In other words, let it go. Those old habits, those old hurts, those old patterns, those old sins in my life—let them go. Throw them off and trust that God is working in me “to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13 NIV). In summary: Change requires intentional choices. To grow and improve, I must actively decide to make changes, as change doesn't happen by chance. It involves letting go of old habits, sins, and patterns to embrace new ways of thinking and living. Just like a trapeze artist must release one bar to grab the next, I must let go of the old to move forward. God is waiting for me to make that choice, and though change can be painful, it's necessary for growth. Ephesians 4:22 urges us to "throw off your old sinful nature" and trust that God is guiding us toward transformation. I will be intentional today, and not just think about it, but actually do it.