Can I Really Change? One Guaranteed Way Inside
Can I Really Change? One Guaranteed Way Inside
Do you know anyone who has hit rock bottom and has been completely changed? Ever wonder why they are so different? Are you desiring the change you see in their life, but don’t want to go through the pain they went through to experience the changed life?
We are all seeking the best life possible. Many people teach you that you should have the best things in life. Why not have everything your heart desires? All you need is a little faith, right?
I have found it interesting to watch from a distance the number of people seeking a changed life through the miraculous. Entire ministries have thrived through the ability to “heal” and “save” the sick. Thousands flock to arenas seeking healing from various ailments, including diseases, illnesses, physical deformities, and financial crises. They see others being healed and want it for themselves. Why not? When people are healed and can see, it helps them believe, and faith becomes easier.
Is this the kind of faith Jesus desires for each one of us? Jesus healed the sick and drove out the demons. So this must be right.
In the gospel of Luke, Jesus addresses faith. In the fifth chapter, a paralytic man was brought to Jesus. However, the crowds were so great that the friends trying to bring the man to Jesus were unable to get through the crowds. Determined and believing Jesus was the only way for healing, they took the man to the roof and lowered him through the roof. This man was not going to be kept away from Jesus. He had a faith that was not going to be denied.
When the man was in front of Jesus, Jesus acknowledged their faith and said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” Now, he didn’t come to Jesus to be forgiven; he came so he could walk. He wanted the change you can see, and so did the crowd. People in the crowd began to wonder how Jesus could forgive a man, for only God can forgive. They were seeing Jesus for his miracles, not his true identity as the Son of God. The change they were seeking was for the man to walk. Seeing the man walk would require faith. But how much faith did it take to see a miracle? Wouldn’t it take more faith to believe a miracle of the heart?
Jesus knew what the crowd was thinking and called them on their thinking, “Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?” Ouch! The crowd doubted the unseen and the deeper faith it required to believe Jesus could change a heart. So what did Jesus do? He commanded the paralytic man to get up and walk. When the man got up, the crowd was amazed by the bit of faith it took to see the miracle.
My life was changed when I hit my rock bottom. My 22 years of sexual addiction brought me to a place where I could continue destroying my life and my family, or I could trust Jesus to change my life, but I would have to increase my faith to the point of giving him everything. My faith was small, and I spent years asking Him to change my life, but only the things that didn’t require faith to change. I wanted to be rid of my addiction and change my habits, but not change my heart and acknowledge how little I trusted Jesus with my life.
“I could continue destroying my life and my family, or I could trust Jesus to change my life.”
Jesus changed me, but only when I reached the point of trusting him with everything. The day I told my wife about my addiction, I agreed to trust Jesus with my marriage, kids, job, home, friends, church, and reputation. To trust Him, I gave up control of everything and expected to lose it all.
What happened?
The only thing I lost was the secret of my addiction. By putting my faith in the unseen, Jesus changed my heart. In changing my heart, he changed my life! My wife and I are thriving 13 years later. We were blessed with another child. I left my full-time job and now lead this ministry to help others, all because Jesus transformed my faith from one I could not see.
Where do you find your faith? Do you find it in the crowds who believe by sight, or do you believe because you have let go of everything and live by faith that comes from giving Jesus your heart?
We are all seeking the best life possible. Many people teach you that you should have the best things in life. Why not have everything your heart desires? All you need is a little faith, right?
I have found it interesting to watch from a distance the number of people seeking a changed life through the miraculous. Entire ministries have thrived through the ability to “heal” and “save” the sick. Thousands flock to arenas seeking healing from various ailments, including diseases, illnesses, physical deformities, and financial crises. They see others being healed and want it for themselves. Why not? When people are healed and can see, it helps them believe, and faith becomes easier.
Is this the kind of faith Jesus desires for each one of us? Jesus healed the sick and drove out the demons. So this must be right.
In the gospel of Luke, Jesus addresses faith. In the fifth chapter, a paralytic man was brought to Jesus. However, the crowds were so great that the friends trying to bring the man to Jesus were unable to get through the crowds. Determined and believing Jesus was the only way for healing, they took the man to the roof and lowered him through the roof. This man was not going to be kept away from Jesus. He had a faith that was not going to be denied.
When the man was in front of Jesus, Jesus acknowledged their faith and said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” Now, he didn’t come to Jesus to be forgiven; he came so he could walk. He wanted the change you can see, and so did the crowd. People in the crowd began to wonder how Jesus could forgive a man, for only God can forgive. They were seeing Jesus for his miracles, not his true identity as the Son of God. The change they were seeking was for the man to walk. Seeing the man walk would require faith. But how much faith did it take to see a miracle? Wouldn’t it take more faith to believe a miracle of the heart?
Jesus knew what the crowd was thinking and called them on their thinking, “Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?” Ouch! The crowd doubted the unseen and the deeper faith it required to believe Jesus could change a heart. So what did Jesus do? He commanded the paralytic man to get up and walk. When the man got up, the crowd was amazed by the bit of faith it took to see the miracle.
My life was changed when I hit my rock bottom. My 22 years of sexual addiction brought me to a place where I could continue destroying my life and my family, or I could trust Jesus to change my life, but I would have to increase my faith to the point of giving him everything. My faith was small, and I spent years asking Him to change my life, but only the things that didn’t require faith to change. I wanted to be rid of my addiction and change my habits, but not change my heart and acknowledge how little I trusted Jesus with my life.
“I could continue destroying my life and my family, or I could trust Jesus to change my life.”
Jesus changed me, but only when I reached the point of trusting him with everything. The day I told my wife about my addiction, I agreed to trust Jesus with my marriage, kids, job, home, friends, church, and reputation. To trust Him, I gave up control of everything and expected to lose it all.
What happened?
The only thing I lost was the secret of my addiction. By putting my faith in the unseen, Jesus changed my heart. In changing my heart, he changed my life! My wife and I are thriving 13 years later. We were blessed with another child. I left my full-time job and now lead this ministry to help others, all because Jesus transformed my faith from one I could not see.
Where do you find your faith? Do you find it in the crowds who believe by sight, or do you believe because you have let go of everything and live by faith that comes from giving Jesus your heart?
Recent
Archive
2025
September
A Spiritual Green ThumbThankfulness in Times of TrialOne New LifeOne StepOne DecisionOne PossibilityOne FearOne LieOne DayFurther Up. Further In.When TImes Are Good, Don’t Lose GroundBlessings From The FatherWill shame stop exploitation?New Life in ChristNew Life: A Beautiful MessWhen It’s Hard To Do What You Said you would doConviction vs. ActionNot By SightFinding Identity In The Deep EndRefuge In The StormCan I Really Change? One Guaranteed Way Inside“I Made It” A Tribute To Terry TurnerOne Decision. One Choice.Free IndeedI never knew that something that merely peaked my curiosity at the age of twelve, would turn into years of relentless shame and secrecy. Over the course of four years pornography had consumed more of my life than I ever intended to give it. I vividly remember one of my most desperate prayers to God when I was sixteen. With knots twisting in my stomach, and tears uncontrollably running down my face I said, “God, I can’t do this anymore.” It was in that moment He replied, “Jessica, you don’t have to.” If you are reading this, I don’t know where you are in life or the magnitude of the struggles that you face. What I do know, is that there is such a thing as freedom. For me, it was freedom from more than a pornography addiction. Lust, deception, shame, guilt, comparison, rejection, abandonment, and condemnation have all reared their heads in the years that followed that night when I was sixteen. At times I found myself asking, “When will this ever end?” Somehow, I fell under the impression that the surrender of one thing meant that things in this new relationship with God would inevitably be effortless afterward. Not only was I wrong, but I am glad I was wrong. John 8:36 reads, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” To this day, it is a verse that has brought me the greatest joy, and I want to tell you why. Jesus starts out this verse by saying “if the Son sets you free.” I couldn’t keep up with the facade that everything was okay, and that I didn’t have an addiction. Freedom came in the moment I said that I couldn’t do it anymore. It wasn’t ever going to be found in my own ability, and for that I am thankful. I am thankful that I can never be too proud of my own strength and resistance to sin. On my own I will miserably fail. Then later in the verse comes my favorite part: “free indeed.” For only six letters, indeed is a powerful word. According to Strong’s concordance, some definitions include “really, truly,” and “actually.” In other words, Jesus was saying that this freedom is without question. It’s not a distant, unattainable fantasy. It’s an undeniable reality that only He can make possible. So where does this leave you now? It leaves you with a choice. Regardless of where you consider yourself to be in this life, Jesus is the only way to lasting freedom. The lies that tell you that this is how it always must be are exactly that – lies. There is a life beyond addiction. Ten years ago, I found myself at that crossroads where I had to decide if I wanted to keep living the way I was. Jesus wasn’t just as my crossroads, but on the road leading to it. I only had to recognize that He was there.
Categories
no categories
No Comments