You Need God’s Power for Lasting Change

By Rick Warren

“I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question?” (Romans 7:24 The Message).

Have you figured out yet that you’re often your own worst enemy? Your own reactions, fears, and inadequacies can cause you to act in foolish ways. I know that’s true for me.

I need to be saved from myself because there are things I don’t like about me—things I wish I had done differently, things I’d like to change. But I can’t change them, at least not on my own power. I need an outside power source.

You may be saying, “I can change.” I hate to say this, but you can’t. At the start of each new year, you may make a list of resolutions, but by the end of January, that list sits in the trash. Why? Because you can’t change on your own; you need God’s power. You need a Savior—someone who can make the changes you can’t make yourself.

If you’re honest about it, sometimes you feel like your life is out of control. That’s a pretty common feeling. Welcome to the human race!

The apostle Paul felt that way nearly 2,000 years ago. He says this in the Bible: “I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question? The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does” (Romans 7:24-25 The Message).That’s the answer!

You may be looking for that one thing that will give you fulfillment and meaning and peace in life. But if you’re not looking to Jesus for salvation, you’re looking in all the wrong places, and that’s why you’re frustrated.

Some of us think that if we could just get married, or get a certain job or a promotion, or attain a certain level of wealth, or have a baby, or watch our children graduate, things would be better. A lot of people are looking for salvation in a self-help book, therapy, a fad, a diet, or a vacation.

But that’s looking in the wrong places.

The answer is not in your circumstances. It’s not in a place or a program or a pill. The answer is a person: Jesus Christ. You were made by God and for God, and until you understand and accept that, life is never going to make sense.

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