Why can’t I change?

November 9, 2021 

Have you ever wanted to make a significant change in your life, and you try, and you try to change, but you can’t? Is anybody ever frustrated with that? Today we are going to look at a truth from Scripture that may help you with the change you can’t seem to make. 

Because sometimes we get stuck. Sometimes what I am hoping for this year, is the same thing I was hoping for the year before, and the year before that. I can have a lot of hope, but nothing changes.  

Maybe you want to stop something: stop smoking, stop overeating. Or you want to start something: start praying faithfully, or reading God’s word daily, or start exercising. And maybe you start off well making a change, but in a week or two, you fall back into old patterns. You try and you try: you try to manage your money better; you try to get out of debt. But its’ hard, and you decide, “I’m just going to go shopping! You decide some retail therapy will make you feel better.  

Why can’t I change? We can change. With God’s help. Let’s all pledge to do this. Say, “With God’s help…”  “I’ll choose what I want most…”   “Over what I want now.” 

Last Sunday we learned that when we fail, this voice inside says, “You’re no good, you can never change.” And we get stuck in a cycle of shame. But the Apostle Paul said, “Thanks be to God who delivers me!” God saves us! Our identity is in him, and when we believe that we belong to God and take steps to keep growing closer to God each day, it opens the way for us to change in the strength and power of God. We are not our past. We can change through Christ! 

Next week we’ll learn why it’s important to never give up. 

Today we’re going to hear from a Scripture passage: 1 Timothy 4:8. Timothy was a co-worker of Paul. He had a problem to deal with in the church: some people in the church started teaching a different doctrine: that they have already been resurrected spiritually. They believe they are like gods here on earth. They also rejected marriage. 

Timothy is pastor and teacher in the church where this belief was going around, so he is urged in 1 Timothy 4:6 & 8, nourish yourself on the words of faith and sound teaching and “Train yourself in godliness.” Notice what the verse does not say: it doesn’t say “try to be godly.” It says “Train yourself in godliness.” What’s the difference between trying and training? 

What are you doing? I’m trying to serve God. I’m trying to be a good Christian. I’m trying to go to church. I’m trying to read the Bible. I’m trying to stop cussing. I’m trying to be more loving. I’m trying not to worry so much. I’m trying to exercise. I’m trying, I’m trying, Man, I’m really trying the best I can. I’m trying so hard not to be me. I’m trying not to be in debt. I’m trying. Why am I not changing? Because I need to stop trying and start training. Stop trying and start training.  

Trying is hoping, wishing, a half-hearted attempt, without a real commitment to seeing it through.  

Training is a whole-hearted commitment to achieve a specific result. If you’re training you’ve got a game plan, you’ve got a strategy. You’ve got some fight in you. You’ve got some Rocky in you. You’re in training, you’ve got a focus and a purpose. Training is to take every bit of power you have and some power you don’t have: power from heaven, and strain toward the goal for which God has created you. 

Imagine there’s a marathon. And one runner says to the other, before the start, what did you do to train? And the other says, “I didn’t really get around to it. Things were busy, with work and my family. I tried but I didn’t really get around to training. The other guy says, “You mean you’re going to run a marathon and you didn’t even train for it?” And he says, “Well, I’m pretty excited to be here because I’m getting a free t-shirt. I’m going to try as hard as I can.” 

When you have a goal, a dream, a spiritual assignment from heaven, just trying is unthinkable. We’re not trying to honor God. We’re in training to do what God has created us to be. What is training? It’s doing what I can do today, so I can do even more tomorrow. Maybe you’re training to do a marathon, but you can’t do one now. Can you walk a mile today? You can. If you walk a mile today, you walk a mile and a half tomorrow. Soon you’re running two miles, then three. You’re in training.  

Can you get out of debt in a month? No, you can’t. But instead of buying coffee every morning you can make your own coffee and save money toward that goal you’re training for. Can you become a spiritual powerhouse by noon tomorrow? No, but you can get a Bible reading plan, open your Bible or get the Bible app and read the word of God every day. We’re training, a step at a time, with a plan to get better. 

In August I started training. I signed up for website bootcamp, to make a website for St. Peter’s. I should have known that something with the word “bootcamp” in it would be really rough. I was intimidated, but I thought, I can do this, I can learn to build a website. In three days of bootcamp you would have your website pretty much built. Bootcamp was online and the first day, the leaders went so fast. I couldn’t see some of what they were teaching, it was off my computer screen. There was so much they taught I didn’t understand. I asked questions. But by the end of the day my brain was fried. There was one guy in the bootcamp who said he didn’t like it; it was too easy! 

I know real, military bootcamp is much rougher. But website bootcamp felt impossible. It was so stressful. 

I’m not a techy person. In my family, Kevin fixes every problem we have with computers. I just turn the computer over to him. Then I have a kid who’s a computer programmer. And I taught my other kid, Ian, how to use MailChimp for email, he ended up teaching me things I had never figured out. So I’m not techy. But I kept going in website bootcamp: I thought, people looking for a church today are online, they’re on their phones, checking out what churches are like, so great church websites are a must have. 

At the end of the first day of bootcamp, Ian said, “Mom, you can change the view on zoom, so you can see the whole screen. That helped. Things started making more sense the second day. I couldn’t drop out. Somebody’s eternity is on the line: if I don’t learn to make a good website, people out there looking for God, and the support of God’s people won’t find us. 

I got through bootcamp. Susan Shadle helped cracked the whip and get me working. It took a month and a half, rather than 3 days to get it done. But I was in training. I would contact the support person online when I had a question. His name was Jarret. His favorite word was “awesome!” And finally, a month and a half later, St. Peter’s had an “awesome” website! 

That didn’t happen by just trying. It took training, support, a plan, and commitment. Training is doing what I can do today, so I can do even more tomorrow. I’m not just a pastor who can make a nice website. I’m a spiritual warrior. I’ve got a calling to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. And I can do all things, even techy things, through Christ who strengthens me! 

Who are you? You’re a spiritual warrior too! Tell somebody near you, “I’m a spiritual warrior!” You’re an overcomer, you’re victorious. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. 

My homework for you is to ask yourself, “How could I train in order to reach my goal?” 

Stop trying. It doesn’t work. You have to be all in to make a change. Think bootcamp, training. And remember who you are. You are a spiritual warrior.  

God loves you no matter what. He loves you not based on what you do but based on who he is. He is love, and He loves you tremendously. Follow Him and get in training to become more of who God already says you are. Amen.