You cannot keep doing what you’ve always done and hope the outcome is going to be different this time. That’s called insanity. Someone who has become aware that she can’t control her impulsive spending should not be spending her free time at the mall. And the man who’s trying to stop drinking should not keep attending happy-hour with his friends.
What things might be helping you to continue in your sin? You may have to make some minor or maybe major lifestyle changes, but surrendering means that you will be willing to do whatever it takes to get your life back on track. As you take inventory of your life, pay particular attention to those things that may be feeding your flesh and therefore keeping you from seeking God first and foremost.
Take some time right now to evaluate your lifestyle and activities, and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you anything that may be holding you back from a victorious life. Be sure to consider your friendships, free-time activities, interests, and hobbies. Decide if you need to make changes in regard to the music you listen to, TV you watch, movies you attend, magazines and books you read, language you use, food in your pantry, places you go, or the people you hang out with. Every part of your life needs to be open to the healing scrutiny of our loving God as you attempt to identify and remove those things that are not glorifying God and thwarting your efforts to change.
Excerpted from “Feeding Your Appetites” by Steve Arterburn
