{"id":621,"date":"2018-09-17T01:20:42","date_gmt":"2018-09-17T01:20:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/nextsteps\/?p=621"},"modified":"2018-09-17T01:21:35","modified_gmt":"2018-09-17T01:21:35","slug":"621","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/nextsteps\/2018\/09\/621.html","title":{"rendered":"Where Do I Find the Power to Change? (10 Steps to Freedom Week 2 Day 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"unsplash-logoKirsten
Kirsten 24K<\/span><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The following is a devotion from my message series\u00a010 Steps to Freedom<\/a>. I hope these devotionals help you experience lasting freedom in Jesus!<\/em><\/p>\n

STEP TWO: day 1<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Surrender<\/i><\/b> and unleash the Spirit\u2019s power within you<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Where do I find the power to change? <\/i>If you\u2019ve struggled with addiction long enough, you\u2019ve asked yourself this question before. Whether it\u2019s the alcohol that no longer numbs your pain or the depression that used to come and go but now hasn\u2019t left in quite awhile, you\u2019ve wanted to change. You\u2019ve wanted to clean yourself up. You\u2019ve even been willing to get help. Your \u2018want to\u2019 is not the problem. Some moments, either in the depths of despair or feeling empowered by a transcendent moment of clarity, your desire to change has made the difference, for awhile. But it just doesn\u2019t seem to be enough. You\u2019ve gone through countless cycles of guilt and shame, promises followed by more guilt and shame. Change happens for awhile, but your willpower always gives out sooner or later, to the point where you might be tempted to lose hope. But as we discovered last week, we can have hope because of Jesus. But hope isn\u2019t enough to change your life. You need power<\/i>. If you (or someone you love) has struggled with addiction long enough, you\u2019ve come to the grim realization that your willpower, your self-control, your \u2018want to\u2019 simply isn\u2019t enough. You need something greater, something deeper, something more powerful.<\/span><\/p>\n

That power is step two on the road to freedom. The power of God, the same power that created this universe with a spoken word and the power that raised Jesus from the dead, that power is available to everyone who believes in Jesus. So why aren\u2019t more Christians leveraging the power of God within them? Because it hasn\u2019t been unleashed. And that comes through surrender.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Have you tried to break free from a bad habit or an addiction before? How long did it last? What was the result?<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Read Romans 7:21-25. Do you identify at all with Paul\u2019s struggles? How so?<\/p>\n

You can read other devotional entries\u00a0for 10 Steps to Freedom\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following is a devotion from my message series\u00a010 Steps to Freedom. I hope these devotionals help you experience lasting freedom in Jesus! STEP TWO: day 1 Surrender and unleash the Spirit\u2019s power within you Where do I find the power to change? If you\u2019ve struggled with addiction long enough, you\u2019ve asked yourself this question…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":607,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[316],"tags":[235,93,318,65,130,326],"class_list":["post-621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-10-steps-to-freedom","tag-addiction","tag-change","tag-freedom","tag-jesus","tag-power","tag-surrender"],"yoast_head":"\nWhere Do I Find the Power to Change? 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