You can’t change your life living the same old way …

Before taking on a counseling client, I put a lot of effort into assessing whether the person is serious about changing their life. If they aren’t, I don’t enter into a counseling relationship with them.

To do so would be a waste of their time, and mine. If they aren’t serious about doing the work they must do to change their life, then I can’t help them … because any counselor can only help someone, the client must do the work in their own lives.

That’s why counseling provided through Scott Free Clinic comes with hefty doses of educating, equipping, homework, and accountability, all provided to help clients be able to do the work of changing their lives.

But here’s what every client learns quickly – they can’t change their lives living the same old way.

To change their lives, they’re going to have to learn to …

Change the way they think …

Change their emotions (by changing the way they think) …

Change their behavior, including habits, patterns, how they use their time, and how they prioritize.

To really change their lives, they will need to expand their knowledge about some things, and learn new skills. They will probably have to learn to relate to others differently. In fact, they’ll probably have to relate to others, themselves, and God differently!

They’ll have to do the homework, and do the ongoing work, and make both a top priority.

Which means they can’t continue to live the same old way and expect real, significant, and lasting change.

The Bible has a similar message for us, and not just for a portion of our being called our “spiritual life,” but for the entirety of our lives.

Jesus sacrificed His life to save ours, not so that we could continue to live life the same old way and add something in, but so we could become holy people who are entirely new creations.

“For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time,” Hebrews 10:10.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17.

The Holy Spirit does what we can’t — transforming us from the inside out so that we become more and more like Jesus — but there’s still real and significant change God expects us to do. We find instruction to change our lives throughout scripture, such as:

“So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him,” Colossians 3:7-10.

Fortunately, God not only is doing His work of transforming us, but also empowers us to make the changes we’re accountable for making:

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him,” Philippians 2:13.

We can’t change our lives by living the same old way.

And we cannot be God’s holy people by living the same old way.

Doing the work to make the changes we need (and must!) make has to be among our top priorities if we’re serious about change. Anything less and we’ll lose the battle of the flesh, finding ourselves giving in to old desires, habits, and patterns.

So if you want to think, act, and use your time in the same old way, don’t expect real change. Do expect the consequences of not doing the work real and lasting change requires.

Scotty