word4U2day

2026-05-22

How change happens (4)

Genesis 32:30 NIV

Change happens through cooperation. Jacob named the place where he wrestled with the angel 'Peniel', meaning 'the face of God'. Each of us must eventually come face to face with God, and when we do He can change us. In today's society, we've become used to helping ourselves. We've developed an attitude of 'I must be independent and do everything myself'. In other words, we're not very good at asking for help. But the thing is, we can also be afraid of failing and when we're trying to do everything on our own, we won't always manage it. We put high expectations on ourselves, especially in our spiritual lives. We think 'If I just try harder, I'll be better'.

But God doesn't ask that of us. He doesn't say 'Try hard and use your willpower to become perfect.' Yes, we need to try but we also need God's power. He's the One who brings about change in our lives. He's the One who transforms us to be more like Him. We can't do it on our own. If we try, we can end up becoming burned out and disillusioned.

When we have a personal encounter with the living God, He changes us. And He doesn't do a bit of change and then leave us. Paul says 'He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ' (Philippians 1:6 NIV). But He doesn't force change on us. We need to be open to what He wants to do and then cooperate with Him.

Links to Bible verses: Holy Bible

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