The Old You Must Die, for the New You to Live

Many people live their life hoping things will change. They hope they will eventually lose weight, have more time, get a better job, pay off their bills, find the love of their life, improve a relationship, get their life right…and the list goes on. They want change, the welcome change, and then they wait on change – but change doesn’t come.

Change doesn’t happen on its own. It’s funny, because I believe most of us know this, yet we still do nothing, while waiting on things to change. Change is a result of many small changes. If you want to get fit, your body can’t change unless you change your actions. One French novelist said,

“All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy (sadness); for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.” Anatole France

These are SUCH wise words. In order for one life to live, the old life must die. We can’t live double lives. We can’t get a new result living the same we always have. Some of our old habits, our old thoughts, our old beliefs and old ways must die. HOWEVER, don’t you know that the small things in us that must die, the things we must give up, are minuscule compared to the reward? We often focus on what has to die and forget about what will come alive in us if we follow through.

“do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” Romans 13:14

It’s so easy to focus on what our flesh (our body) wants more than what our body needs. Joyce Meyer once said “if you want something in you to die, you just need to quit feeding it”.  We make things so difficult at times, but the truth is, change is that simple. We must die to one life before we can live another. And, if we want something to become alive and strong in our life, we need to start feeding it.

If you are ready to make some changes, or even if you just want to take things to the next level. Follow the next 3 steps to a new you.

MIND: The Warm Up

Before you can exercise change, you have to get your mind warmed up. You mentally have to prepare for change. Answer these 5 questions to begin making changes.

1. How do you want to change? Make a list of all the changes you would like to make in your life.
2. What areas of your life are you “feeding” that are hurting your quality of life and getting in the way of those changes? (i.e.: An unhealthy relationship with food, alcohol, surfing the web, addiction, laziness, selfishness, complacency, money, things, desires, partying (social needs/fulfillment, body obsession, scale obsession, excuses…)
3. Make a list of all the steps it will take to create change. What do you need to stop feeding? What actions will you need to take to change directions? What is your first step? Second? Third?
4. Make a list of all the rewards that will follow change. List how you will feel, act, and look – and how those changes will affect your life, job, personality, relationships, etc.
5. Now, compare the list of rewards to the list of the things you need to give up (or minimize) in your life. If you hesitate for even a second, realize what is standing in the way. Are you really going to let XYZ get in the way of your happiness?

BODY: The Workout

Follow through with your “workout”. If you answered the above questions, you know what you need to do. There maybe a phone call you need to make, an appointment you need to schedule, food you need to throw away, alcohol you need to pour down the drain, a gym you need to join, a class need to try, a support group you need to attend, rules you need to apply around the house, people who need to know your struggle, accountability you need to have….Action is required. Don’t wait until tomorrow to start working through these steps today.

TIP: If there is something that keeps popping up in your mind, an area that you are unsure is wrong, and you wonder if it has a grip on you, it probably does. Listen to your convictions and fix this area of your life. We all have something we think of when we soul search, but we don’t always act on our thoughts. Today needs to be different. Changes needs to happen and it starts with changing the way you listen to yourself.

SOUL: Today’s Scripture

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:39

God knew that we would struggle with our own flesh. Scripture talks about dying to self all the time because He knows how much it wants to rule over us. Whether it’s lust for food, lust for money, lust for sex or lust for success – our body lusts for many things – and we must not let it rule our lives. Any of those things are not bad in themselves, it’s when they have power over our life, and rule our life, that it is unhealthy. When we finally deny our flesh as the “king” of our life, we will discover real freedom – real life, a healthy life, a fruitful life, a joyous life, an every lasting life.