How Do People Change

[CF1]

How do we change so we sin less and glorify God more?

I recently read the book "How People Change" and attended a class with group discussion. The book based on Doctrines of Sovereign Grace and how that impacts us on a daily basis, not just for salvation, but for daily Grace that we receive to have our hearts filled with Scripture that enables us to have deeper love, faith, and joy.

Here is a link to reviews and comments by others on Amazon.com


Here is a quote from a reader

The first five chapters lay a foundation for what real Biblical life change is and isn't--they talk about how easy it is to substitute external change like formalism and activism for true change of the heart. They lay out the crucial understanding of our marriage to Christ, and how God designed real change to take place in the context of community. There is a lot of rich thought provoking truth on every page of these foundation chapters.

Next, they move onto their central Biblical picture of how God has designed change: that of the tree. They explain chapter by chapter that the "heat" of living in a fallen world brings out fallen human responses of sin and evil "thorns." But as we turn to the cross of Christ and His presence we gain the ability to bear beautiful fruit, new supernatural responses to the same "heat" that before would only produce thorns.

True "fruit" only comes from the nourishment that God provides, and we need to be able to recognize the thorns and the fallen nature behind them to be able to choose Christ instead. This book is a wonderful Biblical mirror to hold in front of your soul, to be able to see yourself, the good and the bad, and see the work of God within.

Have any others read this book? What are your thoughts about it?

P.S. I have no connection to the authors and am not saying I agree with everything in the book. But it has helped me in practical ways to recognize I need to have my heart changed, to address all the symptoms of pride, fear, hurt, lack of faith, frustration, and other sinful responses in my life.

I see the need to pray and desire the Lord to give me supernatural responses that come from Grace, Scripture, and Truth, and God's heart, not from my personal sin. These are all Biblical ways to help me change and allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in me to become more sanctified.

Are there other Scriptural and practical ways that the power of the Word of God can bring about heart change that impacts our daily habits, attitudes, core beliefs, love for God and for others in the Beloved?

 

[Romans7man]

How do we change so we sin less and glorify God more?

I recently read the book "How People Change" and attended a class with group discussion. The book based on Doctrines of Sovereign Grace and how that impacts us on a daily basis, not just for salvation, but for daily Grace that we receive to have our hearts filled with Scripture that enables us to have deeper love, faith, and joy.

Here is a link to reviews and comments by others on Amazon.com


Here is a quote from a reader



Have any others read this book? What are your thoughts about it?

P.S. I have no connection to the authors and am not saying I agree with everything in the book. But it has helped me in practical ways to recognize I need to have my heart changed, to address all the symptoms of pride, fear, hurt, lack of faith, frustration, and other sinful responses in my life.

I see the need to pray and desire the Lord to give me supernatural responses that come from Grace, Scripture, and Truth, and God's heart, not from my personal sin. These are all Biblical ways to help me change and allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in me to become more sanctified.

Are there other Scriptural and practical ways that the power of the Word of God can bring about heart change that impacts our daily habits, attitudes, core beliefs, love for God and for others in the Beloved?

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

What would you say to someone that can't read or someone that has only heard the gospel and believed, but has no access to a Bible? Many churches in the world do not even have a Bible for the preacher much less for the congregation. The preacher goes to other towns and places where the gospel is being preached and then he goes back and repeats what he has heard. How do they overcome temptations?
I think too many have made the gospel something that can't be understood until you have book X, Y, and Z. I'm not saying having those books is wrong or not helpful, but they are not necessary either. Sometimes they may be a hindrance.
The gospel is, Christ crucified, buried, and resurrected! When we believe and are saved we are crucified, buried, and raised with Christ! Reckon that to be true and walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. But that may be too simple for some and they want to add to it and work for salvation.
When temptation comes up before you, just yield to the Spirit. Remind yourself you are dead to those things and it is not pleasing to God to do those things He saved you from and forget about it. Works for me!
Peter gives good instructions in 2 Peter.
Temptations are good for us, it tries our faith. Our faith is so precious to God He allows us to be tempted so we can overcome temptation, strengthening our faith all the more, 1 Peter 1 and James 1.

 

[freeatlast]

I don't know anything about the book you mentioned so I cannot comment on that. However to your question "how do people change?"
One thing I think we try and make it too difficult. Another I think we deny it is possible, and third I think we deny our sin.

Let me take the last first the bible says we are to keep the commandments and if we do not we are not His. However when this is mentioned the first thing out of most peoples mouth is well no one can keep the commandments because no one is perfect. Right off the person is rejecting the word of God for their own belief system so why would God work in their life for a closer walk?

Because of this unbelief they cannot confess their sin properly because they hold that no one can keep the commandments and by believing that, they do not take full responsibilty for their sin. If they were wise they would believe what is written and seek to understand what is meant by the text instead of denying it. So they end up being sin deniers instead of sin confessors.

Second about making it too difficult. Most people think they need to seek some second blessing, or pray for the Spirit, or fast (nothing wrong with fasting but it will do nothing if we are in denial) or what ever else there might be that they seem to be lacking. The truth is they already have everything.

2 Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

The problem is that very few of us accept that and seek in other places. We simply have to believe what we have been told! Now that we have all we need we need to know how to exercise what we have been given.
Read 5 through 8 in 2 Peter 1.

The bottom line is we have to stop denying what we have been told and looking in places for things we already have thus making it too difficult.

Lastly we have to stop denying it is possible. I get a lot of flack about this but I am not going to back off of it because what I am going to say is true. The church has programed the people to believe that it is impossible to go a day without sinning.

If we can go a minute without sinning we can go an hour and if we can go an hour we can go 2 hours and if 2 hours 10 hours and if 10 hours the day. We are not even awake for a whole day. As long as a person believes they cannot make it even one day without sinning they will never try and will never do it. They are defeated before they start. This old teaching, "we all sin every day" is false and not of the Lord. So we have to stop denying it is possible to go through a day without sinning.

To sum it up believe what the bible says, stop believing what man says, and apply what the bible says, but above all you have to want the walk, it is not going to be handed to us, you are talking about above anything or any one else. Then you will experience the change you are asking about.

 

[CF1]

Thank you for your posts that lead back to Scripture as the means to cause people to change! I agree completely!

Sound doctrine and meditation on the Word. Believing what God says.

All these things point us in the right direction to worship God.

Too often we have idols that keep us from worshiping God as we should. Then we neglect the truth about God and ourselves that is in the Word of God.