PASTOR’S CORNER, Tyler Prater, Fellowship Baptist Church, Liberal
If you’ve ever made a New Year’s resolution, you know how hard change can be. “I’ll get in shape this year.” “I’ll be more patient.” “I’ll finally kick that bad habit.” Maybe you start strong. You make plans. You buy a gym membership. You download a new app. But eventually, life gets busy. Old habits creep back. Before long, you’re back where you started, and maybe even a little more discouraged than before.
It’s easy to wonder: Can I really change? Or am I just stuck the way I am? The Bible gives a hopeful, powerful answer: Real change is possible. But not through willpower alone. Real, lasting change comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
First, we have to understand why change is so difficult. The Bible teaches that the human heart is deeply affected by sin. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.” Sin isn’t just a set of bad habits—it’s a deep-seated problem in our nature. That’s why surface-level fixes don’t last. We can change our behavior for a while, but unless our hearts are changed, the old patterns return. We don’t just need a fresh start. We need a new heart.
This is exactly what Jesus offers. When a person places their trust in Him, the Bible says they are made new. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Becoming a Christian isn’t just turning over a new leaf—it’s receiving a new life. God forgives our sin, gives us a new identity, and places His Spirit within us to empower real change. Of course, change doesn’t happen all at once. It’s a lifelong journey called sanctification. God patiently, lovingly works in us day by day, shaping us to be more like Jesus.
So how does real change happen? I’ll suggest five ways that real change can happen.
1. It begins with surrender. Real change starts when we stop trying to fix ourselves and instead admit our need for God. We come to Him with empty hands, trusting not in our strength but in His.
2. Second, it’s fueled by the Holy Spirit. God doesn’t leave us on our own. When we trust Christ, He fills us with His Spirit—giving us new desires, new strength, and new hope.
3. Third, it’s strengthened by community. Change happens best when we walk alongside others. The Bible calls the church a family—a place where we encourage, challenge, and support each other.
4. Fourth, it’s guided by God’s Word. The Bible isn’t just an old book; it’s a living guide for life. As we read it, meditate on it, and obey it, God uses it to transform us.
5. Fifth, it’s rooted in grace. Change is a process, not a performance. We will stumble. But God’s grace is sufficient. He who began a good work in us will carry it to completion (Philippians 1:6).
Maybe you feel like you’re too broken to change. Maybe you’ve failed so many times that you’ve given up hope. Let me encourage you: God specializes in making old things new. There is no heart too hard, no life too messy, no past too shameful for Him to redeem. Real change is possible—not because we are strong, but because He is. So don’t give up. The One who made you can remake you. Your story isn’t finished yet.
