Many of us may spend most or all our lives hesitant to fully entrust ourselves to the Almighty Creator. Nevertheless, there is absolutely nothing more damaging than throwing ourselves into our own superficial remedies to try and numb ourselves. In our desperation, we will only find a temporary relief that fails to satisfy, and causes a pattern of destructive behavior that will only accelerate and cause more damage to our lives.

Anything that promises us instant relief may draw us in and entice us away from God. Quick fixes only complicate the overall mess and ongoing failures in our life.

These attempts for a solution do nothing to resolve our troubles, but instead offer a false sense of comfort as we nestle into a life filled with the never-ending temporary “fix”. As we hopelessly wrestle with the echoes of unhappiness and misery, we find this quick escape only temporary. The fast relief method only adds to the pile of unresolved problems swept under the carpet.

The truth is that avoiding problems makes it harder, not easier, for us. Ultimately, we must face them with God to be able to fully acknowledge and overcome them with lasting change.

We may come to the point when we realize we have hit rock bottom, but any solution to our problems continues to elude us. The unbearable pressure we can feel in the endless cycle of bad choices will cause the need for relief and a desire for a quick way out to escape our troubles. It may seem there is no other choice but to run and hide to avoid facing the hard truths about the mess we have made in our lives.

Up until now, you may not have had the ability to solve your problems with the lack of God’s wisdom. We are spiritually inadequate without Him and must not put our confidence in the flesh (Colossians 1:12-14).

You have probably relied on your own resources and the opinions of the world to influence your choices. However, only in scriptures will we find the truth about the solutions we so greatly need, as we allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the many areas in our lives in need of restoration and healing. Like myself, you may have only been scratching the surface your entire life and have never dug down deep enough to discover your true heart’s desires. You may have lacked the wisdom, the discernment, the courage, the hope, and the faith to build a personal relationship with God.

What does it take to know God more deeply, and come to know and understand yourself?

It takes time in prayer and obedience. It takes time to cultivate a relationship and unless we make the choice to set aside consistent time for prayer and study of scripture, we will never become intimate with the Lord. Obedience is the expression of trusting the promises made to us in God’s Word. As we grow to know and love God, we will learn to trust in Him, and in His promises and precepts.

Whenever God asks us to remove something from our life, a process I refer to as “weeding out”, it is not because He is a party pooper.

He asks things of us for the greater good because He loves us, and it is in our best interest to do so. God’s desire may be for you to begin by eliminating the destructive habits in your life that are leading to a sinful lifestyle. These are all the things that are only perpetuating the feeling of emptiness inside. Praying and knowing what God is asking of you is vital to change the directions of your life. He will ask you to remove anything that is causing distractions in your life because they are leading you far from God’s purpose. God wants your undivided attention. He no longer wants you to live in a numb state of denial. The changes needed will require a willingness to endure whatever sacrifices it takes to change your ways.

Attempts at quick fixes to long term problems and conditions will sadly produce even deeper pain, prolonged guilt and shame, and a hard conviction that we are not doing what we should to resolve our problems.

Most people love the idea of a quick-fix and do not hold themselves accountable. They want to take the easy way out, be able to make wrong choices, and continually get away with it. Sooner or later, we all must hold ourselves accountable for making wrong choices. If you do not choose to be accountable to God, eventually circumstances may force you to.

Make Lasting Changes

Nonchalantly scanning through the Bible today, without taking any genuine interest in it, will not give you the faith that you need to overcome the habit of your sinful lifestyle.

The Bible makes it clear that most of the time this is a long, daily process of abiding in God, fighting the good fight of faith, waging daily war against sin, and setting our minds on things that are above. The test of faith is a process of developing patience as you endure the trials and tribulations and overcome them with an inner strength and determination from God. According to Hebrews 10:36 “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”

When times are hard, it is even more difficult to have hope that things will change. Persevering with a good attitude is a challenge.

Giving yourself a pep talk like “Keep Calm and Carry On” is not enough to get your mind right. You need to turn to the one and only reputable source – the Bible.

The long-term study of the Word of God will set your mind up with new perspectives and a right frame of mind to face your trials.

Christianity is not a quick-fix, pain masking, patch it up, just make it go away kind of solution.

Christianity is about renewing your mind and changing what you think, which eventually changes who you are, and what you desire. It is a process of being intentional with how you think according to the Word of God. Although healing in faith is in an instant, it is usually a gradual process to be made completely manifest, and it takes work on your behalf to allow God to restore you.

We must fight daily to put our sins to death.

The process of sanctification, by making your life pure and holy by the grace of God, cannot be a part time job, or merely something that is done on a whim, halfhearted, or in the spur of the moment. You must be willing to do the work consistently, just as I did, by walking in faith through the trials that lead to lasting change in your life. Enduring the daily groaning of the pain and suffering of shedding your sins will take all your commitment to be transformed.

You must pray every day for miraculous sanctification in areas of habitual sin.

We have a God who is a master physician with no limitations. He can bring about the miracles of healing and holiness for His glory, and we should never lose hope. God means for the fiery trials to produce a well-refined sturdy faith, and a joy that would not have been there apart from our pain (1 Peter 1:3-9). What follows is a call to put sin to death (Colossians 3:5-11) and a call to live life in a labor of love.

Repentance is a change of your way of thinking.

Repentance says, “I am sorry for what I have done and am going to change my mind and my actions. I am going to turn away from that kind of behavior and seek a new life in Christ”. Repentance means to turn away from sin and turn towards God for the answers to the truth about your fallen life, and how to recover from it. When you need to repent of something, don’t put it off and waste time. Ask for God’s forgiveness and obey His commands to love others. It is impossible to change your attitude towards sin without first changing your mindset. This is what repentance is all about.

Until you change your thoughts, perspectives, and actions, you will not be free from deception.

The apostle Paul said, “we are to put off our old self and be continually renewed in the spirit of our mind and put on the new self that is created in God’s image in the righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Ephesians 4:23-24). Let the Holy Spirit change your way of thinking and being. The key to making permanent changes in your life is to use all your heart to be faithfully obedient to God.

Please check out my recent books called “Come Back Home (a memoir) and Heart of a Wife (a workbook). These are both designed to give you biblical insight and the skills to improve your roles as a wife and mother.

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