Feb 14, 2012
If Faith Can Change Me — Why Isn’t it Working?
Trusting Christ but no change?
There’s times we think we are trusting Christ, but we don’t experience any change — our hearts stay fearful, we continue gossiping, or we are still angry.
Why no change?
It’s probably because we are not really trusting Christ.
Not trusting Christ — to satisfy us
We might think we are trusting Him. And maybe we are trusting Him for forgiveness, or trusting that He exists.
But if we are not experiencing any change, it’s probably because we are not trusting Christ to satisfy us. And if we are honest, and search our hearts, we will discover that we are trusting something besides Christ to satisfy us.
Still gossiping?
Take gossip, for example. When I gossip it’s because I’m trusting the pleasures of gossip to satisfy me more than I’m trusting Christ to satisfy me.
So I can try not to gossip, and pray that I would not gossip, and quote verses about gossip. But nothing will change until I turn from trusting gossip to satisfy me, and trust Christ to satisfy me.
Because as I do that, the Spirit will enable me to feel that Jesus is my all-satisfying Treasure — and I will stop trusting gossip to satisfy me.
That’s when I will stop gossiping.
Still worried?
Or take worry about investments. When I’m worried about investments, it’s because I’m trusting profitable investments to secure and satisfy me more than Christ.
So I can try not to worry, and pray for God to give me peace, and read Scriptures about peace. But nothing will change until I turn from trusting investments to satisfy me, and trust Jesus to satisfy me.
Because as I do that, the Spirit will help me feel that Jesus is my all-satisfying Treasure and that He will provide everything I need.
That should not make me foolish in investing. But it will free me from worry.
Pulling weeds
It’s just like when I used to pull weeds as a kid.
The only way to get rid of a weed, is to pull it up by the roots. And the only way to get rid of gossip, or any other sin, is to pull it up by the roots.
The root is my trust in something besides Christ to satisfy me. I need to turn from whatever else I am trusting to satisfy me, and trust Christ alone to satisfy me.
But it’s hard
But the moment we try to do that, we find that it’s hard. Very hard.
The problem is that sin has blinded us to the all-satisfying glory of Jesus, so all we see is the glory of gossip, or investments, or whatever.
But God promises that if we will cry out to Him, set our minds on the truth of Jesus, and trust Him to help us see Jesus’ glory — He will. Every time (2Cor 3:16).
He is worth it
This is a battle. It can take excruciating effort. But He is worth it all.
Because the joy of beholding Jesus is infinitely greater than any other joy.
And the Spirit will give you a taste of this, as you turn from whatever else you have been trusting to satisfy you, and fight to trust Jesus Christ alone to satisfy you.
The next question is: how can we tell what we are trusting to satisfy us?
Do you …
- Know someone who would be helped by this? Email it to them using the “share” button below — or share it on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.
- Have questions or comments? I’d love to hear them — leave a reply below. Thanks.
- Want to receive a Saturday email giving you a quick overview of the previous week’s posts? Sign up here.
(Picture is from Microsoft Publisher Clipart.)
Wow… I can’t believe how timely today’s blog is. These two very things have been my “weakness” for a while. But to read it and to be reminded that the real issue is that I can trust Jesus to satisfy me in spite of the gossip at work or the craziness of the market was refreshing. This really helped me to refocus my eyes on Jesus. Thanks Steve for your comments today!
God is so faithful — thanks for letting me know about the timeliness of this post. And I love how you sum it up as refocusing our eyes on Jesus. Reading that helps me refocus mine — so thanks.
Hi!
Your blog really opened my eyes about my faith. But I have a question: how do we turn away from trusting other things to trusting Jesus Christ? Like how do we do it? Sorry I’m a bit confused.
Hi Valerie –
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your encouraging words. And you are raising a really important question.
Let me refer you to some other posts in which I try to answer that question — then if those posts don’t help — just let me know what’s not making sense and I’ll see if I can be of further help.
One post that might help is How To Fight The Fight Of Faith
There’s also How To Strengthen Your Faith
And here’s a video I made that some have found helpful — How Jesus Frees Us From Fear
I hope I’m not giving you too many — but here’s Feeling Dry? and How To Resist Temptation
Let’s see if those help. The bottom line is to come to Jesus as you are, confess your unbelief, ask earnestly for the work of the Spirit to change your heart, and then pray fervently over the truth of who Jesus is until you feel the Spirit strengthening your faith and you see Jesus as more valuable than anything else.
And again — thanks for your question — and I hope this helps!
In Christ,
Steve Fuller