There is a small section in Romans where Paul discusses his struggles with sin in a way that all of us can relate to. If you’ve ever read the passage you’ve probably nodded your head vigorously in agreement.
” I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.” Romans 7:15 NLT
Can I get an amen? Me too, brother Paul, me too.
“I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.” Romans 7:18b-19 NLT
Every day!
“I have discovered this principle of life–that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.” Romans 7:21 NLT
I’m glad it’s not just me that feels this way.
“I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind.” Romans 7:22-23a NLT
The War Inside our Minds
Did you know that there is a war going on inside of your mind, at all times? Paul describes this as a war between your sinful nature and the life-giving Holy Spirit who lives inside of you.
We think that the moment we become Christians we (and everyone else, maybe especially everyone else) should be instantly good and holy, never sinning, never making mistakes, always following the will of God to a “T”. But the reality is that this doesn’t instantly happen, ever.
We also think that the moment we decide to start making different choices in our lives, be it in regards to our health, our work, our parenting, our marriage, or anything else in life, we should instantly begin doing the things we’ve now decided to do. The choice has been made, why don’t we follow through on it?
I know I should eat a salad instead of a Big Mac, so why do I always go for the Big Mac?
I’ve decided to start going to the gym on a regular basis, so why has my gym bag stayed locked in my trunk all week while I’ve relaxed at home on the couch instead?
Maybe you call it a lack of self-control or self-discipline or willpower. Maybe you call it a war of the flesh.
The truth is that changing our behavior and actions is a process.
A Little Brain Science
Our brains were designed to take the path of least resistance. This is why once you’ve developed a habit, be it a good habit or a bad habit, it can be really hard to break that habit.
When we take a certain action our brain develops a neural pathway. Neurons connect with other neurons and develop a roadmap in our brains for the way things should go. When we repeat that action, the pathway gets even stronger. Until one day we don’t even have to try or think about it, our brain is on autopilot, doing the thing we trained it to do.
So if you’ve spent your whole life (or even just the last couple of years) eating Big Macs and lounging on the couch, your brain will fight you at every step of the process when you try to shake things up and eat salads and go to the gym.
It’s also why a drug addict who finds Jesus in the safety of a jail cell will often succumb to the temptations of the real world upon his release, no matter how strong His newly found faith was in jail. His brain hasn’t had the chance to develop new neural pathways that lead to better decisions. His brain has chosen to follow the only pathway it knows.
This is also why later in the book of Romans Paul tells us to “let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2b NLT.
Changing Our Behavior Must Begin By Changing Our Mind
It is not possible to change our behavior by simply deciding to change our behavior. We can’t force ourselves into lining our will up with God’s will or anyone else’s will for that matter.
God did not design humans to have the ability to instantaneously change everything about themselves. And I’m pretty sure this was intentional.
You see, the thing God wants most is not instant obedience. It’s relationship.
“God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.'” Acts 17:27-28a NIV.
You see, we aren’t changed and transformed into the likeness of Christ, holy and perfect and righteous simply because we’ve decided to now have faith and believe in Jesus.
We are changed and transformed because we “put on our new nature, and {we are} renewed as {we} learn to know {our} Creator and become like him.” Colossians 3:10 NLT
Our new nature in Christ is a process. We learn to know God and in that learning, we become more and more like Him.
We “let the Spirit renew {our} thoughts and attitudes.” Ephesians 4:24 NLT
This is important. The Holy Spirit doesn’t change our behavior. The Holy Spirit changes our thoughts and attitudes. The change must first begin in our mind.
We must begin to develop new neural pathways. As our relationship with God grows and develops, as we learn more about the heart of Christ and seek to understand His purposes and will, our neurons begin to fire differently. We create a completely new roadmap in our brain.
Renewing Our Minds in Christ Leads to Lasting Change
And do you know the result of all this transforming of our brains?
“The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things!” Galatians 5:22-23 NLT.
Our behavior begins to change.
If you are tired of making decisions and then failing when you try to follow through on those changes, maybe it’s time to stop trying to manage your will and instead begin to manage your mind.
Your flesh and your will are guaranteed to let you down. Your will is easily controlled by the world, by temptations, by your brain’s insistence on always taking the easy road.
So let us stop trying to change our will and our behaviors. And let us instead lean in, seek after, and pursue a transformation of our minds.
If we want to become a new person, let’s start with changing the way we think. Let’s work toward developing new neural pathways as we learn new behaviors and ideas and processes. And most importantly, let us remember…
“There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” Romans 8:1-2 NLT.
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8 NLT.
Today’s Action Step to Transform Your Will and Behavior
Think about one behavior you are currently trying to change in your life. Have you been trying to force yourself into changing your will before you transformed your thoughts? Have you taken this desired change to God and requested His help?
Instead of focusing on changing the behavior, we must first focus on transforming our mind so that the desired behavior will naturally follow. It will still be difficult the first few times you do the desired behavior as your brain begins to learn to develop a new neural pathway. But by focusing on changing your thoughts and your attitude first, seeking God and bringing Him into the picture, you will begin to lay the groundwork in your brain to shift from the existing pathways to the renewed and transformed pathways.
Additional Resources
You Are What You Think: How You Can Direct Your Thoughts to Change Your Life
How to Avoid Falling Off the Healthy Eating Wagon
How to Be a More Positive Person