For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:3–4 (NKJV)
Ephesians 2:8 can’t make it any clearer. It says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God (NKJV). It’s through Jesus, not our own strength, that we’ve been saved. And He also gives us the power and ability to change and grow.
We’ve been on a series discussing keys to walking in the authority you have in Christ, and this is a big one. You need to rely on His strength.
I’m always browsing through bookstores, and self-help books are top sellers everywhere I go. But do these books actually change people’s lives? Some say they only make people more frustrated. I think we can learn a lot from them, but there’s a first step we have to look at.
You see, all the self-help in the world is useless if we’re just trying to change ourselves on our own strength. Even the Old Testament couldn’t empower us to do what it teaches, and it’s the best self-help book ever written because of all the incredible wisdom it holds. We need to rely on Jesus’ power and ability to change.
As a follower of Christ, His strength and power are in you. You can rely on this power every day, and His Word fuels you as you learn to walk in the authority you have in Him.