You open your eyes, look around. No change. You feel the same. You stand up, walk into the kitchen, to the refrigerator. You look around inside. Baby carrots, yogurt, brownies, Girl Scout cookies, and a TV dinner. The cookies will do. You're just a little hungry. You sit on the couch. Now, what to do today?...
You see what's wrong here. We all do. Right? It's obvious, isn't it? You asked God to help you fix something you were doing wrong, and then you went and did exactly what you just asked Him to help you fix. Obviously, you need to pray about it more. You need God's help to get past this obstacle. He can help you, He will help you. You just have to ask... Right?
When you ask a friend to help you do something, what generally happens? Let's say you need a leg-up to climb onto something. You ask your friend to help you climb up, and then you use your friend's help to climb up to the ledge. Your friend won't climb up there for you, and probably can't throw you up there, either. You've got to do it. You have help, but it still requires your action.
Easier said than done. Isn't everything? It's so easy to talk about change, to pray for improvement. But when it comes down to it, how does it come about? The builder who prays for God's help, still has to build the building. The runner who prays to God for speed, still has to run the race. The student who prays to God for help on the test, still has to take it. And he still has to study, to train, to plan. God is great, and He is loving, and He wants us to improve, and to do great things. But that's just it. He wants us to do great things. Philippians 4:13 says "I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength" (NLT, emphasis mine), not "Christ can do everything for me." God could go out there and do miraculous things all by Himself, so everyone would see His glory, but instead, He chooses to use us! He wants us to show other people His power, through things that we do with His strength!
Now, doing great things may seem a little off-topic from self improvement, which I started with, but God can use anything, and He can help us do anything. Though people might not walk up to you and say "Wow, you lost weight! God is awesome!" others do notice how you act, how you react to things, treat people, spend your time, your money, etc, etc. And though you may not have a bridge to build, or a test to take, there are always things God can help you with.
Have you ever been to a summer camp that got you all fired up for God? You may have not been very close to Him when you left for camp, but then, while you were there, it was amazing! You felt Him there, you worshiped like you never have before, and you promised to read your Bible, every day. Two weeks later, where are you? Back where you were two weeks before camp, with your Bible, and your heart, gathering dust? Oops... Do you know why those camps don't work? Well, I don't, but I know why we don't change when we come back from them. It's because we come back, and we do what we did before. A change in attitude does nothing without a change in action. I know you've got something you need to do, that God is more than willing to help you with. Now, go out there and do it!
I think I fixed it! Yay!!
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