The following is a devotion from my message series 10 Steps to Freedom. I hope these devotionals help you experience lasting freedom in Jesus!

STEP TWO: day 1

Surrender and unleash the Spirit’s power within you

Where do I find the power to change? If you’ve struggled with addiction long enough, you’ve asked yourself this question before. Whether it’s the alcohol that no longer numbs your pain or the depression that used to come and go but now hasn’t left in quite awhile, you’ve wanted to change. You’ve wanted to clean yourself up. You’ve even been willing to get help. Your ‘want to’ is not the problem. Some moments, either in the depths of despair or feeling empowered by a transcendent moment of clarity, your desire to change has made the difference, for awhile. But it just doesn’t seem to be enough. You’ve gone through countless cycles of guilt and shame, promises followed by more guilt and shame. Change happens for awhile, but your willpower always gives out sooner or later, to the point where you might be tempted to lose hope. But as we discovered last week, we can have hope because of Jesus. But hope isn’t enough to change your life. You need power. If you (or someone you love) has struggled with addiction long enough, you’ve come to the grim realization that your willpower, your self-control, your ‘want to’ simply isn’t enough. You need something greater, something deeper, something more powerful.

That power is step two on the road to freedom. The power of God, the same power that created this universe with a spoken word and the power that raised Jesus from the dead, that power is available to everyone who believes in Jesus. So why aren’t more Christians leveraging the power of God within them? Because it hasn’t been unleashed. And that comes through surrender.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

1. Have you tried to break free from a bad habit or an addiction before? How long did it last? What was the result?

2. Read Romans 7:21-25. Do you identify at all with Paul’s struggles? How so?

You can read other devotional entries for 10 Steps to Freedom here.