"For quite a while now I have believed that a heart can never be transformed by an act of our will, mostly because our will resides in our flesh, and that flesh is ever-decaying and can never be improved. I believe that, in the same way that we may not be saved without an act of God's will, we cannot be sanctified and transformed without the same kind of act of God's will. When God transforms my heart, then my obedient actions follow. If I choose to act out of my flesh, as I have when I have made New Year's resolutions, it is possible that I might get some results to begin with, but they are always short-lived. I am capable of changing some things for a period of time, but only God can change my heart. When God is given the opportunity to work out His will in my heart and life through my surrender and obedience to Him, there is a lasting, even eternal, transformation that takes place in me and in my heart.
But there is one act of my will that God requires of me. God is looking into hearts, not just to see if we will stop a particular sin. He is watching to see if our will is desirous of lining up with His. The specifics of our sin are far less important than the act of our will that wants to surrender and obey in child-like faith.
Our surrendered heart is seen when we are faithful to ask the Spirit to reveal our sin. Our surrendered heart is seen when we are faithful to confess what is revealed to us as sin, knowing that it is displeasing to God. Our surrendered heart is seen when we are faithful to place that sin under His full control so that He might be Lord over it. This is the surrender that He requires of us. When we bring this sacrifice of surrender, He, who is capable of transforming the heart we bring to Him, will be faithful to accomplish His goal in us--a spiritually healed heart.
When we put our sins and idols into His hands to deal with, God will then, by His Spirit, give some directives for our surrendered hearts to follow, directions that will challenge us to obey Him. This obedience will then reveal to Him and the world around us that we have given Him Lordship over the sin and idol-stained chambers of our heart. When we choose to obey His directives, and continually walk in surrender, heart change will occur. This is the work of the Spirit, and this is the reason I refer to it as spiritual healing. Spiritual healing will always be a matter of the Spirit's work with in us, not an act of human will. Spiritual healing is only experienced when we surrender, and that surrender will bring victory to our spiritual lives."
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