“How Will My Life Change?”
This is an adapted excerpt from Square One, Session 7. Check out the full Square One series here.
Did you ever get grossed out by the mere mention of a food like Brussels sprouts or lima beans? Then one day, you tried them roasted with a little bacon, and — BAM! — they're your new favorite. They say people don’t change, but our tastes and habits can evolve. The same goes for our old ways of thinking — when we decide to follow Christ, we begin a total life transformation.
Let’s get into it and see the need to turn your life over to God. Following Jesus isn’t just about adding a new belief; it's about a complete change. The Apostle Paul described it as dying to your old self so that Christ can live in you (Gal. 2:20). He taught that when you learn Christ, you "put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires... and... put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness" (Eph. 4:22-24). It’s like taking off your old, filthy clothes and putting on a whole new wardrobe — Jesus himself.
The Big Idea
The life change God wants for you begins with your decision to follow Christ. It’s not a slow, progressive drift. It’s an all-in, count-the-cost, rip-off-the-band-aid kind of commitment to break up with your past.
The Bible has a power-packed word for this decision: repent. Repentance isn’t just about feeling sorry for your sins; it’s about making a complete U-turn. Peter called his listeners to “repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). It’s a decisive turn away from our old life and toward God.
What does that look like in practice? When people asked John the Baptist this question, he told them to “bear fruits in keeping with repentance” (Luke 3:8). In other words, “Talk is cheap — show me you’ve changed!” He gave them everyday examples: share your food and clothes with the needy, be honest in your business dealings, and don't extort money from people. Repentance results in a real, tangible change in how we live.
What motivates such a drastic turn? Paul says that "godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret" (2 Cor. 7:10). When we truly grasp that our sins are what sent Jesus to the cross, that sorrow moves us to turn away from them and toward the one who saved us. So repentance isn’t just the sadness, and it isn’t just the behavior change. It’s the decisive act of your heart and will to turn to God.
Why should we have the courage to make this turn? Jesus once told a story about a son who left his father, wasted his inheritance, and hit rock bottom. The son finally came to his senses and decided to go home, planning to beg his father to let him work as a hired servant. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, was filled with compassion, and ran to embrace and kiss him. He didn’t wait for an apology; he immediately threw a party, shouting, “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found” (Luke 15:24).
That is the heart of God toward us. He sees us when we are lost in our sins, and he longs for us to come home. He’s not waiting to punish us; he’s waiting to throw a celebration. This is the good news that gives us the confidence to repent.
The Big Question
Are you ready to make a break with your past and start becoming who God wants you to be? May you have the courage from the Lord to see your old life of sin clearly and turn away from it!