Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in Gods likeness - righteous, holy, and true.  Ephesians 4:23,24

There have been several instances in my life when I intended to adopt some change in my life. I would come across an area of my life that I wanted to fix or to improve and I would construct a plan to help me reach that goal. Some of the times I would be successful in implementing change to achieve my goal. Other times I would be less than successful because I either didn't implement the right changes or I would reach my goal and then fail to maintain the changes necessary that helped me be successful. A vivid example of this would be (only because I am currently engaged in this battle) is my dieting techniques.

When it comes to dieting, I can tell you what you need to do to lose weight.  I just have a problem actually doing those things myself. I can actually buckle down and maintain disciplined regimen of controlled diet and exercise to reach a desired weight loss goal. My downfall thus far has been maintaining that goal. See, I make changes to get to my desired point but I don't make any changes to keep me there. Once I arrive at my goal my attitude on diet and exercise reverts to what it was before I decided to lose the weight to begin with. I go back to my old eating patterns and lack of exercise that allowed me to get to the point where I needed to lose the weight. I still wear the same clothes I was wearing before I lost the weight. I looked at the process of losing weight as it were only a temporary struggle rather than a lifestyle. My attitude on food and exercise didn't change as my body did. Until it does change, I will always be dieting and exercising to lose rather than to maintain.

Becoming a new Christian isn't all that different. When I became a Christian it was tough on me to see that I hadn't had some miraculous change from my sinful nature into angel-in-training. I still wanted to do the things I wanted to be delivered from. I would refrain from going out to the clubs and bars and associating myself with people that enjoyed my sinful lifestyle with me. After I had been away from them for so long, I would let my guard down and sure enough the same desires would creep up and I would be back into my old scene again, only this time deeper because the depravation my flesh suffered made it want my sinful lifestyle even more. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't stop satisfying my flesh with its worldly desires. It wasn't until I realized that change in action wasn't what I needed, that enjoyed any success in this area of my Christian walk.

Being on a spiritual diet where I deprived my self of what my flesh wanted wasn't the answer. Any time we deprive ourselves of anything, we want it that much more. I didn't need to deprive myself of anything, I needed to change my way of thinking. When I accepted Christ, I wasn't going on spiritual diet where I was depriving my flesh of fulfillment. I had chosen to be different altogether. I had chosen to become a new creation, with a new attitude and a renewing of my mind. It wasn't until I started walking in that mentality that I received victory over my flesh. I didn't need to have my old attitude, or my old desires because I was brand new in Christ. I was a new being in His eyes. I was created in His image--righteous, holy and true. And as a new creation I received victory over my flesh and a new attitude.