Can I ever really change my life?

Can I ever really change my life?

Millions of people of all ages and in every walk of life ask this question.
The answer is quite simple. Yes, you can change your life. God created
human beings with the power to choose the kind of people they will be.

It really doesn't matter what kind of life you've had so far. Young people,
both male and female, often make bad choices early in life. Or others made
bad choices for them as they were growing up. Some get involved in crime,
prostitution, or addiction to alcohol or drugs. They may actively help to
ruin other people's lives. They may do things to their own bodies that can
never be repaired.

But the real person-the human being inside-can change. And the fact is, we
all do change as we grow older. Life is constant change and growth. Only
dead things become brittle, inflexible, unchanging. As long as you have
breath you can change.

It happens every day. A selfish and cruel person becomes a gentle and
caring person who learns to give to others. Thieves and robbers choose to
become hard workers. Prostitutes settle down to become good wives and
loving mothers. A hardened and evil man becomes a kind soul who reaches out
to help where once he only hurt others. A drug addict comes clean and goes
on to become a real value to the community. Dropouts go back to school and
earn skills and degrees.

Anyone who wants a good and meaningful life can have one. It may not be
easy, or seem possible at first. But it is possible. It can be done. And
it happens all the time, all over the world.

Jesus Heals Broken Lives

Sometimes a person will ask, "But how can I forgive myself? How could I
ever become a clean and decent person inside?"

If you have a heart that is longing to be made right-right with yourself,
right with God, right with other people, then you have what it takes to
begin the journey. Jesus made a wonderful promise. He said, "Blessed and
happy are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (to be made right
again) for they shall be satisfied."

God is the one responsible for the desire you have inside to be made right
again. That desire is a call that comes from God's Holy Spirit to the
hearts and minds of all people. It is a holy calling, and a call to
holiness. God is holy and He calls to all people to turn around and be made
right again with Him. He calls us to do the right things and to become the
right kind of people. As long as we live, God calls us to Himself.

People sometimes say, "I have so much anger inside and so much pain. How
can I ever feel like caring and doing the right things again? How can I
ever have real hope again?"

Lots of people are saying those very things right now. They wonder how they
can ever gain back some of their love for life and for other people. Can
they ever enjoy life again? Believe it or not, the miracle behind every new
life is in Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ died on a cross almost 2,000 years ago. But a lot of people
still don't know why. He willingly took the punishment for sin that all
people deserve. The Bible says that no one has been really good or holy
inside. Even "good" people need forgiveness from God for the wrong things
they have desired and/or done.

The Bible says that Jesus made a way for everyone to become truly good and
holy inside. God is willing to forgive the sins of every human being on
this planet. God really wants everyone everywhere to know about His love
for them. He really wants all people to be saved. Jesus died to be rescue
all of us from the punishment we deserve for all the wrong things we have
ever done. Jesus died for me, for all the people across the oceans, and for
you.

God has watched your life unfolding since the very beginning. He knows
where you grew up, and all about the things you think, say and do. He knows
what others have done to you. He knows what you've chosen to do to others.
He knows all the good, the bad, and the really ugly details. And He sent
Jesus to rescue you from the old life. Jesus says, "Come to Me, and I will
give you rest."

The Bible says: "God loved the people of this world so much that He gave His
only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but
have eternal life."

A right and good life is not possible without God's help. But God helps
everyone everywhere who calls out to Him. Whenever we see our sin, all the
wrong choices we've made in life, the pattern of always choosing the wrong
path in life, God reaches out to us, offering us His own help. He offers a
new life in Jesus. All that we need for a new life is in Jesus Christ.

Three days after Jesus died on the cross, He rose up again from the dead.
He was able to do this because He had never sinned in all His life. He was
God's eternal Son who became a human being so that He could be one of us.
And when Jesus rose up from the dead, He proved that He has the power of God
inside Him to change everyone who turns to Him in faith.

Maybe you worry that you don't have enough faith. Don't have much hope,
either? You know what? That's ok, too. Just bring whatever you have to
Jesus. If all you have is broken dreams, a ruined life, and no hope or
faith at all, then just bring it all to Jesus. And He will do the
impossible part. He will give you a new heart, a new life, a well of faith
and love and hope that will never stop overflowing.

Jesus Christ takes away the sins and replaces them with God's own Spirit,
God's love, God's power to become a new soul through and through. In fact,
the Bible says that, "If anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new creation.
All the old things have passed away and everything has become new."

A new heart is only the beginning, of course. You may have gotten yourself
into all kinds of trouble with other people. You may have a long road ahead
of you to set everything right. Jesus will be with you every step of the
way, as you start a new journey of faith and life. He will lift you up and
give you the courage and strength you need to turn things around.

It does not matter where you are right now in your life. All that matters
is what you are willing to do with the rest of your life. If you want a new
life, one filled with hope and joy and meaning, then give all that you have
to Jesus, and let Him give you what you really want: a right heart, a clean
soul, and a brand new life.

Are you ready to make the change? Tsee how you can have peace with God
right now, visit:
http://www.goodwordusa.org/word/peace4.htm


Jim