Read: Romans 17:18-19, Ezekiel 36:26-27
Price Pritchett, an expert in change management for business leaders, tells a story about a fly that illustrates the limits of willpower:
“I’m sitting in a quiet room at the Millcroft Inn, a peaceful little place hidden back among the pine trees about an hour out of Toronto. It’s just past noon, late July, and I’m listening to the desperate sounds of a life-or-death struggle going on a few feet away. There’s a small fly burning out the last of its short life’s energies in a futile attempt to fly through the glass of the windowpane. The whining wings tell the poignant story of the fly’s strategy—try harder. But it’s not working. The frenzied effort offers no hope for survival. Ironically, the struggle is part of the trap. It is impossible for the fly to try hard enough to succeed at breaking through the glass. Nevertheless, this little insect has staked its life on reaching its goal through raw effort and determination.”
We’ve all been there—determined to change, committed to doing better, but eventually falling back into the same old patterns. The problem with relying on willpower alone is that it’s limited and runs out quickly. Like the fly, we can exhaust ourselves trying harder, only to realize we’re stuck. True transformation can’t depend solely on our own strength; we need something more powerful than sheer determination.
The Bible tells us that God is in the business of heart transformation. Ezekiel 36 paints a picture of God giving us a new heart, replacing our stubbornness with a soft, responsive spirit. This is not something we can achieve through our own efforts. We need God’s Spirit to change us from the inside out, reshaping our desires, attitudes, and behaviors.
Reflect on the areas where willpower has failed you. Where do you need to invite God’s transformative power into your life? The key is not to dig deeper into your own strength but to surrender to God’s work in you, trusting that He is able to do what you cannot.
Questions for Reflection:
- Where have you been relying on willpower to overcome struggles in your life?
- How can you surrender those areas to God and invite Him to transform your heart?
- What steps can you take to cooperate with God’s work of heart transformation?