WILL POWER, DISCIPLINE OR TRANSFORMATION

 Image is the manifestation of imagination. Imagination makes patterns in our brains. Patterns form habits, habits form routine. Will power does not bring real transformation. Will power is important for decision making. But willpower cannot bring change. Motivation is the driver for our beliefs. Our beliefs motivate our thoughts and our thoughts are revealed through our actions. Cognition and heart are two different things. Cognition is the mind of man. Heart is the mind of the spirit. The cognitive thinker will know facts and try to use will power to live out what is "right". But if the heart is not transformed, the person will get bitter because the mind of the man and the mind of the spirit are in conflict. 

When we acquire knowledge through our own understanding, what does Proverbs 3:5 say about that? Cognitive thinking presents a way that seems right to man, but in the end leads him to destruction. What is the destruction of man? It is fear.

When a person uses will power, he will set his own boundaries and rules for himself to control his habit. But because there is no transformation in his heart it creates frustration. An excuse will always come and then he will resort back to his old patter.

Avoiding the old pattern, addiction, sin, etc is not the goal. The goal of transformation is a total new desire.

Doing all the "Christian" behaviors with out a heart that knows Christ will lead to bitterness and frustration.

There is no real joy in will powering your way through something because there has been no real change of heart or change of desire.

Going to Jesus to fill the void on the inside will change motivation. If our belief is in ourself, our motive will be selfish. If our belief is in Jesus, our motive will be Christ. The motive is the driver of belief into behavior. A new network or a new pattern is then formed in the mind. This is transformation.

Self discipline can form habits, self discipline can say no to things- but the difference between self discipline and transformation is self discipline can only improve the outside/flesh/what is visible- it cannot change the heart.

Our identity is in our sense of self. Who are you? Psalm 51:5 says, "we are born in sin, conceived in iniquity." Without being born again through the Spirit all we have is a vain attempt to overcome the human condition.

We do not have it in our own capability unaided by the Holy Spirit who brings us the life of Christ, we do not have in our own strength the ability to make a decision to develop our own identity. We would only be lost in fear, guilt, shame, condemnation and self centered survival. Except God puts enmity between us to bring us conviction and woo us back. Because of what Christ has achieved, we are again able to make a choice to surrender to Him and receive from Him a new heart and right Spirit, to be reborn in the inner man, have the heart circumsised by the Spirit. New motives and new desires, all because of Christs victory and because of that we have the ability to make the choice on what identity we will form.

Every experience impacts us one way or another. We become what we find our identity in. Motive comes from identity. Identity comes from who you put your trust in, self or God.

The Holy Spirit brings us truth in love and when we are won over by Him, true transformation comes. When we put our trust in Christ, His power comes upon us to live a new life in Him. If the belief of our heart and our cognitive thinking are not in agreement with the Word of God as truth, the power does not come and we will use mere human strength, will power or discipline to try and do what we are incapable of doing without Christ. This leads to frustration and often people will shrink back to doubt and unbelief cognitively, and in their own effort, they choose self discipline over true trust in the finished work of Christ. 

Discipline does not restore the image of God in man. Discipline only protects what is already patterned. If the pattern hasn't changed from the pattern of the world into transformation from a renewed mind, then the image you carry will still be of self and not the image of God and you will continue to protect the old, carnal nature of the fall of man- which is death. And when truth comes to expose that, it's not received as, "this is going to help me"- it looks like more of an attack against me and so the survival spirit kill or be killed flares up.

God, in His Sovereignty created free beings and those free beings chose death. Death entered man through Adam and corruption entered humanity. The only way to be restored is to yoke up with Jesus. The spirit of fear is motivated by survival. When we yoke up with Jesus, love becomes our motivation.

No matter how good you live, you cannot take away your fear apart from Christ. The Holy Spirit brings us truth, we then get to make a choice to believe truth or reject truth. A heart that continually rejects truth becomes hard. A hardened heart will constantly defend its delusion as a mechanism in attempt to survive the eternal condition of death. Over time this will result in a seared conscience. But when we receive truth, truth renews and rewires our mind bringing forth real transformation. Real transformation is the outcome of a new creation, formed in Christ who chose life when they believed truth!