How to Be Transformed by Grace—and Why Willpower Doesn’t Work
I sit beneath the snowy hemlocks and search the forest for any hint of movement. God breathes in shades of grey today—smoky clouds rolling overhead while translucent ice encompasses the frozen world. I’ve come to the woods because I’m feeling stuck, and I need to connect with the Creator so that I might be transformed by grace.
Today, I feel stuck in the grip of a habit I can’t seem to break.
I feel defeated and wonder if I’ll ever find victory over this besetting sin.
I’ve been mustering all the willpower I can gather; however, much to my dismay, willpower seems to be failing me.
I spent the first four decades of my life relying mostly on willpower and self-effort to produce the results I longed to see in my life. Sometimes, willpower worked for a season. It helped me climb a few ladders like the ladder of athletic success, the ladder of social influence, and even the ladder of financial stability.
Sometime in my late thirties, the unthinkable happened: I realized willpower was failing to produce lasting fruit in my life.
I might diet for a few weeks and lose ten pounds, but the pounds always returned (and more!).
I might stop yelling at my kids for a month, but then some little person pushed me over the brink, and I exploded again.
Transformed by Grace
Perhaps willpower has let you down, too. Maybe you feel stuck: desperate to break free in areas of your life that matter deeply to you.
I wonder if willpower has let you down, too. I wonder if you feel stuck: desperate to break free in areas of your life that matter deeply to you. #stuck #grace Share on XAs I soak in the winter world, I offer a simple prayer, “Lord, I need you to work in my life and accomplish what I cannot do for myself. I need your grace.”
Not long ago, I encountered a definition of grace that changed my life forever. In his book Renovated, Dr. Jim Wilder wrote that grace is God’s work to accomplish in our lives what we cannot do for ourselves.
Pause with me here, friend.
I don’t want you to miss this.
I’m going to repeat these words because they hold the power to transform everything about your life: Grace is God’s work to accomplish what you cannot do for yourself.
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you cannot do for yourself.
God wants to set you free from every stuck place in your life: He wants to heal your relationship with your body, set you free from your besetting sins, move in your marriage, heal your relationships, lead you in the direction of your dreams, help you stop yelling at your kids, and lead you to freedom in every realm of your life!
God’s Grace Is Sufficient
I am a woman who desperately needs God to work in my life and accomplish what I cannot do for myself—in a million different ways. I need him to help me overcome the fear, worry, and bad habits.
Every day, I need God to help me be a patient mom, loving wife, and self-sacrificing friend.
For years, I defined grace as “God’s unmerited favor.” This definition was true in theory. However, it did little to help set me free in the areas where I felt stuck.
In his grace, God is helping me find freedom in the places where I feel stuck. I’ll share more throughout the next several weeks. If you want to learn more right now, check out the free online devotional below.
A Free Devotional to Help You Find Freedom
You might be reading these words because you long for God to set you free as well.
Friend, you are in the right place. Set Free: Let God Do What You Cannot is my newest online devotional.
We will explore ten realms in which we need God to work in our lives and bring deliverance. We’ll talk about finding freedom from fear, worry, insecurity, bad habits, emotional pain, and more.
At the end of each devotion, you will find an invitation to let God lead you toward freedom. He is waiting to impart his grace. Be blessed as you let God accomplish what you’ve been unable to achieve through willpower.
This ten-day online devotional is yours for free with promo code GRACE right here.
These books are free on Kindle Unlimited or available to purchase in print:
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
Calling all moms and daughters!
Additionally, my teen daughter, Bekah, and I are passionate about helping moms and daughters grow closer while connecting with God. We have written two mother-daughter devotionals together. Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section after each devotion.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, purity, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. We will help you!
Multitudes of mothers, daughters, mentors, and younger women are being transformed by these books! You can buy them as paperbacks or get your free Kindle Unlimited eBooks on Amazon right here.
