Perhaps you’ve heard the illustration of how to trap a monkey. All you need is a rock and a coconut and to drill a hole in the coconut large enough to put the rock inside, but not large enough for anything else. A monkey will be able to reach inside to take hold of the rock, but its clenched fist around the rock will not fit back through the hole. The monkey will, in effect, trap itself because of a refusal to let go of the rock.
We can all be like the monkey when we allow ourselves to be trapped with a clenched fist, holding onto our pain, pride, unforgiveness, certain pursuits, mindsets, or anything else that keeps us from the life Jesus wishes to release in us.
I’ve learned that Jesus doesn’t force anyone to change. But he does enable us if we choose, to be transformed, no longer living sabotaged by our flesh and weaknesses. He empowers us and renews our thinking so that we don’t have to continually struggle with what the flesh wants, but are led by Jesus to find life and peace.
Whenever He asks us to choose His way and to change and let go it’s so He can renew, heal, restore and get something better to us.
Today I encourage you to ask Jesus to reveal to you where you need to shift and renew your thinking to align with His. It will mean letting go of doing things your way, but He promises that as we do, he will bring transformational change, fill us with his strength and exceed our every expectation, blessing us far beyond our highest thoughts, prayers, and dreams. (Ephesians 3:20)
“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you[b] from the power of sin that leads to death….God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.”
“Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.
"Letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” (Romans 8:1-4 NLT)
Prayer: Lord, please forgive me for areas in my life where I have become stubborn and have refused to deal with and “let go” of things in my life. Renew my thoughts so that they align with yours and help me understand more fully that you only have good plans for my life. In Jesus Name Amen.