Hey, got change for a five? A twenty? How about a hundred? Though it seems obvious, it’s valuable to state that the bigger the change, the higher the cost. It is true in every context, yet too often we don’t come prepared. We want big changes without weighing the costs. If there’s a shortcut to a long term result, we’re all about it. We’d quicker take a weight loss pill than decide to workout, we’d readily cut corners for that next promotion. But there is a cost to change. Even Jesus makes it clear that following him comes at a price—yes, salvation is free but it’s not cheap. There will be moments when the Spirit will lead us into what feels like the biggest fights of our lives, moments of testing. It’s not for our pain and suffering, it’s so we can be forged into a stronger version of ourselves. It is to test the limits of our trust so we come out the other side being faithful.

Because of Jesus you can change and become who you’ve been called to be.

1. Public Declaration Will Always Face Private Temptation

‍The same Spirit that led Jesus out of the waters of baptism led him into the fire as he spent 40 days alone in the wilderness. While the first Adam failed to resist Satan’s temptation with the forbidden fruit, the second Adam’s obedience led him to victory. Be reminded that God’s word is not a contract meant to restrict us, but a love letter designed to lead us into our destiny.

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2. Today is the Most Valuable Thing You Have to Give

Life is measured in moments. In the mundaneness of life, it can become effortless to push what God has called us to into the next moment, the next month, or even the next year. We can’t live for someday or dwell on the victories from back in the day, we are called to live our best life today.

So there may have been a few awkward moments at the cash register in our past. We didn’t have enough and just had to walk away. This doesn’t have to carry over into our purpose. The Spirit of God gives us more than enough to pay the price of resisting every temptation we face. Let us stay on the course of change, day by day becoming more and more like Jesus. The value we’ll gain is the opportunity to fully step into our calling as followers of Jesus by making disciples for him. It will take dedication to keep Jesus at the center of our lives. It is a loyalty that demands everything, but he deserves nothing less.