Christianity Is Not Primarily about Trying Harder

Then you answered me, ‘We have sinned against the LORD. We ourselves will go up and fight, just as the LORD our God commanded us.’ And every one of you fastened on his weapons of war and thought it easy to go up into the hill country. Deuteronomy 1:41

God told His people to go into the land of Canaan, but they were afraid and refused to go. Then, once the people of God realized that they had messed up, they decided to try and put it right. They would fix their disobedience, with a new effort to obey God.

But God warned them, “Don’t go up, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.” Yet they insisted on going up in their own strength, and they were completely defeated (1:41-46).

You may realize that you are totally messed up. “Yes, I see it. I am a rebel against God. I treat God with contempt. I blame others for what’s wrong in my life. I resist the truth. I refuse to believe. I am under the wrath of God. What hope is there for me?” So perhaps you decide to turn over a new leaf and try to put things right in your own strength.

But turning over a new leaf won’t work, because turning over a new leaf doesn’t change you. Becoming religious won’t alter what’s in you. Trying harder is never the answer. All that happens, when you turn over a new leaf, is that what’s in you gets written on a new page.

Can you think of a time when you messed up and then tried to “fix it” by trying harder?