Try Harder, Do Better
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." – James 4:7
You’ve probably heard it before. Try harder. Do better. Read more. Pray longer. Just fix it. And maybe for a while, you even believed that if you could just push yourself harder, you’d become who God created you to be. But what happens when that effort doesn’t work? What happens when trying harder leaves you tired, frustrated, and feeling like a failure?
Can I tell you the truth? Trying harder and doing better will only get you so far. Because the Christian life was never meant to be driven by willpower. It was meant to be led by surrender. God is not looking for you to strive your way into righteousness. He’s asking for your heart.
Transformation does not come from religious hustle. It comes from giving God access. It’s not about forcing yourself to change from the outside in. It’s about letting Him shape you from the inside out. That’s what it means to surrender. It’s not about pretending to be strong. It’s about admitting that you’re not and trusting the One who is.
You can read all the books and follow every rule, but if your heart isn’t yielded, it’s just behavior management. True obedience flows from love. Real change happens when you stop trying to impress God and start trusting Him. He’s not asking you to be perfect. He’s asking you to come close.
If you’ve been exhausted by the pressure to perform, let today be different. Stop trying harder. Stop trying to do better in your own strength. Instead, surrender. Lay it down. Let God do what only He can do in your heart. Because He doesn’t want your effort as much as He wants your trust. And when you surrender, He will do the work that striving never could.
You’ve probably heard it before. Try harder. Do better. Read more. Pray longer. Just fix it. And maybe for a while, you even believed that if you could just push yourself harder, you’d become who God created you to be. But what happens when that effort doesn’t work? What happens when trying harder leaves you tired, frustrated, and feeling like a failure?
Can I tell you the truth? Trying harder and doing better will only get you so far. Because the Christian life was never meant to be driven by willpower. It was meant to be led by surrender. God is not looking for you to strive your way into righteousness. He’s asking for your heart.
Transformation does not come from religious hustle. It comes from giving God access. It’s not about forcing yourself to change from the outside in. It’s about letting Him shape you from the inside out. That’s what it means to surrender. It’s not about pretending to be strong. It’s about admitting that you’re not and trusting the One who is.
You can read all the books and follow every rule, but if your heart isn’t yielded, it’s just behavior management. True obedience flows from love. Real change happens when you stop trying to impress God and start trusting Him. He’s not asking you to be perfect. He’s asking you to come close.
If you’ve been exhausted by the pressure to perform, let today be different. Stop trying harder. Stop trying to do better in your own strength. Instead, surrender. Lay it down. Let God do what only He can do in your heart. Because He doesn’t want your effort as much as He wants your trust. And when you surrender, He will do the work that striving never could.
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1 Comment
Sometimes it takes me trying as hard as I can for as long as I can before I finally surrender. Without the Holy Spirit leading me and knowing what’s ahead for me I wouldn’t be able to make it. Bottom line is if I want to live then I have to depend on Him.