1 Take stock and set goals. Make a list of the areas you want to change in and what you can do to bring those changes about. Putting goals and plans in writing will help crystallize your thoughts and firm up your commitment.
2 Program the changes into your daily or weekly schedule. Without a definite plan, good intentions will probably soon be forgotten or get lost in the press of everything else you have to do.
3 Depend on Jesus first and foremost, not just willpower, intellect, or natural ability. The Bible tells us, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”1
4 Find instruction and encouragement in God’s Word. God promises, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go.”2 An online Bible-search site, concordance, or Bible study can help you find what the Bible has to say about specific topics related to the changes you want to make.
5 Join or form a support group. Being around likeminded people provides positive reinforcement and moral support—two catalysts of change. “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.”3 “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”4
6 Ask others to pray for you. The Bible tells us that united prayer produces results. “If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you.”5
7 Thank God by faith for answering your prayer and strengthening you in your time of need. “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.”6
8 Don’t give up. When you fall short, ask God to help you keep trying. “A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again.”7 “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.”8
9 Keep believing that you can change, with God’s help. Claim verses that increase your faith, such as “God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him,”9 and “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”10