Lord Change Me - Book Review

“I try to change, but I can’t. Why don’t I learn? Why do I keep failing? What’s wrong with me?”  Maybe it’s something like anger or bitterness. Maybe it’s addiction.  Maybe it’s small, or maybe it’s big.  Maybe it’s a general character trait that you know keeps you from being like Jesus but you can’t quite put your finger on how to change it. 

James MacDonald says that change is about thousands upon thousands of little decisions we make every day. Change is “moment by moment by moment by moment by moment”.  The short simple title of his book Lord Change Me does not do justice its contents.  This book is packed with biblical truth about change through the transforming power of Jesus. 

The book is divided into 3 parts:
1)    Preparing for change – rejecting faulty methods of change (psychoanalysis, self-discovery, legalism, etc.), and looking biblically at where change begins and what to do. MacDonald guides you through steps to help you identify exactly what it is you need to change.
2)    Process of change – biblically-based steps on how change takes place, such as the meaning and importance of repentance, what it means to be “dead to sin”, God’s role in change as well as your role, what it means to exercise your faith and how to do it.
3)    Power of change – the source of real change and what it means for Jesus to be in my place, “Not I but Christ”, living empowered by the Holy Spirit to let Jesus live His life in us, how to be filled with the Spirit and what hinders the filling.
Each chapter ends with list of different types of questions, a practical exercise to apply the truths of that chapter, and a hear-felt prayer.

In this biblically grounded book with its prolific use of Scripture, James MacDonald speaks with directness and with authority. He admits to this but explains that he wants to avoid the error of amusing without dispensing the transforming truth of the gospel. The truths are stained with his own tears of trying and failing and trying again to be the man God wants him to be. 

Whether you are dealing with addiction or just wanting to become more like Jesus, this book is a great resource for understanding how to change and how we can be transformed to the people God designed us to be.

For more information from the publisher, click here.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

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