One reason change takes longer than we want it to is that once we place ourselves in the Lord’s hands, he is going to do a lot more changing than to simply remove our outward symptoms. We are anxious to stop doing this or that, but his goal is larger: to make us whole, to turn our weaknesses into strengths, to remove every character defect, to achieve a total transformation of heart and nature. Change always produces withdrawal pains and we must be willing to endure the struggle and pain for months, if not for years. Just as a physical birth is the result of many months of preparation within
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