meeting "the man"

today in my daily devotional book...

when the woman at the well met jesus, unlike all the other men she'd met, he addressed her real need. "[he said,] 'go...get your husband'...'I don't have a husband,' the woman replied. jesus said...'you have had five husbands, and you aren't...married to the man you're living with'" (john 4:16-19 nlt). because we're weak, we keep getting into situations that leave us wounded. and those wounds can't be healed by going from relationship to relationship. after meeting jesus this woman ran to tell everybody, "come...meet a man who told me everything!" her answer wasn't another man; she'd already tried that! her answer was meeting the man, and asking him to fill the void in her life.

the bible refers to this as putting "on the new self, which is being renewed in...the image of its creator" (colossians 3:10 niv). if you're sick of the way you're living and want to change, remember, the woman at the well couldn't "put off the old man" till she met the new one. when you're attached to certain habits and relationships, it's hard to break free in your own strength. you'll only be able to disengage when you acknowledge jesus as lord of your life. only by embracing the new, will you find strength to say goodbye to the old. so what does all this mean for you? it means coming to christ as you are, asking him to save you, and entering into a relationship with him. james says, "surrender to god...resist the devil, and he will run from you" (james 4:7 cev). when you do that, god will give you the strength to forsake those old patterns and begin a new life!

just what I needed to hear as I am beginning to make some changes in my own life. and right after I prayed that I would hear him speak. loud and clear, lord. thank you.