One of the better reality shows you can see right now is called intervention. In an intervention, friends and family members gather together to confront someone they love about a problem. They assert their love, and their commitment to the person and tell them – because we love you, you must address this problem that is killing you.

In our sin, we ran up debts we could not pay. God has given his own son to pay those debts. Now he looks us in the eye and says – your pride is killing you. I love you too much to let you continue to destroy yourself, and I have invested all of my power to free you from your pride.

When you do an intervention, there are three things you never want to hear the addict say: there is no problem, I can handle this, and this is too big, I can’t handle it.

Seeing the Problem

First, God makes us will is good pleasure. He shows us the problem. He shows us that we are the problem. If you never see this, then despite all your effort at holiness you will only end up further from God than ever.

What is my biggest problem? My desire to be my own God. At first, I wanted to be my own God and decide for myself what I would do with my body, my time and my money. Then my sin began to wreck things. Then I wanted to be my own God by saving myself, by going to bible studies and memorizing scripture.

All we like sheep have gone astray, and gone each one of us to his own way. I want to go to my own way. I want to pick it, and I want to do it. And I need to see that I am the problem.

All those good things never changed my heart, because I was still the problem, I was still being my own God. God comes and makes us will to do his good pleasure. He shows us that we are the problem.

B. The Desire For Righteousness

As we see how our love for self makes us obnoxious, and causes us to ruin everyone and everything we touch, we want to change. We see our sin for what it is, and we see where it leads. We see that what we do really does determine who we are.

We can’t tell lies without becoming a liar.

We can’t quit jobs without becoming a quitter.

We can’t share gossip without becoming a busybody.

We see that what we have become is the opposite of what we wanted. We wanted to be the popular girl with the boyfriends, instead I’ve become the pathetic girl who is only worth what her boyfriend thinks of her. I wanted to be the cool, independent carefree guy, instead I am the lonely guy that no one knows or cares about. We want to be better. God works in us to will his good pleasure.

C. The Energy for Righteousness

And he works in us to do his good pleasure. As we pursue him, he gives us the energy to keep running. We see a roadblock we could never move. He says, trust me every day, and every day I will make you stronger until you can move it.

We say, the problem is too big, I can’t change it. He says, that is why I am here.

This willing and doing are intimately related, and they often come as changes in us when we never expected them. God works in and for us as we submit to his spirit, not as we demand that he act. He usually shows us that the problem is not what we thought, and his solution is not what we thought. But he will change us.

3. Change is Coming

What if your marriage has lost all its intimacy? A wife might start out praying that her husband would be more attentive. God would make her more alert to the times when they first see each other. Maybe the first thing she will notice is that she doesn’t look up from the computer when he comes in the door. Maybe she will notice how she immediately launches into negative comments when she sees him. It strikes you, you can’t even make eye contact with your husband. Why would he want to be sweet to a buzzsaw? God will make her aware that she actually produces a hostile environment, that punishes her husband the second he walks in the door. She begins to repent and beg the Lord to change her. She starts seeing the good things her husband does, and remembers how much she loves him. She starts showing him kindness, and low and behold her husband becomes more attentive.

She starts out praying that God would change him, but God answers by changing her.

Change is coming, but you will be part of it.