I have two boys, both sinners.  My older son is 16 months old, which is the age where I am starting to see more and more why I have no power to save his soul.

My boy, like his mother, is sweet and spicy.  There are times he can be super sweet as he gently kisses his baby brother on the head.  And then there are other times when he yells with such anger in his voice and on his face, all because he gets in trouble for being disobedient.

Some call this “mischievous”, or “kids being kids”, or “boys being boys”, etc…. God calls it sin. Sometimes it is all we can do to not laugh at his “grown up” actions or faces or attitudes. God does not laugh. We can give him rules, as we do and should.  We can give him discipline, as we do and should.  But in the end…

We cannot change his heart.

Frequently, he will “obey” by not touching this or that, but he shows his true heart of disobedience by getting as close as he can, just watching to see if we see him.  External reform, with inward rebellion.  He may be “obeying”, but he is still sinning.

Only God can change his heart!

Only God can save his soul!

Therefore, as we teach, as we command, as we lead by example, and as we discipline we dare not trust in these God-given means to do the work that only the Spirit of Power and Grace can do, but we do them as we pray and trust in Him to do His work for His glory.

Photo by B. Asher | TTV by J. Morrison