Following Jesus: More Than Willpower, Knowledge, or a Miracle

Following Jesus isn’t complicated, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. It’s not about understanding abstract ideas or having the right theology; it’s about actually practicing His way. That means making daily choices—sometimes difficult ones—that shape us into the kind of people who live as He lived. It means forgiving when we don’t want to, choosing self-discipline over instant gratification, and orienting life around Jesus rather than squeezing Him into the margins.

Dallas Willard put it this way:

“Jesus came to respond to the universal human need to know how to live well. He came to show us how, through reliance on Him, we can best live in the universe as it really is. That’s why He said, ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.’ His supremacy lies in the greatness of the life He gives us.”

Jesus isn’t just an idea or a belief system. He is the way. But there are common approaches to following Him that sound good but don’t actually lead to transformation.

One approach is willpower. There’s a lot of research showing that willpower alone isn’t enough to create lasting change. People assume they can simply choose to be good and stick with it. But willpower gets depleted. It’s not a reliable strategy for spiritual growth.

It’s like deciding to run a marathon without training. Maybe sheer determination could get someone across the finish line, but they’d be exhausted, broken, and in bad shape by the end. John Mark Comer puts it this way:

“Within you and around you are strong forces that eat willpower for breakfast.”

Jesus understood this. When He told His disciples in the garden of Gethsemane, “The spirit is willing, but the body is weak,” He was acknowledging that desire alone isn’t enough. Without a deeper transformation, the body will always pull back toward old habits.

Another approach that falls short is relying on knowledge alone. There’s an assumption in many churches that if people just study the Bible enough, they’ll mature in their faith. While learning Scripture is essential, information doesn’t automatically lead to transformation.

Most Christians already know far more than they put into practice. Alan Hirsch says,

“I simply don’t believe that we can continue to try and think our way into a new way of acting, but rather, we need to act our way into a new way of thinking.”

Jesus confronted the Pharisees for having all the right knowledge but failing to live it out. James was just as direct:

“Don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”

A third common approach is waiting for a big moment of supernatural change. It’s easy to hope for a spiritual breakthrough that will instantly fix everything. While God does intervene in powerful ways, real spiritual growth tends to happen gradually.

Paul prayed for God to remove what he called his “thorn in the flesh,” but the answer he received was different from what he wanted. God said,

“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”

God often doesn’t take away struggles but instead works through them. Most of the time, the way forward isn’t a sudden shift but a slow, steady process of becoming more like Jesus.

Following Jesus isn’t just about agreeing with His teachings; it’s about practicing them. Change happens through repetition, not inspiration alone. Spiritual disciplines exist to retrain the mind and body to instinctively live in alignment with Jesus’ way.

Fasting is one of the most powerful practices for shaping how a person relates to their body. It deals with the appetites and desires that often take control. The world puts both too much and too little emphasis on the body. It defines people by their appearance while also telling them to indulge whatever they feel.

Surveys show that a large percentage of people are dissatisfied with their appearance. Many wish they could change how they look, compare themselves to others on social media, or rarely say anything positive about their bodies. But Paul offers a different perspective:

“I must not be mastered by anything.”

Fasting is a way of making sure the body doesn’t set the agenda. It’s not about losing weight or boosting self-esteem. Those are still ways of making the body the focus. Biblical fasting is about choosing to say no to bodily urges in order to say yes to God.

Jesus assumes His followers will fast. He says, “When you fast,” not “if.”

John Mark Comer describes fasting as,

“One of the most essential and powerful practices of Jesus and arguably the single most neglected in the modern Western church.”

In fasting, a person offers their body to God as an act of worship. They break the power of unhealthy habits and train themselves to rely on God rather than instant gratification. It increases the ability to experience joy even in difficult circumstances. It amplifies prayer, opening the heart to God in deeper ways.

Fasting is always connected to prayer. Jesus taught His followers to ask, seek, and knock. But prayer isn’t about getting exactly what is asked for every time.

Sometimes God’s answer is yes. Sometimes it’s no. And sometimes the answer is wait.

In Revelation, the martyrs in heaven cry out, “How long, O Lord?” and God tells them to wait. Prayer isn’t always about immediate results, but it is always about drawing near to God.

Throughout Scripture, prayer and fasting go together. In the Old Testament, leaders fasted and prayed in times of crisis. In the early church, the apostles fasted before making major decisions.

The same pattern still holds true. Whenever people need wisdom or breakthrough, fasting and prayer create space to hear from God more clearly.

It’s not about rules or legalism. It’s an invitation.

The question is: is there something that has too much control? Something that needs to be surrendered? Fasting from food, social media, or another habit can be a way to reset priorities.

Jesus offers life, but life in Him requires practice. The world teaches people to follow their feelings. Jesus calls people to follow Him.

Real life is found in Him.