LEGACY CODE · WEEK 2 · CHARACTER THAT CARRIES ON
Can People Really Change?
How to Change Who You Are
A different future is possible. Discover how Jesus changes the heart, breaks destructive patterns, and helps us pass on something better.
Pastor Chris Fluitt · November 8, 2026
You promised yourself this time would be different.
You weren’t going to lose your temper again. You weren’t going to shut down when things got hard. You weren’t going to repeat the same mistakes you watched growing up. And you meant every word.
But here you are again. Same reaction. Same regret. Same question: Why can’t I change?
Maybe you’re beginning to wonder whether this is simply who you are. But what if your past doesn’t have to determine your future? What if the patterns you inherited don’t have to be the patterns you pass on?
Jesus offers more than another chance to try harder. He offers the power to become new.
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Can People Really Change?
Legacy Code · Week 2 · Character That Carries On
Watch or listen to Pastor Chris Fluitt’s message, download the free study resources, and take your next step with Jesus.
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FREE PRACTICAL MONEY WORKSHOP
Make Your Money Work for You
Thursday, November 12, 2026 · 6:00 PM
Want to make wiser financial choices and build a legacy that blesses the people who come after you? Join us for Money Night, a practical workshop about managing your money, planning ahead, and taking your next financial step. We’ll keep the conversation useful, understandable, and focused on real life.
1. What comes out reveals what's inside.
Read Luke 6:43–45 (NIV). Jesus compares our lives to trees. Good fruit comes from a good tree, and bad fruit from a bad tree. He then makes the meaning personal: our words reveal what fills our hearts.
When life squeezes us, something comes out. We may blame the circumstances, but Jesus asks us to look at what those reactions reveal. The words we use, the choices we repeat, and the way we treat people are not disconnected from the condition of our hearts.
This does not mean a single difficult moment defines your entire character. It means repeated fruit deserves honest attention. If anger keeps coming out, we need more than a strategy for sounding calm. We need to let Jesus address what is happening within us.
The fruit reveals the root.
Reputation is what people think about you. Character is who you are and how you live, including when nobody is watching. Legacy is what your life leaves in others.
People may remember our accomplishments, but those closest to us live with our character. Children, friends, coworkers, and neighbors experience the fruit of our lives. This is why the question of change is bigger than personal improvement. What we practice today can become part of what we pass on tomorrow.
2. Jesus doesn't just make you better. He makes you new.
Read Romans 6:4 (NIV). Paul describes believers being united with Christ in His death and resurrection so that they may live a new life. Christianity is not simply a new set of rules for the same old heart. Jesus died for our sins and rose again, opening the way to forgiveness, reconciliation with God, and a new way of living.
We cannot earn that life by being disciplined enough or cleaning ourselves up first. Grace is God’s gift. The invitation is to trust Jesus, turn from sin, and follow Him.
Read Acts 2:38 (NIV). When the crowd asks Peter how to respond to the message of Jesus, Peter calls them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and speaks of receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Repentance means more than feeling bad. It means turning toward God and away from the sin we have defended or excused. Baptism is a response of faith and obedience that identifies us with Jesus and His death and resurrection. And the Holy Spirit is not an optional upgrade for especially spiritual people. God gives His Spirit to lead us into new life.
Jesus does not promise that every destructive habit disappears overnight. He offers something more substantial than a quick fix: a new identity, a new direction, and His presence as we learn to walk in it.
3. New life produces new fruit.
Read Galatians 5:22–25 (NIV). Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Notice that Paul calls this fruit. Fruit grows from a living source. We do not manufacture spiritual character by pretending to be patient, gentle, or loving. We learn to remain responsive to the Holy Spirit, and His work becomes visible in how we live.
This is not an excuse for passivity. Galatians calls those who belong to Christ to keep in step with the Spirit. When you want to lash out, you can pause and choose a Spirit-led response. When you have wronged someone, you can confess it and seek to make it right. When you fall into an old pattern, you can return to Jesus instead of surrendering to shame.
Growth is often gradual. A tree does not bear mature fruit in one afternoon. But living things do grow. Ask yourself: What kind of fruit is developing in me, and who is experiencing it?
Three steps toward real change
1. Recognize and repent.
Ask God to show you one recurring pattern. Name it without blaming someone else. Confess it honestly, and turn toward what Jesus teaches.
2. Take your next step with Jesus.
If you have never trusted Jesus, begin there. If you are following Him, consider what obedience looks like now: baptism, prayer, reconciliation, Scripture, or an honest conversation with a mature believer.
3. Walk by the Holy Spirit.
Choose one concrete moment this week to respond differently. Before a difficult conversation, ask the Holy Spirit to guide your words. At the end of the day, reflect on what grew and what needs to change.
A QUESTION FOR TODAY
What am I passing on that needs to stop with me?
And what could Jesus begin in me that blesses someone else?
You can begin again with Jesus.
You do not have to wait until you have become a better person to come to Christ. Bring Him your sin, your repeated failures, and the patterns you cannot seem to break. Trust His death and resurrection. Repent, follow Him, and receive the gift of new life.
If you would like someone to pray with you, talk about baptism, or help you take your next step, Redemption Church would love to walk with you.
Real questions about changing your life
Explore these questions about faith, patterns, character, baptism, and the Holy Spirit. Select a question to read the answer.
A personal note from Pastor Chris
I’m glad you took some time with this message. If you’ve been struggling with something you wish you could change, I want you to know that a different future is possible through Jesus.
I’d love to hear your story, answer a question, or pray with you. You don’t have to figure everything out alone. Send me a text. Let’s talk.
Your next Sunday could be the beginning of something new.
Come worship with us at Redemption Church. You’ll find people who are learning, growing, and following Jesus together. We meet Sundays at 4:30 PM at 2001 Independence Pkwy, Plano, TX 75075.