In order to make a change lasting, you must capture your thoughts. I am sure that is no big mystery. I can even imagine you going that was just awe inspiring.
2 Corinthians 10:5 New International Version (NIV)
5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
It may sound simple, but if it were so, then why haven’t you done it?
The answer is that we are easily distracted by our flesh, the world, and the Devil.
How many times have you done something knowing that what you were about to do would not be pleasing to God? Typically, that starts with one thought, then another, and another until you either justify your actions or you have lost your focus.
Our thoughts are what typically lead us astray. Take a person who is poor, but wants to be rich. They may be a Christian, but they are so tired of living in poverty that they forget to be content with what they have and start to think that they want what others have. This can lead them to sin in other ways and some of them may result in breaking the laws of the land.
So, in the end, it is all about your thoughts.
If you are having problems with your thoughts, my suggestion is to sit down and pray to the Lord and then spend some time with Him.