WHAT GOD DESIRES MOST IS A CHANGE IN YOUR HEART

6/20/2019

DO YOU EVER FIND YOURSELF IN A PLACE OF DISAPPOINTMENT AS A CHRISTIAN WHEN YOU HAVE SUCCUMBED TO A WEAKNESS OR A HABIT THAT JUST SEEMS TO CONTROL YOU ? THOSE THINGS THAT WE ALL HAVE TO DEAL WITH THAT MAKE US LESS THAN WE WANT TO BE ? SEEMINGLY IN A CONSTANT BATTLE TO DEFEAT THAT ONE THING THAT MAKES YOU FEEL GUILTY, OR ASHAMED, OR FEARFUL ? THAT PLACE IS EXACTLY WHERE WE ENCOUNTER SIN IN OUR LIVES, AND SIN IS A DIFFICULT THING TO DEFEAT SOMETIMES. SIN IS A VORACIOUS ENEMY. IT CAN BE RELENTLESS, AND IT CAN BE BRUTAL IN ITS RESULTS IN OUR LIVES AND BEHAVIOR. THE WORST PART OF OUR BATTLE AGAINST SIN IS THAT THE MORE WE TRY TO DEFEAT IT, THE MORE IT BEATS US DOWN. THE PRIMARY TOOLS THAT WE FIND OURSELVES USING JUST DON’T WORK, OR THEY JUST DON’T LAST. JUST WHEN WE THINK WE HAVE MADE PROGRESS, SIN REARS ITS’ UGLY HEAD AND SUCKS US BACK IN. THERE WE ARE, RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED. LIKE TRYING TO CLIMB A MOUNTAIN TO REACH THE SUMMIT, ONLY TO LOSE OUR GRIP, SLIDE DOWNHILL, AND HAVE TO START OVER AGAIN….. SO, IS THERE A SOLUTION ? WHAT DO WE DO ?

I AM READING AND STUDYING AN AMAZING BOOK BY DAVID BOWDEN ENTITLED “REWIRE YOUR HEART” DAVID HAS SOME AMAZING INSIGHT INTO HOW WE NEED TO SEE SIN, AND HOW WE CAN STRIVE TO REWIRE OUR HEART TO BE MORE CONNECTED TO GOD. MOST OF US SEE SIN FROM AN OUTWARD PERSPECTIVE. SIN IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO BATTLE, AND GENERALLY, WE DO NEED TO BATTLE SIN. THE DIFFICULTY IS HOW WE DECIDE TO BATTLE. THE BIGGEST WAY MOST OF US TRY TO ACCOMPLISH THIS IS IN CHANGING OUR BEHAVIOR. IF I DON’T DO THIS, SURELY SIN WON’T BE PRESENT IN MY LIFE. TO ACCOMPLISH THIS, I PUT UP ALL SORTS OF TEMPTATION BLOCKADES, I AVOID PEOPLE, ENVIRONMENTS, AND ACTIVITIES THAT MIGHT PUT ME IN DANGER, AND I TRY TO MAKE MYSELF UNTOUCHABLE…..THE PROBLEM IS, IT DOESN’T WORK. IT DOESN’T WORK BECAUSE WE ARE RELYING ON OURSELVES, NOT GOD. WE ARE ALSO FOCUSED ON THE ACTIVITY AND OUTWARD SIGNS OF SIN, NOT REALIZING THAT WE NEED TO LOOK INWARD. WE NEED TO LOOK INWARD AND CHANGE THE VERY DEPTH OF OUR HEART. OUR HEART NEEDS TO BE IN GOD’S HANDS, REMADE INTO HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, CHARACTER, AND LOVE.

CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART , O GOD; AND RENEW A RIGHT SPIRIT WITHIN ME Psalms 51:10

BUT THAT ON THE GOOD GROUND ARE THEY, WHICH IN AN HONEST AND GOOD HEART , HAVING HEARD THE WORD, KEEP IT, AND BRING FORTH FRUIT WITH PATIENCE Luke 8:15

THE KEY IS TO CHANGE THE VERY DESIRES OF YOUR HEART. WITHOUT A CHANGE IN THIS, YOU CANNOT ALTER YOUR BEHAVIOR BECAUSE YOU TRULY NEED AND WANT AND DESIRE EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE BATTLING AGAINST MOST OF THE TIME. MOST IMPORTANTLY, YOU CANNOT BATTLE OR WIN BY YOURSELF. YOU CAN ONLY BE FREE ONCE YOU REALIZE THAT JESUS HAS ALREADY FOUGHT THE BATTLE FOR YOU, AND HE HAS WON. TRYING TO FIGHT AND WIN BY YOURSELF JUST PUSHES YOU DEEPER INTO SELF RULE AND SEPARATION FROM GOD, HIS POWER AND AUTHORITY OVER YOUR LIFE, AND HIS LOVE FOR YOU. JESUS DIED FOR US. HE TOOK ON EVERYTHING. HE HAS DEFEATED SIN AND DEATH, AND HIS GIFT TO US IS FREEDOM FROM NOT ONLY SIN, BUT FROM ITS’ CONSEQUENCES….DEATH…..AND SEPARATION FROM HIM.

AND YE SHALL SEEK ME, AND FIND ME, WHEN YE SHALL SERCH FOR ME WITH ALL OF YOUR HEART. Jeremiah 29:13

BLESSED ARE THEY THAT KEEP HIS TESTIMONIES , AND THAT SEEK HIM WITH THEIR WHOLE HEART. Psalms 119:2

TRULY THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO ACCOMPLISH AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. WE MUST CHANGE OUR HEART AND OUR DESIRES TO BE LIKE HIM. HE CREATED US IN HIS IMAGE, AND WE NEED TO EMBRACE THAT. WE NEED TO SEEK HIM, CRY OUT TO HIM, AND ALLOW THE LOVE OF JESUS TO PERMEATE EVERY PART OF WHO WE ARE. ONCE WE COME TO THAT PLACE, WE CAN BEGIN TO GROW AND LET HIM RULE AND REIGN IN OUR LIVES. WE LIVE IN OBEDIENCE AND LOVE FOR HIM, AND THE CHANGE IS TRULY AWESOME. NO LONGER LIVING IN THE WORLD AND BATTLING ON OUR OWN, WE BECOME A LIGHT INTO THE DARKNESS, AND A WINDOW FOR THOSE AROUND US TO SEE THE HOLINESS OF GOD, AND HIS DESIRE FOR US TO BE HIS. PLACE YOUR TRUST IN JESUS TO BE YOUR EVERYTHING, AND YOU WILL FIND THAT HE ALONE CAN MAKE YOU INTO JUST WHO YOU NEED TO BE ! ARE YOU READY ? IT IS TIME. LET GO, AND LET GOD TRANSFORM YOUR HEART. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS ASK AND BELIEVE…..FOR HE WILL BE ALL YOU WILL EVER NEED. CHANGE YOUR HEART/CHANGE YOUR LIFE JA