Pastors Blog: Fresh Start, Changed Heart Volume 3

Submitted by Pastor Kevin on Tue, 02/16/2010 - 12:58

 

From the Pastor's Pen
 
Fresh Start, Changed Heart
 
 
In the introduction to this series, I acknowledged that no one dislikes change more than I do. A review of my own life reveals that we don't like a changed heart anymore than we like anything else being changed. When God speaks to us sometimes we wonder if it's really Him or our own emotions. We wonder if we are being pressured by the circumstances or maybe even by the way we feel that day. But to get a fresh start, we really do need a changed heart.
 
When I think of a changed heart, I think of a repentant heart. In English, to 'repent' primarily means to feel or express sincere regret or remorse. However, the biblical understanding of repentance is multifaceted. It has many dimensions and concepts rolled into one word. Biblically, repentance really means to change your mind about something. However, you cannot change your mind about something without sufficient information.
 
Based on that new information on that subject, you can decide that your previous thinking was wrong and your current or soon-to-be current thinking is correct. Theologians often suggest that repentance means that you agree with God about what he thinks about the sin your life and acknowledge that sin really is sin. However, that's only part of the theological understanding of repentance. It is inconsistent, intellectually, to say that you have changed your mind about something without that change of mind affecting your behavior.
 
Therefore, I believe that we need a Fresh Start with a Changed Heart. A heart that is changed by the influence of the Holy Spirit - A heart that is changed because we've acknowledged that we have been wrong in our thinking - A heart that is changed because the things that we assumed to be true and the things that seemed to work in the past aren't true and don't work now. But if our definition is to be consistent, the changed heart must come with changed behavior. If we are successful in changing our thinking about the way God thinks about the sin in our lives, we will see change in many areas.
 
A changed heart will by necessity force us to recognize the old. One of the significant problems in the Christian walk is that we get used to our circumstances. We forget where we could've been and where we have come from. 'Change' means an awareness of the past. By being aware of our past, we can focus upon the changes that God has brought into our lives and then avoid patterns of life that would lead us back into the old ways.
 
If you have a flat tire in your car, you pull to the side of the road and change it. You will put the flat tire in the trunk of your car. IF you forget that the flat tire is in the trunk, the next time you have a flat you will be stranded. Don't go back to the old ways! Remember where you came from and consider where you could've been. Be prepared to change your heart.
Are you willing, with me, to ask God to do an evaluation of your thinking, your praying, your Bible reading, your evangelistic efforts, your work habits, your attitudes about your fellow believers, your church family and others? And will you, with me, ask HIM to change it, all, so it conforms with His viewpoint? Will you ask Him for a changed heart, a repentant heart?
 
Until next time,              Pastor Kevin
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