How To Change Your Heart

Proverbs 21:1
The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord;
He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases.

This is an interesting verse.  I am not a hyper-sovereignty preacher, and I don't want to get into a "sovereignty of God" debate with any one as that is not what this article is all about.  What I would like to draw your attention to is the first line...  "the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord".

If you ask me, that is some serious encouragement.  Why?  Well, God's desire is that all men act in Love toward one another to create a "near perfect" environment.  The issue, as we know, is that many people's hearts are in the wrong place.  They are motivated by fear, anger, hurt, disappointed instead of Love.

This verse encourages me because it says that God can work with hearts.  We know that the Gospel is a radical heart change.  But I believe even Christians can get a hard heart toward others, unfortunately.  As I am sure you have experienced!  So what is the key?

The key is the word "King".  Could it be that when a man or a woman recognise their value as a child of God, they automatically open a door for God to work on their hearts?  This means even Christians can have hearts closed off from God.  They believe and receive Jesus has atoned for their sins, but they haven't realised their value as Royalty, and so have parts of their heart that they haven't opened up to allow God to work on.

What am I saying?  All I am saying is that when we realise the value of who we are as children of God, it becomes a whole lot easier to allow God in and do some change on our hearts.

Friends, I have seen it.  Just this week I apprehended some boys who we caught stealing a cell phone.  I spoke with them and told them their value as children of God.  I saw their eyes change.  I saw them feel sorry for what they had done.  I didn't want a verbal apology, I wanted them to know in their hearts what they had done was wrong.  And I was blown away at how emphasising their value as Royal children of God opened up their hearts.

Friends, this is what we after!  True and deep heart change!  Not outward, external actions that may be empty, but change from the inside.  We can have that so easily the more we realise that we are Kings and Queens in the Royal Priesthood of God!  (Revelation 19:16 - we are the kings Jesus is King over! And 1 Peter 2:9)

I pray that Holy Spirit would reveal this Glorious Truth to you (and your friends and family), and that as He does so, your heart would open up to the King of kings to be worked on and be motivated by His unconditional Love.

The Word Became Flesh To Reveal the Father

John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.  We have seen His Glory, the Glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of Grace and Truth.

This season of Christmas is often called the silly season.  Society takes on a whole new cultural look.  People are tense, stressed, short-tempered and not many are very jolly.  Offices close down and those that just want to get on with work find themselves frustrated.  It can be a strange time.

But amidst the marketing geniuses' cries to buy more and the hustle and bustle of last minute organising, we must never forget that this time is marked to celebrate one of the greatest moments in history.  We hear it from so many corners so often: "don't forget the reason for the season!"  And most of us don't.  And I don't mean to come across cliched in this post, but I do want to remind us all to celebrate this time.

Take some time to pray with the family, during the worship service on Sunday, wherever you can, celebrate in your heart the greatness that Christmas stands for.  (It may not be the exact historical date of Christ's birth, but it is the date we set aside to celebrate it!  And I am sure He doesn't mind!)

And Christmas stands for is something hugely significant.  For so many reasons.  But one in particular I want to look at today is this:  At the birth of Christ, the invisible God became visible.

Jesus came to reveal the Father and what God was like.  This is significant in so many ways!  No longer was God a mystery!  No longer was His Nature and what He was thinking an encrypted mystery to be unlocked by the great thinkers of history.  It has been revealed in the person of Jesus.

Jesus is the exact representation of the Nature and Being of God.  (Hebrews 1:3)  Jesus said if you have seen Him you have seen the Father.  (John 14:9)  Jesus revealed to mankind what God was like.  And to our surprise, He is much more kinder, loving, gracious and good than we thought!  And surprisingly less angry!

How many sick people did Jesus turn away?  None!  How many sinners did Jesus turn away?  None!  How many sinners did Jesus dine with?  Many!  How many religious dictators did Jesus get angry with for holding back the Love of God from His people?  Many!

Friends!  God will never turn you away.  No matter who you are or what you have done.  No matter what your cry.  God hears you.  He Loves you as His very own!  Don't be discouraged by the enemy's lies.  The Truth of the life of Jesus has revealed what God is like once and for all.  And He is a good and loving Father beyond what we could ever imagine!

Rest in His Love today.  Celebrate His Love this Christmas.  Receive His Love this Christmas.  And thank Him that He has been eternally revealed ever since becoming a man on Christmas.

May you know His Love and the blessings It brings this Christmas.

It is All About God's Love

Romans 8:37 - 39 (The Message)
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

For this week's encouragement I am using the Message translation, as it gives us a fresh perspective on one of the most powerful Truths in the Universe; that God Loves us unconditionally, and nothing is going to get in the way of that Love!

Friends, this is the central Message of Scripture, the pivot around which the entire Gospel hinges!  That God Loves you unconditionally.  Now, you may have heard that on a number of different occasions, and it may not seem personal to you anymore.  This is why Paul prays for the Ephesians in Ephesians 3:19 that we might know this Love.  Because like this verse says, nothing will faze us when we live in the revelation that God Loves us.

I once heard a preacher named Jason Westerfield say that him and his wife have raised their son in a way that he would know how much he is loved.  Because of this, he thinks everyone loves him.  And this affects how he lives and deals with people.  And if people don't love him, it doesn't faze him, because everyone else loves him.

This is how we should live, knowing that we are deeply Loved by the Creator of the Universe, and therefore not letting anything affect us!

What is incredible in this passage in Romans is that Paul emphasises that nothing can separate us from God's Love for us.  And do you know what brought about that revelation?  The Cross.  "The way Jesus embraced us" is referring to what Jesus accomplished on the Cross.  2 Corinthians 5:19 says that God was in Christ reconciling the world (that's you!) to Himself!

Friends, Jesus sweated blood in the garden of Gethsemane because of what He was about to face at the Cross.  And He endured it because He saw a glorious day on the other side of it all where you could be one with Him!  That is the depth of His Love for us!

The more revelation we receive of the Cross, the more we will become convinced that nothing can separate us from God's Love for us!  My friend, know this today, that nothing can separate you from God's Love!  Absolutely nothing!  You are deeply and passionately Loved by your Heavenly Father, and He went to the very furthest He possibly could to ensure that nothing can stand between you and His Love!  Receive it today, and know, that no matter what you have done and where you have been, He Loves you with a Love that can barely be conceived by the natural mind.

I pray each and every one of us would receive a fresh and deeper revelation of the Work of the Cross, and God's Unconditional and Unending Love for us personally.

AMEN!

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For some good sermons regarding God's Love, here are two links worth downloading...

Right-click the link and then click "Save Target As" and save it anywhere on your computer:

- God's Love is Above All Things

- The Love Revolution

Nothing Separates You From God's Love!!

Do you feel condemned? Maybe you feel like you aren't worthy enough to come to God?

If you are feeling that... then you have been lied to!!!

Check out what the Scripture says:

Romans 8:1
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Do you see that? NO CONDEMNATION!! If you have been born again, then you are in Christ Jesus. And if you are in Christ Jesus, then there is NO CONDEMNATION that can come against you! Any condemnation or guilt you feel is from the devil, and it is illegal!

That means that you can come boldly before God your Father, and allow Him to hold you, and love you, and satisfy every deepest desire of your heart. My friend, when you feel His Love wash over you, everything else in life pales into insignificance.

And NOTHING can separate you from God's Love! NOTHING! It is freely available, all you need to do is come as you are.

Look at what the end of this passage says:

Romans 8:38 - 39
"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
Vs 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

What is holding you back? NOTHING! Come boldly today. Sit at His feet and let Him speak words of Life to your spirit. Let that Love set your heart on Fire once again.

I firmly believe that God's Presence is directly related to His Love. The Bible tells us in 1 John 4:16 that God IS Love. That means when His Presence washes over you, you will have a supernatural revelation of His overwhelming, undying, unconditional love for you! And that Love will change who you are forever!

It's one thing to KNOW in your mind that God loves you, it's another thing altogether to actually EXPERIENCE that Love. God wants you to EXPERIENCE His Love for you.

If you are longing for more of God's Presence over you, and a deeper revelation of His Love, then why don't you pray this right now, right where you are? Maybe aloud? Maybe in your heart. And then go find a quiet place, and let Him Love you...

Father,

I come to You as I am. You know me inside out. And yet You Love me perfectly.
Reveal to me Your Love for me. I don't just want to know it in my head, I want to FEEL it in my heart. Let me FEEL Your Love. Reveal to me Your Love. The Love that You displayed at the Cross of Jesus. I want to know You deeply, Father. And I ask that you take me deeper and deeper into Your Love. Wash it all over me like a river. Please Father.

Thank You that You have revealed Your Love to us by sacrificing Your very own Son Jesus. Your Love is the Most Amazing Force in the Universe! Reveal it to me Lord!

In the Amazing, Holy Name of Jesus!

Amen!