Change My Heart

“Change My Heart”
Kennard Friends Church
February 26, 2012

It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad. - C.S. Lewis

Lord, where we are wrong, make us willing to change; where we are right, make us easy to live with. – Peter Marshall

CHANGE!
• Change in my pocket
• Change in the weather
• Change the baby’s diaper
• Going through the change
• Change course
• Change lanes on the road
• Change of heart
It’s that last one that I would like to focus on… Change of heart.

Principle # 1 – We can change our heart

Deuteronomy 10:15-17
15 Yet the LORD chose your ancestors as the objects of his love. And he chose you, their descendants, above all other nations, as is evident today. 16 Therefore, change your hearts[a] and stop being stubborn. 17 “For the LORD your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God …

2 Chronicles 12:7
When the LORD saw their change of heart, he gave this message to Shemaiah: “Since the people have humbled themselves, I will not completely destroy them and will soon give them some relief. I will not use Shishak to pour out my anger on Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 4:4
O people of Judah and Jerusalem, surrender your pride and power. Change your hearts before the LORD, or my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire because of all your sins.

Principle #2 – God can change our heart

Deuteronomy 30:5-7
5 The LORD your God will return you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will possess that land again. Then he will make you even more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors!
6 “The LORD your God will change your heart[a] and the hearts of all your descendants, so that you will love him with all your heart and soul and so you may live!

2 Timothy 2:25
Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth.

Romans 2:29
No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.

Principle #3 – Results of a changed heart

Matthew 3:8 Let your change of heart be seen in your works

Matthew 18:3 And said, Truly, I say to you, If you do not have a change of heart and become like little children, you will not go into the kingdom of heaven. ...

Let me finish up by telling you a personal story of my work as a substitute teacher of little children. Even though I have been a Christian for around 40 years, I continually have to preach to myself and remind myself of the Scriptures.

Just over 3 weeks ago I started subbing in the Greenfield school system. My first experience was with a class of first graders. They were very sweet children. But keeping them focused on the task at hand was harder than rounding up wild kittens (which I have actually done!). Then on another occasion at a middle school I found the noise level at the lunch room to be at a higher decibel than a race at the Mt Lawn Speedway. Coming home from a 6-hour workday of substitute teaching made me feel exhausted (mentally, emotionally and physically) more than anything I’ve ever done.

Added to all that was my pity-party over still feeling the pain of my job loss. I missed the challenges of the job. I missed the interaction with adults. I missed the structure of my worklife. I missed the income and benefits. My “missing” was turning into “misting” (weeping). Yes I cry!
Then in the midst of my depression, in the midst of my broken heart, I called out to God with a different request.

Earlier I had been requesting His help to get this job or that job so my situation would change. But I came to the realization that my situation may NOT be changing anytime soon. Then it was a song that came to me. A song that is based on many Bible verses. Now I was asking for His help to change my heart, rather than my situation! It worked!
The very next day after praying for God to change my heart, I was grateful for having the opportunity to substitute teach at the same school, the same children, with the same noise.

What about you? Are any of you in a place where you want the situation to change? If you have not had any luck changing the situation. If you have prayed to God for the situation to change and it has not. Then consider changing your prayer. Ask God to change your heart.

Change my heart oh God,
Make it ever true.
Change my heart oh God,
May I be like you.


Psalm 7:10
God is my shield, saving those whose hearts are true and right.