changING OUR HEARTs

A lesson about how to change our hearts.

As you read this lesson, be sure to hover over the the Bible verses to read them or look them up in your own copy of the Bible. When the Bible passage is longer, you need to click on “more” in the bottom right corner of the pop-up window.

Introduction

Welcome! The Bible has much to say about this interesting topic. You may find it helpful to invite a mature Christian from your church to study this topic with you. You may have a lot of questions that are not answered here. Maybe there are ideas here that seem hard to understand. Do not get overwhelmed! You can contact us with any questions that you may have. The elders of your local church can help you as well.

Remember that learning the content about this topic is helpful, but knowing the information will not truly change you. For you to benefit fully from this topic, you must…

• Become born-again by securing a personal relationship with God the Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, through faith by grace. This information cannot change you until the Holy Spirit of God gives you a new heart that is able to apply it to your life. To begin a personal relationship with God, it is imperative to understand and believe the following:

  • God is separated from you, because He is good, pure, and holy. 1 John 1:5-6

  • You are sinful, impure, and unholy because you do not measure up to God’s holiness. Romans 3:10-12 You are a descendent of Adam and Eve who rebelled against God. Romans 5:19

  • Your sinfulness provokes God’s anger and separates you from Him because He is holy. Romans 5:12 As a result, you deserve to be thrown into the Lake of Fire forever. Revelation 20:14-15

  • God the Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth. Jesus is God in the flesh. He lived a sinless life. He was nailed to the cross, shed His blood, and died in your place for your sins. He was buried, rose again, and went to Heaven to prepare a place for all who believe. He will return one day for those who believe. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

  • Only the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is enough for you to be accepted forever by God the Father the moment you believe. John 3:16 God does not accept you on the basis that you try to be a good person and do good works. Romans 4:5 He accepts you fully and forever the moment you abandon your sins and call on Jesus to save you. John 3:36

• As you understand, meditate on, and believe the information presented here about this topic, you must also do what the Bible says. James 1:21-22 Only by trusting and obeying God’s Word regarding this topic will you experience the full benefits of this information. James 1:23-24 Trusting and obeying God’s Word will change you as you learn this. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 You will be happy as a result of your obedience. James 1:25

• Seek and heed the advice of your church leaders regarding this topic. Hebrews 13:17

• Depend upon the Holy Spirit to change you. Galatians 3:1-3 You cannot change without Him enabling you. John 15:5 He will change you in His time and way; but not apart from your faith and obedience to God’s Word. Trust Him to do His work in your heart. Philippians 2:12-13

• Allow the joy that you experience from obeying God’s Word to transform how you interact with others. James 2:12-20

The Gospel enables us to Change Our Hearts

• Jesus is God in the flesh. He lived a sinless life for us. Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 2:22 He was nailed to the cross as if He had a sinful heart like us. 1 Peter 2:24 He shed His blood so that our hearts can be washed clean. Hebrews 10:22 He died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. Hebrews 4:14 He now sits at the right hand of the Father, representing us to Him. Hebrews 7:24-25

• Since Christ lived a life of purity for us, we have been accepted in Him by God the Father as if we lived the life of purity that Christ lived. 1 Peter 3:18

• Now that we have been accepted as people in Christ who have pure hearts, we are called to live our lives the way that Christ lived during His life on earth. 1 Peter 2:21; 1 Peter 2:23

• Since Christ died for our impure, deceitful, unclean hearts, we no longer have to live as if we are unable to change our hearts. 1 Peter 2:24

• Since Christ rose from the grave, we can go boldly to Him for help when we lack the will or desire to change our hearts. Hebrews 4:15-16

• We can forget our past moments of stubborn inability to change with courage, knowing that God will conform us into the image of Christ, and He will never abandon us. 2 Corinthians 5:14-21; Philippians 3:7-14; 1 Peter 2:25

• How will you commit this to prayer daily?

How to Change our HeartS

• Remind yourself that Christ already has done everything that is needed for you to be washed clean and forgiven of your sin as you confess it. Therefore, you can deal with your sin without giving up.

• Remember that God has compassion for you, and He knows that you are dust.

• Ask God to reveal the ways you have sinned. Remember that Christ already died for your sin, so you are already forgiven and set free. Psalm 139:23-24

• Recognize that it is not a sin to be tempted.

• Examine what you were thinking when you sinned and what the Bible says about it. Remember that Christ already died for your sin, so you are already forgiven and set free.

• Examine what you wanted when you sinned and what the Bible says about it. Remember that Christ already died for your sin, so you are forgiven and set free already.

• Examine what you were willing to give up in order to sin. Remember that Christ already died for your sin, so you are forgiven and set free already .

• Examine what made it so easy for you to sin. Remember that Christ already died for your sin, so you are forgiven and set free already.

• Think about how God saw your sin.

• List attributes of God you forgot in your moment of sin. Note how you disregarded God in that moment. Remember that Christ already died for your sin, so you are forgiven and set free already.

• Consider the thoughts that God wanted you to think in that moment in that moment. Remember that Christ already died for your sin, so you are forgiven and set free already.

• List some other actions you could have taken in that moment to prevent you from sinning. Remember that Christ already died for your sin, so you are forgiven and set free already.

• Study the offending subject every day for one month. Remember that Christ already died for your sin, so you are forgiven and set free already.

• Regularly read a memory verse about that sin or about the attribute of God that you called into question. This will help you to think biblically about the sin before you are tempted so that you can control yourself.

• Tell your accountability partner everything. Remember that Christ already died for your sin, so you are forgiven and set free already.

• Listen to sermons about the topic. Remember that Christ already died for your sin, so you are forgiven and set free already.

• Ask your pastor to counsel you about the sin. Remember that Christ already died for your sin, so you are forgiven and set free already.

• Deliberately put on new thoughts, desires, attitudes, and habits every day. Focus on doing the right thing rather than that you sinned. Do not concentrate on being tempted to do the wrong thing. Ephesians 4:17-24

• Meditate on the Gospel, confess your sins and weakness to God, and believe that He has forgiven you. Ask God to change your heart every day.

• Recognize that you will give an account to Jesus for how you lived your life for Him. Ask yourself what you are willing to give up so that you do not sin again. Remember that Christ already died for your sin, so you are forgiven and set free already.

REPRESENTING CHRISt By Changing Our Hearts

• Remember that we do not exist simply to live for ourselves. We were created to represent God.

• When our hearts are changed, it is not about us primarily. It is about God being represented well in how our hearts are changed. His reputation is on the line, because we represent Him.

• God wants us to enjoy fellowship with Him. We must demonstrate the importance of enjoying fellowship with God by changing our hearts.

• When we make it a priority to change our hearts in a biblical way, we become more like Christ and represent Him well.

• When we share the Gospel, it shines a light on our lives. If we don’t change our hearts, we will be tempted to shrink back from sharing the Gospel.

• When we do everything we can to change our hearts, it gives us boldness in our faith. This boldness enables us to be transparent with anyone. This will enable us to let other believers into our lives and disciple them.

• We must let the reputation of God and His love for people motivate us to grow in our desire to see our hearts change.

• The love of Christ is enough to motivate us to make changing our hearts a priority in our lives.

CONCLUSION

Now that you have studied this topic, we encourage you to...

• Ask us or any of your church leaders about any questions or concerns you still have about this topic.

• Pray for yourself to grow in maturity regarding this topic.

• Do your best to practice what you have learned.

• Tell someone else about what you have studied.

• Ask one of your church leaders to help you overcome your weaknesses regarding this topic.

• Teach this subject to others.

• Consider reviewing this topic once each year.

• Commit to growing in this area together with other members of a local church.

• Trust the Holy Spirit to change you as He uses His Word, others, and circumstances to make you more like Christ.