A CHANGE OF HEART

"And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:  That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God." - Ezekiel 11:19-20

We live in a wicked world.  Our society is sinfully depraved and getting worse by the day.  Racism, murders, thefts, substance abuse, lust, gossip, and lies have saturated our culture.  Political change is, at best, a band-aid fix to the problem.  Most of the time, politics are part of the problem.

Most Americans tend to see themselves as good people, living moral, ethical lives.  Perhaps you see yourself that way. 

It is important for each person to have an annual checkup.  When your family doctor performs a routine checkup, he or she may find medical problems that you are unaware of.  Discovery and proper treatment of a medical problem may save you a lot of pain ... and may even save your life.

Whether you know it or not, you have already received a spiritual checkup.  Our Lord is the Great Physician.  He has examined your life.  His diagnosis is grim, but true.  He has found that you have a bad heart.

Most people think that they have sincere, good hearts.  Maybe you think the same thing.  Sometimes I hear people say, "God knows my heart."  That is true.  God does know your heart and here is what He says about it, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9).  Notice two things about the human heart:  it is deceitful and desperately wicked.  That statement is the diagnosis of the Great Physician.  He has examined your heart and found it to wicked. 

You have received the Great Physician's diagnosis.  Now it is time to receive His treatment.  The only answer for a wicked heart is a heart transplant.  You must have a change of heart.  The Great Physician, who is a specialist in this line of surgery, is the only One who can accomplish this.

Ezekiel 11:19-20 shares how the Great Physician performs a heart transplant in the lives of people:  "And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:  That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God."

Here are a few facts about the change of heart that God provides:

1.  GOD IS THE ONLY ONE WHO PERFORMS THIS SURGERY

A change of heart cannot be performed by anyone else by God Himself.  You can't change your own heart.  Your family members or friends can't change your heart.  Watching a talk show, seeing a movie, or listening to self-help CD's will not change your heart.  A human doctor can't perform the kind of heart transplant that the Lord provides.  Only God can change your heart.

2.  GOD HAS A PERFECT RECORD

God has never lost a case.  Despite the life-and-death situation of His patients, God has never lost a patient on the operating table.  Every patient He has treated has survived and lived a better life than before.  His patients give continual visible and verbal testimony of His great work.  When a person receives a change of heart, he knows it!

3.  GOD NEVER CHARGES FOR HIS WORK

The heart transplant that God performs is expensive, but His patients are never charged for the surgery.  Jesus paid for the operation through His death upon the cross.

4.  A PATIENT MUST SURRENDER TO GOD

You cannot come to God on your own terms.  A patient does not tell a doctor how to do his job.  Instead, a patient is expected to heed his doctor's instruction.  You must give yourself to the Great Physician and let Him do His job.

5.  WITHOUT THIS HEART TRANSPLANT, YOU WILL DIE

The Bible says, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life."  Many people treat this procedure as an optional surgery, but the heart transplant you need is a matter of life and death.  At any moment, you could leave this world.  If you hesitate, you are gambling with your eternal future.

6.  HIS PROCEDURE PRODUCES PROFOUND RESULTS

Not only will this procedure save you, it will change your life.  "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature."  The old heart, which was selfish and sinful, will be replaced with a heart of love.  You will have love for God.  Your love for others will be at a greater level.  You will have purpose for life and hope beyond the grave.

7.  GOD ONLY OPERATES TODAY

This surgery is only performed when the Great Physician calls you to come.  You cannot come to Him just any time you wish.  Too many people think that they will come to Jesus, "some day."  The only day that God operates is today.  "Today is the day of salvation."  You must come to Him today.

There is no greater need in a person's life than to have a change of heart.  Without a change of heart, you will die in your sins.  The Great Physician's office is open right now.  Come humbly to the Lord Jesus Christ, by faith.  Submit yourself to His surgical touch.  He will provide a change of heart that will change your life today.