Has your heart changed recently? One of the goals of spiritual growth is continual, positive heart change. Our hearts should be getting better, purer, bigger, and humbler over time. We need to do some regular heart checks to make sure our ”insides” are consistently heading in the right direction.

We need some help in this process. The good news is that God specializes in heart help! Take a look at the following Bible verse:

1 Samuel 10:9 (NIV)  “As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day.”

For Saul to become Israel’s king, he needed a heart adjustment. He needed some “inside” work before he started his “outside” work as king. God always starts on the inside. When you’re stuck in something external, it’s often because something needs to be addressed in your heart.

People’s hearts are changeable. Some times they change for the better, and some times they change for the worse.

The changing of a person’s heart involves the changing of their thoughts, perspectives, interpretations, attitudes and pursuits from one orientation to another. It’s true, what’s inside determines the output and outcomes of a life.

When evil gets into someone’s heart, destructive things happen. When a person allows seeds of hurt or anger a place in their heart, it changes them in bad ways. Over the years I have watched many nice, kind people turn into hard, cold, grudge-bearing souls, all because of an offense toward someone. At times these changes are extremely obvious, and at other times subtle but real. Unhealed heart wounds and unchecked heart sin transform people for the worse.

I have also watched hardened, resistant, wounded, sullen, prideful and poisoned people become soft, pliable, loving, healed and helpful people, all because of a positive heart change. As certainly as good hearts can go bad, bad hearts can become good, through God’s grace and power.

Nothing can substitute for a positive heart change. When the orientation of one’s heart is changed by God toward God, great things follow. When bad things are cleaned out of someone’s heart, space is made for the good!

Is your heart changing for better or worse? Ask God to help you grow a better, purer, bigger and humbler heart!

Pastor Dale

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