| HOG MOB STUDY – WEEK 4 What if for your entire life you had health complications that affected every aspect of your life? Imagine going to the doctor and being told that every issue you have ever experienced stemmed from one thing: a bad heart. Would you spend a life time spending huge amounts of money and going through painful surgeries and treatments that deal with the EFFECTS of your bad heart? OR, would you want the doctor to replace your bad heart all together and in doing so the rest of your issues would naturally fade away? What we must understand is that spiritually this is our situation. We were all BORN with a bad heart! A heart that loves sin and its own passions and this heart issue affects every aspect of our lives. The sad part is, many of us have spent our whole lives seeking worldly “treatment” for the issues caused by our bad hearts but not ever truly surrendering ourselves to the process of having our heart replaced by God with His heart. We try to change our behaviors or our thought processes but are unwilling to allow God full access to us to change us completely from the inside out. Many of us lack the faith that it requires to do this. To go under the knife of the Holy Spirit and trust Him completely. We are also the type, like many who avoid the doctor because they fear bad news, to avoid fellowship with God and His Word because we don’t like to be told something is wrong with us. But we must remember that it’s not the doctor who GIVES you the disease, but rather REVEALS it so it can be dealt with. In the same way it’s not GOD who gives us this bad heart, not at all, its Him who reveals it and ultimately has the power to transform it into a heart that pursues Godliness above all things and will naturally lead you into a deeper and more intimate relationship with the one who created you and can reveal the true purpose for your life. Many believe the Devil is our biggest enemy. Although that makes for great movies and stories, according to the bible that is simply NOT TRUE. Satan is our enemy for sure, however, our heart for this world and its sinful and destructive passions are our GREATEST enemy against a life of love for God and His commands. If it were not for a heart that seeks its own way above Gods way, Satan would have no means to tempt us by. Remember this, something it only truly a temptation to you, if YOU WANT IT. If we didn’t have a heart that wants these things, Satan would have no way of leading us into sinfulness. The ONLY way to be free from sin and even the desire to sin, is to have your heart changed and replaced with one that truly loves God above all else. Receiving the Gospel and submitting your life to Christ will produce this new and clean heart with in you. It’s a process for sure, but the same God that began the work, will complete it. We must have faith and trust His process and submit ourselves to his hand. Let’s look at the process of receiving this new heart and what it produces. |
| Purple Book: ch1 lesson 4Receiving God’s Gift: A New HeartAs a result of receiving God’s sacrifice, Jesus Christ, as the payment of our sins, we not only experience forgiveness from the past, but we are given a new heart and a new life as God’s children.1. What did God promise he would give His people? Ezekiel 36:26 2. What does God do when he rescues us from our state of spiritual death? Ephesians 2:4-6 3. What happens when we receive Jesus as Lord and savior? John 1:12-13 4. What did Jesus say MUST happen before we can enter the Kingdom of God? John 3:3-7 5. What do the following passages tell you about being “born again” and “born of God”?John 1:12-13 1 Peter 1:23 1 John 3:9 1 John 4:76. What does Paul say about those who are “in Christ”? 2 Corinthians 5:17 7. What is the destiny of those who are “born of God”? 1 John 5:4APPLICATION & REFLECTION: What would you do if someone could offer you a whole new start in life?Have you truly received God’s gift of new life? How do you know? |
