A Changed Heart

​American society is confused, conflicted concerning what to do with people who choose to do evil.
Fact check: Evil exists. Evildoers really do evil things. Evil needs to be dealt with.
Some gutless, spineless, fearful folks propose and purpose to appease, excuse and even endorse evildoers. Evil only increases when not confronted.
Others with moral backbones and courageous hearts demand and expect from authorities that those who practice evil pay for their actions. Serious consequences for doing evil stops evildoers in their tracks.  
Many goodhearted, righteous, reasonable people are praying and hoping that evildoers might have a change of heart. Changed hearts lead to changed behavior.
Why is a changed heart a big deal? What would a change of heart look like?
According to God’s Word, the Bible, life flows from the heart.
 Proverbs 4:23 states “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” You and I are exhorted to carefully guard, set a watch over our heart because good and evil can spring forth from our hearts.  
The Bible also says God looks at our heart.
I Samuel 17:7 reads “God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart.” Jesus said that our words, whether good or evil, come from our heart. (Matthew 12:34-35, Luke 6:45). Attitudes and actions originate in our heart, not our head.   
The bad news is that our hearts, without God, are wicked. Jeremiah 17:9-10 declares “The heart is more deceitful than all else, and is desperately wicked; who can understand it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds. The truth is that our hearts are evil without God. The Bible says so and we know our heart well enough that evil lurks there from time to time.
The good news is our hearts, with Jesus Christ, are good.  Ezekiel 36:26-27 states “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”  II Corinthians 5:17 declares “Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away, behold, new things have come.” New heart. New spirit. New creature. New life. Sounds really good to me!
You, me and every human being ever created needs a spiritual, moral heart transplant!
Evil heart. Evil words. Evil behavior. Good heart. Good words. Good behavior.
Thanks be to God that an evil heart can change and become a good one. If an evil heart cannot become good, we are all in a world of hurt!
Let’s cut to the chase. Evildoers need a new heart. Genealogy, pedigree, history, education, economics, politics, communities, movements or anything else man proposes cannot change a human heart.  Our culture is fooling itself if we think anyone’s heart and subsequent behavior will change without the love of Christ in their heart.  
So, back to the question as to what to do with those who do evil in our culture.
Christians must lead them to a saving knowledge and personal experience of salvation through faith in God’s Son Jesus Christ. Only Jesus can change hearts.
I will say it again: only Jesus can change hearts. His sacrificial death on the Cross where He shed His precious blood for our sin cleanses us from evil, making us good in God’s eyes.
A hateful heart becomes a loving heart when Jesus resides there.
It is not that difficult my brothers and sisters in Christ. Change a person’s heart, their life changes! Reaching the unsaved is the mission of His witnesses (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8). Evangelism, reaching and winning the lost to Christ, is our primary mission.
What you and I can do to reach out to evil people to help them have a change of heart.

1. Pray for the salvation of evildoers. That evil people will repent of evil and turn to Christ.
2. As the Lord leads, share your Christian faith with those who do evil instead of good.
3.  Show evildoers a good heart. Jesus said to never return evil for evil, but good for evil. The Apostle Paul taught “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.” Romans 12:17. Tough to do sometimes isn’t it?
4. Rejoice when an evil person becomes good through the love of God and faith in Jesus Christ! Celebrate their new heart and new life in the Lord.
5. Encourage fellow followers of Jesus to do good to those who do evil. Serve evildoers when possible. Jesus’ love never fails and always wins heart!

It is high time for the body of Christ, the church, to sincerely seek the Lord, to humble ourselves before God, repent of our sins, seek God’s forgiveness, be healed  (II Chronicles 7:14) then rise up with His love, mercy  and grace to reach those who are enslaved by the Evil One and do evil.  .
A word of warning for our day. The prophet Isaiah’s Holy Spirit inspired words serve as a dire, ominous warning to all of us that must be heeded to avoid destruction in our lives and the lives of others.
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and clever in their own sight. Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink, who justify the wicked for a bribe and take away the rights of the ones who are n the right.” Isaiah 5:20-23
What do you think about God’s WOES in this scripture? I think of not so good things! When God says “Woe”, you and I had better wake up and pay strict attention!
Do you call evil evil and good good? Do you in any way support anyone who justifies the wicked and takes away the rights of those who are right?
Search your heart my friend. Make sure your heart lines up with God’s Word. Then share your good heart in Christ with someone whose heart is hurting because of evil. 
A Word For Your Week: A good or evil heart is our choice.