Lesson 1 Heart Change
Questions 5, 6 and 7
In the next lesson, we will look at the foundational truths of freedom, exactly how God gives us a new heart.
Some Initial Encouragement
If you cried out to God, He heard you. Now listen to His Spirit encourage you to do what you can to remove access to all substances causing you harm.
SHUT THE DOOR
I realize it’s not possible to remove everything that might tempt you, but I’m specifically talking about those areas where you’ve noticed a pattern of falling. You want to get rid of or block access to anything that has tripped you up in the past.
Question 5. What things do you intend to do, right now, to shut the door to Satan’s temptations?
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THE HOPE OF HEART CHANGE
I started this lesson by showing our absolute need for a heart change. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if God changed your heart, making you detest the harmful substance you once loved? Now that would be a change of heart, right? Only the living God can do that for us.
Friend, if you desire a heart change and lasting freedom, it can happen. We will never be free from all temptations, but there is a way to be cleansed, purified, washed, and made new so that we can say no when temptation calls.
I want to leave you today with hope, real hope of genuine freedom from abusing substances. Notice how the following passage gives us this hope. Notice, also, how this truth completely demolishes Satan’s slogan designed to keep millions enslaved called “Once an addict, always an addict.” Here it is:
"Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NIV)
Question 6. What happened to those in the Corinthian church who had previously been drunkards, sexually immoral, etc.?
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THE POWER OF CHRIST'S CROSS
Friend, I’m here to tell you that you too can be washed, changed, cleansed, and set apart from over-drinking, from smoking, from bondage to prescription drugs, and from all illegal drugs. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been ensnared, how many patches or programs or other things you’ve tried, or what problems are in your life because of it.
God’s Word shows us those who used to be in bondage to habitual sins of all kinds were washed, justified, and sanctified through the cross of Christ and set free by the Holy Spirit. The same can be true for those enslaved to smoking or abusing drugs. This freedom has happened to me, to millions down through the ages, and it can happen to you too.
I’ll tell you more of my story as we continue in the course, but right now, suffice it to say that the gospel of Jesus Christ has changed my heart and continues to do so. If a heart change is what you know you need, then let’s study together how the cross of Jesus Christ has the power to do precisely that!
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”
Romans 1:16 (NIV)
Question 7. Please share any final thoughts on this first day of your course.
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