God bless you all. At the beginning we sang a song that said, "Enter His gates with thanksgiving." How do we go in today? The Lord already knows how, right? But if we are here, it is for a purpose, amen? Today, we are going to focus on the Word of God. So tell the person next to you, "Don't bother me today. Don't bother me today, because I came to listen to what God wants to give me today." How many come for what the Lord is going to give? Isn't that why we’re here? And that is the expectation we bring every Sunday. I don't know about you, but it's mine! My expectation is, "Lord, what are You going to do today? What are You going to do today?" So, the Lord is good, amen. The Lord is good. Tell the person next to you, "The Lord is good!" Amen!

How many here know that the heart is the most vital organ we have in this beautiful body that the Lord has given us? It is, isn't it? When the heart stops working, that’s it here in the natural, right? And, more or less, I’m going to have us investigating a bit of the heart. Now, science says that the heart is vital because it pumps blood for the whole body. It transports oxygen. It distributes nutrients throughout the body. The heart helps clean waste so it can be removed from the body. This is what the heart does in this little body here on earth. But let's look in the Word, which helps us to understand the Lord, right?

And for that, we are going to go to Jeremiah 17:9. “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” And you might ask, "What does this have to do with what you told us before?" “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

When the heart is carnal, there is nothing good in it - if Christ is not there, there is nothing good in it. What comes from the heart? What comes out of it? Do you know the first thing that comes out? Pride. But, as I talked about last time, and the Word says, we do not realize that condition of the heart until the Spirit of God reveals it. That's where you’ll say, "That hit me." Have you heard someone say that? "That hit me." What hit that person? The Word. Through what? Through the Holy Spirit, who is revealed through the Word. But we don't often realize this.

There is nothing good that lives in the heart. And when there is nothing good, what is it? Away from the Lord. The heart operates on its own desires, impulses and is focused on itself. And many people will say - not just here, but in other places - "I know that’s bad." I’ll say that again: "I know that’s bad." But do you know what that means? If we knew that this was bad, where do you think God’s people would be? Where do you think we would be? We would be crying and lying on the floor, knowing that we have a heart far from the Lord Jesus, following our own desires. I may not be able to convince you, your brother cannot convince you, but the Spirit of truth will convince you, because the Word says that it is the Spirit of power that transforms. Not just a part, but totally, totally transforms.

There are some specific characteristics of the heart when it is far away and we are walking in sin: The heart is hard and insensitive. The hard heart is a heart that resists the truth and repentance. And we're going to see that in Ephesians 4:18. “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.” When the heart is hard, it says we have, what? “Darkened the understanding…” What does that mean? Nothing hits you, nothing in you listens to anything anyone says or advice - or, to put it plainly, you don’t listen to anything - because what you want is to follow your own desires. How are you when you’re in that state? Away from the life that comes from God.

You might ask, "But how can that be possible? I come to church. I go to all the meetings. I do what they tell me." But even then, the heart can be far from God. Why? It's religiosity. And the Lord says that He looks at religiosity from afar. He looks at it from afar! "Oh, I can be here. I'm going to celebrate almost 20 years of being here in this place!" But how, if there is no evidence that there is something of Christ in me? You will see it - not because I say so. You, and everyone, will see it. And it’s not going to be your little sister who comes to church with you. Look at how you behave in your house. And look at how you behave at work. Have you heard that before? It’s true, isn’t it?

So the Word says they are far from God. Their understanding is darkened and they are separated from the life of God. We have received so many words in this house - so many teachings. But ask yourself for a moment, "What situation am I in today? Where am I at today? Am I like this? Am I following my thoughts, that separate me from God, where nothing good happens?’ Because these thoughts, we need to analyze them day by day. If the Lord is not there, what comes out? You don’t love - not even your family, so definitely not your neighbor!

The Word of the Lord says that when we have our understanding darkened, there is no truth. What does the truth do? Doesn’t it hurt sometimes? How many here have told us the truth at some point? I’ve been told, "You’re proud. You’re this, you’re that." And I try to say, "Well, I always try to do the right thing," - in my reasoning, but the Lord comes to judge my thoughts. And He will tell you it’s wrong - it’s happened to me! I don’t know if that’s happened to you, but the Word says that it comes to judge. The Word comes to teach you. The Word is like that sword that penetrates the soul. The Word comes in and breaks the heart, and that’s where it hurts. Man hardens their heart for one main reason, and it’s pride. The Lord says that He looks at those who are proud from afar.That has been me many times - many, many times. But what has happened to me? "Lord, I have been - but help me, help me!" And the Lord will send people to help you.

"The Word is like that sword that penetrates the soul. The Word comes in and breaks the heart, and that’s where it hurts."

Now, I don't know if you've ever been given any advice. When pride is broken, you start to see things differently than you did before. Many times, you enter through those gates - He said, just like the song in the beginning, to enter into the gates with a heart that is…what? Grateful!

I don’t know if you’re grateful today, but I am. Do you know why? I didn’t deserve to have the life I have today. I didn’t deserve a family - and God has given it to me! Many of you know what happened to me last year with my second pregnancy - it was a very complicated situation. But if today, that child - that baby - is here, it’s because God wanted him to come in that way. God wanted it to be that way! But what did I have to do? I had to bend my knees! I had to bend my pride, bend my evil, and say to Him, "Lord, I have failed You. Forgive me, forgive me."

Today, we are here in the house of the Lord. This is not just any place! Tell the person next to you, "We are in the house of the Lord!" This is the place where the Lord welcomes the one who says, "Lord I need You!" - because the Spirit of God is here. And today, I can say that God has not only been good, God has been wonderful! There are parents here, and they have their children with them. Some have the joy of having their whole family here! Why not go in, every day - not with arrogance, but with an act of gratitude to the Lord? Saying to Him, "Lord, thank You! Thank You!’

And what does this verse have to do with saying that the heart is deceitful? Do you know why? Many times, in our normal reasoning and thinking that we say that we have, we are deceived. We are deceived, but the Lord says that there’s an opportunity to come out of that, amen? Could it be that there is a new opportunity for you today? Today is a new day - it’s a new day!

At the beginning of service it was said that today that there is a special event happening in the country right now. I don’t know if everyone knew that, but I think you did. And everyone moved their feet, got up early - they even said that some woke up when it was still dark - to go receive a man. But today, we receive the King of Kings and Lord of Lords in our heart. He is the one who gave His life, the one who gave the most precious thing He had - the one who gave up everything. His body was not only beaten, but he carried all of your sin and mine on His body.

Let's go to Ephesians 4:22-23. “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds;...” So the Lord can renew us, amen? The Lord can do this, isn't that right? We can be renewed - through what? The Holy Spirit. Tell the person next to you, "The Holy Spirit!" We can be renewed - we can be changed. But to get to this point, it has to hurt in the heart.

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds;..."

Many years have passed since I came to this place for the first time - I was 21 years old. Recently, I asked the Lord, "Father, during all this time, what has been the quality of the time I’ve given You? How long have I lived a life of religiosity?" Do you know what religiosity is? That’s when you conform to what you’re supposed to do, but there is no evidence of change. There is no evidence - it is not seen - because we keep coming, one Sunday after another Sunday, and the months go by, the years pass and pass and continue to pass, and we stay the same. But it’s the evidence that the Lord is asking for. Where are your children? Where is your marriage? What is the Lord doing?

To strip off the old man is to tell the Lord, "Convince me. Show me." But this person needs to know that they are lost. The heart becomes hard and insensitive. Nothing affects you anymore, and you don’t even realize it. Man thinks that it is enough to do and be, and that’s more than enough, but God says, “That’s not what I want.” What God wants is a different life for you and for me. One day, we won’t be here anymore. He realizes that.

We are just about to start a new week. It’s already Sunday, and tomorrow - God willing that nothing happens today - we’ll wake up another day, right? Because no one knows what’s going to happen tomorrow, only the Lord does. But today, there’s a new opportunity. We can ask the Lord, "Help me." I don’t know if you need help today, but I need help every day of my life, because every day I can fail the Lord. And we need the Spirit of truth so that the Lord can show us and tell us, "In this, and this, and this, you’ve failed." But who is the one who reveals these things and tells us? It's the Spirit of God! And He's going to teach us - He's going to teach us in each of these situations. When this happens, you walk differently. You don’t walk thinking about what you want. You don’t walk around thinking about what you’re going to do tomorrow, but you walk thinking, "Lord, what am I going to do for You?"

Do you know that, sometimes, the heart is stubborn and rebellious? I don't know if you know those two terms - being stubborn and rebellious - but let’s see what the Word tells us in Jeremiah 5:23. Listen carefully to what it says here at the beginning: But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts...” What are they? Stubborn. Repeat it again! And rebellious! “...they have turned aside and gone away.” They have been misled. They have been unfaithful.

Many times, we have revealed ourselves to the Lord - and not only to Him, because the Lord has put authorities in place for us to respect outside, because there are laws and rules, both here and outside - how many know that? Do you know that there are traffic laws? Do you know that there are laws about entering certain places? Do you know that there are rules that if you go to a certain place, you have to go with a dress code? Or would we dare to go in a different way from what the rules or laws say? When we go against them, we are rebels. The authorities that are in this country are there because God put them there, right? But look at what the Lord says here. The hearts have become stubborn and rebellious - they have gone astray and have been unfaithful. We have been so with the Lord. We have been stubborn and rebellious with the Lord. How many times, Lord, have I revealed that I am against You? That would be the question we should ask ourselves, "How many times have I rebelled against the Lord?" And you might say, "I never have. I’m here! Look, I’m not missing! I’m punctual, and I am here Sunday to Sunday, and I’m here before anyone else is! How could I be rebellious? How could I be doing all of these things and not be obeying?" But look at what the term stubborn means. It’s the one who refuses to change his mind, attitude, or path. The rebel disobeys mandates, laws, or rules. They do not follow them, do not respect them, do not listen, and do not heed.

Let’s stop here for a moment. How many times have we been disobedient? How many times have we disobeyed Your Word? How many times have I done what I want? Haven’t we heard advice? Our pastor comes and advises us, and it ends up going in one ear and out the other. You come to the house of the Lord. You hear the Word, supposedly. But when you leave that door, many times you don’t even know what was talked about. The disobedient cannot please God - the disobedient are far from the Lord.

And it says there, finally, that they have gone astray - they have been unfaithful. They are someone who is not worthy of trust. They break a promise or a pact. And look, I know I've read several terms, but I want to show today that the Lord is powerful. The Lord is powerful! I don’t know if you are here today because you’ve seen something in the place, amen - if it’s because you have seen something the Lord has done. And I always like to remind people, "Look what He has done." Today, it may not be that it has happened, but God has wanted it to be in His timing - that you can see you are not lost outside, but that today - today - today - today! - the Lord has given a new opportunity, and it is not to be missed.

I can assure you that if there was an opportunity out there - like, if someone said, "Look, you have a chance, today, to leave the country and take a trip wherever you want,’ - do you think I would waste it? Right? Look, I am telling you, we would all run to get suitcases and pack everything to go because we have an opportunity. But the Lord says, "I don’t give you just any chance - today, I give you a chance at life. Today, I give you an opportunity that will change the course of your life, of your family. Your walk will be different.’ But for that to happen, there needs to be a beginning, and you have to go back to where it all starts. Do you know where it all starts? Here, in the heart. The Word of the Lord says that our mouths will speak out of the abundance of the heart. What's in our hearts today? Could it be that there is something we need to take care of with Him? Is it necessary to make something right with the Lord today?

"Do you know where it all starts? Here, in the heart. The Word of the Lord says that our mouths will speak out of the abundance of the heart."

Look at some characteristics of what the heart is like when it is rebellious towards the Lord: It does not accept criticism or corrections. Have you heard that or seen it here? It does not accept criticism, much less correction! "Ah, it’s not like that! I’m like this! That’s how I am, and that’s how I’ve been my whole life!" When someone says things like that, that’s demonic.

Do you accept corrections in your work? Do you let people correct you in your work, yes or no? Let’s be honest. Do you accept criticism? It could be that yes, you do, or it could be that no, you don’t. But if someone corrects you, you have to accept the correction, because if you don’t accept it, what happens? We won’t see you here anymore. We want people here who follow rules. We want people here who obey. We want people here who add to the work and don’t detract from it. "Outside, yes, I’ll take it, because they pay me there." That’s the truth. But what’s the difference in the Lord’s house? The difference is that the Lord would be in the situation. He who does not accept criticism or corrections, His life will never change - never. And who corrects? It is the Lord, through the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of truth.

And the truth hurts, right? Yes, it must hurt me - but it doesn’t hurt the church. Do you know why? Before, I remembered: I was here when the floor was just pure cement. Our tears washed this altar. Our tears were here - look, there was no space they didn’t touch. Now, everything has changed. There is no more cement floor, and now, the altar is no longer filled with tears, because the gratitude to God has been lost. The hearts have become hard, and the hearts have become stubborn and insensitive. The Lord has not changed, the people have changed. And many times we will ask, "Lord, why is this happening?" Because of your hard heart. He will say, "You’ve turned back - you have left Me, you have abandoned Me. You have followed your ideas, your thoughts - you have followed what you want to follow, but you have not followed Me."

The reaction of a rebellious person is always on the defensive. Always, because he thinks he is always right. We are always on the defensive. I remember - it’s been a while since I got married. Look, I was constantly being corrected - it was constant. I don’t know if I’ve said it before, but many times I would go and close the door to my room. But not only would I close it, I would close it with a key so that my husband wouldn’t bother me. Do you know why? Because I knew what I was doing, and I didn’t want to be corrected. I didn’t want them to correct the things I was doing, because they were wrong. But look, when the Lord commands - when something is from the Lord - God will be there, insisting. And I remember, he would be at my door, "Suyapa." And I wouldn’t answer. But he would say, "Suyapa," again and again. And I would say, "If he calls to me again, I’ll open the door." Think of what the heart is like! If my heart is is the Lord’s, it won’t be perverse, it won’t be misled. So again, I would say, if he calls again, I’ll open the door. And he would call again. Well, I said if he called again, I would open the door. And then, he would say, "Look, something’s wrong with you." I would say, "No, I’m fine." My heart was on the defensive. I was on the defensive because I didn’t like to say where I was going, what I was doing, anything - I had never done that. But now, I’m in this place of being newly married, and there are new rules.

Here in the house of the Lord, there are also rules - rules and commandments. God breaks indifference. That time, I felt like I was in the worst place ever. Do you want to know why? People wouldn’t tell me what my ears wanted to hear, but they told me what the Word says. And for me, that defense, that protection, would become everything I wanted, and I would get angry. I would say, "I get angry if they’re not going to tell me anything I want to hear. That’s why I get this way. I want them to leave me alone." And other people would get involved. But those people had the Holy Spirit, and they knew the truth. And they would say, "God told me that you are like this - You’re proud, you’re evil, you’re haughty, you don’t like to be corrected." And I would be crying. But then I realized, of course - they have the Holy Spirit. That has helped me to keep learning, because the Word says that the Lord will perfect day after day until the Lord comes.

Here's another situation: When the heart is rebellious and stubborn, you justify your mistakes. This is another point. You justify your mistakes. Your heart is insensitive and you lack empathy. Insensitive, why? It doesn't feel. For what reason? It's far from the Lord. Yet, you know of someone in the Bible who is described as being “after the Lord’s own heart.” And even the Sunday school children know this! I’m certain that if I asked you right now, you could tell me. Who was the one after the Lord’s own heart? David! Do you know why? It says that when he sinned, where did he run? To the presence of the Lord.

Let's go to Psalm 51:10. It says, “Create in me…" Where? In the person next to you? Where? In me. Create in me, O God. It starts first with this little heart, starts first with this little person here. “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit-” on the outside? Does it say on the outside? It says, “...within me.” I’ll read it again. “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” You know, we mentioned all those things earlier. Can God change a heart? Of course He can. There were men in the Bible who were a bit…unique. But God brings down even the greatest among them. Even the greatest. And I always like to put Paul as an example, because he was quite the character. Just imagine everything he did - persecuting, killing, all different things - that were the exact opposite of what was right in God’s eyes. But God said, “I love that man, and that man is going to be Mine.” God didn't change who Paul was, He changed his heart. He changed his heart, and the Lord used his strong character and all of his personality traits for good, because that was God’s will. The story in the Bible says that as he was walking - you know the one - a light appeared to him, and he immediately asked, “Lord, who are You?” This shows us that God can transform us, but for that to happen, we must say to the Lord, "Reveal Yourself to me, show me, convince me of my error.” Have you ever been convinced of a mistake you made in your life outside of the church? Or have you never made a mistake? Believe me, I know people who claim to be perfect out in the world; I’ve seen plenty of that.

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

At my job, there was someone who never made a mistake - never. She always did everything perfectly, and when mistakes were found in her work, do you want to know what she would do? She wouldn’t show up to the office. She would send her assistant instead and say, "Send the mistakes back with him." She wouldn’t face the situation herself. And even though we have a safe place to go in the church, it still happens here. We need - tell the person next to you - we need God to show us our mistakes.

Look at the verse again. “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” A steadfast, right spirit in me. David was a man after God’s own heart, and where did he go whenever he failed the Lord? He went to seek the Lord. Today, I ask you - and this is a question for each of us - where do we go when we fail the Lord? Where do I go? Do I walk away? Do I stay right there, caught up in religiosity? Do I keep doing things my own way? Only God can reveal that to you. Because I can tell you, the pastor can tell you, the pastor’s wife can tell you. But the One who will reveal and show you your error - show us who you are and how you are walking - is the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit!

When the Spirit of truth enters someone, there must be evidence. How many believe that? It’s true, right? The Holy Spirit convicts of sin and it leads to repentance. He creates a humble and grateful heart within us. The Holy Spirit breaks our own spirit, and our lives become dedicated to God. We constantly look in the mirror to see where we are. I have to stop right here. Think about it. When I get ready to come to church - and I think this applies to everyone, but especially to women - what would happen if I didn't look at myself in the mirror while putting on my makeup? What if I showed up looking the way that I thought was right? What do you think I would look like? I’d look like a clown, right? Because who knows how I would apply everything, and if I put the right colors in the right spots? I wouldn’t look right! But if I use the mirror, it’s completely different. As I was getting ready, I was saying to the Lord, "What would happen if I didn’t look in the mirror while I was putting on my makeup, Father, and I went into Your house like that?’ I realized that when people looked at me, they would notice - not because of what’s on the inside, but what’s on the outside. They may not say anything out of politeness, but it would be obvious. It’s the same with Christ: When we don’t look in the mirror, it shows on the outside, and it’s a reflection of what’s happening on the inside - because what is in the heart is what flows out.

"It’s the same with Christ: When we don’t look in the mirror, it shows on the outside, and it’s a reflection of what’s happening on the inside - because what is in the heart is what flows out."

What does the Word say that a joyful heart does? I want you to tell the person next to you: A joyful heart makes the face radiant. Do you know who makes the face radiant? His name is Jesus Christ, amen! His name is Jesus! And look, I have run into people in the street who don’t come here anymore. I’ll greet them, ‘God bless you, brother.’ And they’ll reply quite seriously, ‘God bless you.’ That’s how their lives have been for many years. But hear me, when the Spirit of truth is present, the fruits of the Holy Spirit are manifested. What are some examples? One is joy! Look at the person next to you - are they joyful? If not, give them a smile and say, ‘We are in the house of the Lord!’ And you might say to yourself, ‘We’re just in a small place where they have us repeating things over and over again.’ That may be true, but when the Holy Spirit is present, it is evident. Everyone goes through life. Do people have problems? Yes - but those with the Holy Spirit will be filled with joy. Why? Because Christ is in them - amen? Because Christ is in them! So what happens to the one who has the Holy Spirit? They have peace - yes, even in the midst of their problems. Many people here have problems, but a hard, insensitive, and rebellious heart doesn’t let them see that. Or what about someone else? They have something that, at times, we find ourselves lacking the most. What is it? Patience.

You know, I find this amusing, because sometimes we say to the Lord, ‘Lord, grant me patience. Grant me patience with the boss I’ve ended up with. Lord, grant me patience with this brother, with this coworker.’ But notice, patience isn’t just saying, ‘Lord, give me patience;’ instead, it’s saying, ‘Lord, grant me wisdom and understanding. Help me, Spirit of God, to pray for this person.’ After all, it’s easy for us to love those that love us, right? But who loves someone who has wronged them? ‘Oh, I hope that woman gets struck by lightning! I hope something bad happens to her!’ Isn’t there a huge difference in that? Because when the Spirit of truth comes - so says the Word of the Lord - He says, “Love.” Love whom? Your enemies. Isn’t that right? He doesn’t just say, ‘Love those who love you;’ He says, “Love your enemies.” When the Lord enters, He brings about a complete transformation, creating you into a new creation. He doesn’t say, ‘I’ll change this part of you, but I’ll leave that one alone because you happen to like it.’ The Lord says, ‘When I enter, I bring about a total transformation, because I touch the heart, mind, and soul.’ Because man is full of feelings and is driven by his feelings. Oh, poor thing! But today, I would ask that man, ‘What does the Word say?’ We ought to ask ourselves, ‘What does the Word say? What does it teach me?’ A lot of Word has been shared here, but there is only one thing that completely transforms a person, and that is the Spirit of truth. When that Spirit enters, you begin to look at yourself in the mirror, and you begin to see what God is revealing to you. Then, you’ll be able to say, ‘I am truly wicked, and only God can change the heart of man.’ Today, God desires a new heart.

So the question is, what is the state of the heart before it reaches spiritual transformation? Let’s turn to Ecclesiastes 1:8. “All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.” What is the purpose of these two beautiful ears God gave us? What are they for? To listen.

Our ears are constantly listening and taking in opinions, news, videos - anything. You hear what other people have obtained in their lives, and you say, ‘Look how well they’ve done for themselves.’ You know, do you remember some of those people who used to be here with us? We definitely hear about them: ‘Look at how well he’s doing - he has a beautiful house. Just look at that stunning doorway and foyer - I want one just like that.’ Our ears are always taking in all this information, and instead of being satisfied, it becomes overwhelmed, and internal anxiety increases. Do you know why? Because you are constantly listening - your ear is being bombarded - and you find yourself saying, ‘I want that - I want what that person has, what that person wants.’ And then, you keep listening - not to the Lord, but to the things of the world.

Let’s continue with this. The Word says, “The eye never has enough of seeing…” Novelty eventually wears off, and we start looking for the next ‘new thing.’ And, of course, there’s one thing in particular that’s always getting updated to the ‘next big thing:’ Technology. Isn’t that right? You might have the best phone today, but tomorrow, a newer and better one will come out, and you’ll say, ‘I don’t like this one anymore; I want the new one now.’

I shared this story a while back, but I’m going to tell it again - this one cost me a pretty penny. When I was about 22 years old, technology wasn’t what it is today. I had one of those “egg-shaped” phones - a C-115, a black one. Some of you might remember that, but I doubt the younger ones will. Anyway, I had a C-115, and I was quite happy with it. With the C-115, you’d type things out using a keypad on the screen. But then, someone came along and whispered in my ear, saying, ‘Look, there are new cell phone plans available, and they’re offering the newest phone that came out if you get one.’ And it was a cool phone - the keypad wasn’t like it was on the C-115, it had physical buttons. I mean, you didn’t have to navigate by swiping your finger on the screen, it had actual keys! And it took the best photos and had the largest storage capacity for a phone at that time. How much storage do you think was the most back then? Just think about it! I mean, I was so excited! And do you want to know why? Looking back on it now, it was all for show, just to be able to say, ‘What kind of phone do you have? Oh, you have a C-115? Well, look at the phone I got! No one else has this one, because it’s the latest model.’ But that’s what I did, and it was very expensive. And since it was a shared plan with several other people, when the first bill came, the data limit wasn’t capped. The bill was so high that all I could do was think, ‘What am I supposed to do now?’ Honestly, I cried that day. ‘Lord, what am I going to do? Oh Lord, help me! Father, what do I do now?’ And the Lord said to me, “Well, I didn’t tell you to get that phone - that’s your own fault.’ And I answered Him, ‘Oh, Lord! Forgive me, Father; teach me, help me, give me one more chance - I won’t do this ever again.’ Did I end up having to pay the money? Yes. Did I learn? Yes! The easy way? No, I had to learn the hard way. Now, ask me if I’m interested in the latest gadget or the latest ‘thing’ you can have. My way of thinking has been changed and renewed, because I’ve come to understand that everything here on earth will remain here - all of it will pass away. Technology, the finest clothes, the best brands - none of these things will endure. But we won’t realize this until the Holy Spirit comes and shows us - or tells us through someone else - that they won’t.

How does the Lord transform our hearts? Let’s look at Ezekiel 36:26-27: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Let’s look at what the Lord does - this is important, that’s why I mentioned it before. Today is a new day; it’s the Lord’s day. Today, the Lord offers a new start, saying, ‘I change that heart of stone within you.’ Because a heart of stone represents a spiritually dead life - a life that is rigid and insensitive to the voice of God. It’s a heart that is never satisfied and seeks to be filled with earthly things. But a heart of flesh represents a living, tender, receptive, and malleable heart - a heart capable of responding to the Lord.

What is my point here? It’s that often, we do not realize we have reached the point where our heart is at its hardest. You might say, ‘But I’m doing fine, I just don’t know what’s wrong with me, Lord.’ But when we’re here, it’s because we have lost our way and have truly gone off course. But the Lord says that He will not merely purify and ‘clean’ our hearts, He says He is going to remove our hard hearts. There’s another version of this verse that actually says that He will tear out our heart of stone - that heart that feels nothing, that heart that is insensitive, that heart that can see all kinds of things going on but is completely unmoved. Everything changes when, through Christ and the Holy Spirit, the wickedness in our own hearts is revealed to us.

I don’t know what situation you’re in today - whether you’re someone who cannot feel, someone with an insensitive heart, or if you’re someone who has simply stopped truly seeing. But when God enters, He says he starts to root out everything that isn’t Him. When you root something out, you pull it out by the roots, right? He says, “I will remove,” - but there’s another version that says, “I will root out the heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh.” That is very clear. A different heart - a new heart - moves forward with Christ and is sensitive to the presence of the Holy Spirit. There is a radical shift in your desires. There is obedience, genuine repentance, the manifestation of the fruits of the Spirit, and complete fulfillment. Because a heart of stone is never satisfied, but when Christ enters into the heart, He is more than enough. When the Lord enters, we do not need anything else and we don’t need to see what the world has, but now we look at what God has for us. What God wants for us today is a different life - a transformed life. It’s a life that feels, that’s different from the world. It’s a life that brings us to the path that leads to Christ. The heart of stone will never be able to feel, but when Christ enters, our heart starts to move, and feel, and it hurts, too.

"The Word of the Lord says that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is - what? Freedom. What was that? Freedom. And what does a person who is free do? Nothing can stop him, because he knows where he is going. Nothing stops him, because he knows the path he’s on, and that path is Christ."

The Word of the Lord says that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is - what? Freedom. What was that? Freedom. And what does a person who is free do? Nothing can stop him, because he knows where he is going. Nothing stops him, because he knows the path he’s on, and that path is Christ. And I’m going to say one last thing. You might be saying, ‘Oh no!’ because you’ve heard everything we talked about today and didn’t understand it. But if there’s one thing that I want you to take away from today, it’s that God can transform man. I’m not the one who is going to do that for you, and neither is the person sitting next to you - but there is someone here who can, and that Person is Jesus Christ. I believe it, and the Holy Spirit is in this place and can do it!