Maintaining A Mighty Change of Heart

by Tristi Pinkston | More from this Blogger

In the past, whenever I heard the phrase, "a mighty change of heart," my mind immediately went to all that goes along with such a change. There's no more disposition to do evil. The person who has changed wants to learn all they can about the Gospel and specifically about Jesus Christ. But it wasn't until today that I realized, a mighty change of heart isn't permanent. It's only permanent when you work to make it so.

Think for a minute. Say there's a person who has undergone a mighty change of heart, has no disposition to do evil, and yet does not change his surroundings or the people he associates with. Yes, his heart is changed, but hearts can be changed back again if we don't take additional steps. If he continues to surround himself with his old habits, he will eventually succumb to the temptations and his heart will be changed back to his former ways.

How can we maintain a change of heart, once one has occurred to us?

First, we must pray daily that our hearts remain changed. We must ask our Heavenly Father to fill us with His spirit, to remind us why it feels so good to be changed, and why we never want to go back to the person we were before.

Second, if there are people who would try to get us to give up our new peace, we should tell them where we now stand. If they can't support us as we try to better ourselves, we shouldn't listen to their advice. In some circumstances, such as pornography or drug use, we may want to stop associating with certain people, if they're the ones who encourage those behaviors in us.

Third, we must constantly be on our guard for temptation. Satan knows when he's got us right where he wants us, and he knows when we're slipping out of his grasp. He'll try harder to keep his control over us, using every trick he knows (and he does know plenty) to sway us back into old habits. We must learn to recognize the pitfalls he arranges for us and stay away from them.

Having a mighty change of heart is a wonderful, miraculous event. Losing it would be spiritually tragic. Let's each do what we can to keep the presence of the Lord in our lives fresh and welcome, so we don't lose the impact of those miracles He brings to us.

Related Blogs:

Family Home Evening: Repentance

Willing Obedience

A Broken Heart and a Contrite Spirit

Learn more about Tristi Pinkston

I am a stay-at-home mom, author of eight published books, a freelance editor, and the mother of four incredible children. I enjoy scrapbooking, watching good movies, and taking naps.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger