New Heart

^"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17, NASB

 Having a new heart doesn’t mean anything is easy, in fact it can make things worse. Your old heart and desires are being replaced but it is a daily struggle against the things of God and the things of the flesh. Last night, I saw the play, Sister Act. At the end, the play added that God and the human spirit are equal and are one. Oh my, don’t buy into that untruth! God’s new heart is stronger. He is stronger! Read the Bible: Jesus is all-powerful, Jesus wins!

 If you follow Christ with a passion, you know what it means to believe and have a new heart. God’s promise, found is 2 Corinthians 5:17, is that if we are in Christ (if we have placed our hope in Him, believed God send Jesus to die on the cross, turned to Him and away from sin, and let Him be our Lord and Savior), we have a new heart. We are created by God but return to Him as He recreated us for His glory. Old things are gone, new things are here.

 This week, we are thrilled to release the long-awaited new believers’ guide, “HeartCall New Heart: What it Means to Believe.” This 62 page, eight-day downloadable resource is a workbook designed to help anyone with the basic steps to the faith: hope, believe, turn and call, as well as the next steps to walking with Christ: share, church, pray and Bible. You will find it on our new website, in our shop: www.jayemartin.com/shop.

I pray that if you don’t have a new heart, you will ask God to give you one.

You know you are loved.

God provides the path to share Christ

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Have you ever gone into a maze and tried to get out, or worked on a maze in a puzzle book?  God’s path is not like a maze.  He has a straight path to follow.  He wants you to look for His path in your life as you share Christ with others. Lean on the Lord for everything you need to walk this path.

God’s path leads to open doors to share Christ

And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.  Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.  Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Colossians 4:3-5

God opens every door for you to share Christ with others.  Picture with me a door with only one doorknob on the door…the doorknob is on God’s side of the door, not your side.  As you pray, He opens each door of opportunity to share Christ with people who He puts in your pathway.  The only thing that you need to be ready to do is to walk through the doors that He opens and share His simple message.  This is a lifestyle that is so exciting.

What are some of the doors that God may open up for you as a Christian to share Christ with others?  For example: at your home, with your mail carrier, at the store, at school, at the ballgame, on vacation, on an airplane, at church… The list goes on and on.  When there are many open doors for His message, your life becomes a life with purpose.

God’s path leads to open hearts that are ready to accept Christ

“God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.”  Acts 17:27

“One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God.  The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.”  Acts 16:14

When you share Christ with someone, guess what?  God has already prepared his/her heart to listen to what you are sharing!  He/she is already searching for Christ.  God wants to use you to bring the answer to this person who has been searching.  God prepares the heart of each one to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.  He is looking for obedient followers with open hearts who are ready to share Christ.

NOTE: Today's post is taken from HeartCall: A New Heart and written by Tracy Jones.

God provides the plan to share Christ

Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.  Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:20-21

God’s Word provides the plan of salvation that you share with others

As God sends you to share Christ with others, God sends you with His plan.  The plan of salvation is from His perfect Word, the Bible.  This is one reason that it is exciting to read God’s Word and get to know God personally.  His plan will fill your heart with courage and confidence because God never makes a mistake and never makes His plan hard to understand.  The Holy Spirit will help you understand God’s Word as you read it and share it.  Remember the small simple step of faith that you took to accept Christ as your Lord and Savior?  Don’t ever forget that God provides the plan to follow as you share Jesus with others.

  

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.  Romans 10:17

And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.

I Thessalonians 2:13

The simple message of salvation that you offer to others is shared by faith.  The plan of salvation is found in God’s Word.  As you read and memorize God’s Word, you are being equipped to share Christ with others.  This is the greatest joy-filled plan to follow.  Begin today to make yourself familiar with and memorize the Scriptures in the “HeartTalk” witnessing booklet.  You will be ready to share His plan of eternal life through Jesus using this wonderful plan.

 

God’s Word provides powerful examples of His people sharing Christ with others

Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus.  The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus…"  John 1:40-42a

God’s Word is full of examples of His people witnessing.  What a joy it is that God has given you these role models from His Word that encourages you to share Christ and cheers you on in many ways.  Even though they followed Christ many years ago, their footprints are provided as examples for every believer to follow today.  Get to know some of these biblical role models and let their lives be an inspiration and reminder that if they could be witnesses, you can too.

  

God’s Spirit will draw people to Christ

“When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgement…" John 16:8

When you share Christ, do not feel defeated if the person you share with doesn’t say yes to Christ right away.  Christians need to be careful that they don’t fall into the trap of playing the Holy Spirit.  That is not your role to fill.  Your role is to pray, to share, and to leave the results to God.  You may be planting a seed in the heart of someone who needs the Lord, watering a seed that someone else has planted, or picking the fruit of a life that was planted and watered by someone else.  The results are all up to God.  He is not willing for one person to perish. 

NOTE: Today's post is taken from HeartCall: A New Heart and written by Tracy Jones.

God provides the power to share Christ

Everything you will need to share Christ comes from God and His Power.  He provides the power through the Holy Spirit.  When you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, you received His power to live as a Christian and share Him with others.  What has God done in your life?  When your life is changed and you share the life-changing details with others, this is God’s power at work.  As the people you are sharing with hear and see the ways that God has changed your life, they will be able to experience Christ’s power first hand.  Thank God for His power.     

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.  For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.  I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.  My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. I Corinthians 2:1-5

What has Christ done for you?  You have a powerful confident testimony to share with others.  When you share what Christ has done for you, you can trust in God’s power to work through you.  God tells us in I Corinthians 2:1-5 (written above) that He wants you to be totally dependent on Him for everything you need.  You don’t need to be concerned with fancy speech or persuasive words.  You only need to have God’s power and the words that He will give you to share.  As you share Christ through His power you can have confidence because… it is all up to God.

God promises to teach you how to share Christ with others.  

Are you teachable?  If you are, God will teach you.  He wants you to know how to share with others.  How special it is to know that your teacher is not only teacher of the year; but, Teacher of all teachers!  The more time you spend with your teacher in prayer and reading the Bible, the more you will learn how to be an effective witness for Him.  God has so much He wants to share with you.  It is an exciting purpose to get to know Christ and share Him with others.

God’s plan for sharing Christ with those who need Christ is so awesome that there is no room for worry.  He takes care of every detail Himself.  He teaches you and gives you the words that you need to be His witness.  He is looking for worry free followers of Christ that will trust Him for every word to say to those that need Christ.

God will lead you to the people that need Christ.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Matthew 28:18-20

           

Your life is full of people that need Christ.  A great question that you can ask God is, “Lord, who do you want me to share Christ with today?”  As you walk with God, you will see the people He wants you to share Christ with.  You have the joy and privilege of going where the people are with the purpose of sharing Christ. 

Until Jesus returns, God sends you on a mission, a great commission, to go with a great HeartTalk permission slip signed by the greatest authority that there is...  Jesus Christ.  

NOTE: Today's post is written by Tracy Jones and taken from HeartCall: A New Heart.

Introducing Dana Martin

"And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart" (Eccl. 4:12, NASB).

Happy New Year!


I thank God for each of you, our faithful followers, who stick with us through thick and thin! I am grateful for you and for Tracy Jones, Sharon Beougher, and Kelli Martin who continue to blog, even when I am unfaithful. God bless Kristi McCartney who has a new family (three adopted children) who are calling for her time during this important season of life. The truth is, we are all over our heads in busy-ness.


I want you to know that this year brings many changes for me. I am transitioning from working for Southern Seminary as director of women's leadership into being the president and ceo of JML, as well as the president of JM Leaders Foundation. The launch will be in the summer and you will hear much more about God's provision and His direction for us at that time. The purpose of JML will be to provide resources and equip leaders in evangelism. We will do that as we network with partners like churches, state conventions, universities, and seminaries, as well as others.


In the meantime, the next few months hold some great challenges for me. I am working on my dissertation which will require 100% of my time. Thank God for patient and gracious men who are cheering me onward. Only God knows the outcome but I'm going to give it one last push and see what happens. Kelli is also in her last semester at Southern so a May graduation is in sight for her. She is officially in the market for a full-time ministry position using her expertise in Christian education, writing, strategic planning, and people-skills. Dana is cheering for us in numerous ways. We wouldn't be able to do what we do without him! Your prayers for all of us are coveted and appreciated.


Dana has been sharing with me all the things the Lord has been teaching him about prayer. He has also been asking how he could help me to press onward while I attempted to finish writing. I have asked him to blog a series of what he has been learning. So, it addition to hearing from Tracy, Sharon, Kelli, and occasionally from me, you will be hearing from Dana. I know it will bless you as much as it has blessed me.


I pray you are having a wonderful start to your year and look forward to revealing what's coming during the summer to come! Thanks for your prayers!


In His love and mine,
Jaye