Step 6 - A Change of Heart - Become entirely ready to have God remove all your character weaknesses.
What does it really mean to have a change of heart? I guess if you think about this literally, to change ones heart means that whatever was in it up to the point needs to be gone and something new put in it's place. The step says, that you will replace pride with humility. You resist old patterns of behavior and replace them with an open mind as the spirit suggests a better way of living. The Prophet Ezekiel said in Exekiel 36:26 ( get out your scriptures and mark this one ) " A new heart... will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh.
I love the quote in the Manuel from President Ezra Taft Benson that says, "The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take the people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people and then they can take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature.... May we be convinced that Jesus is the Christ, choose to follow Him, be changed for Him, captained by Him, consumed in Him, and be born again."
So I go back to the original question... What is a changed heart? I suggest that a change of heart happens to a person who is truly converted and only desires to do the things that the gospel teaches. A changed heart is one that looks to the example of Jesus Christ in how He lived his life, and the changed heart desire to walk in his foot steps.
I think as everyone grows up, and I mean as we mature and get older, we tend to look at things from a different perspective. It isn't so much as to what makes us happy but how we can contribute to the happiness in others. This is exactly the example that Christ gave to us. He was always doing things to help other people. He of course had Godly powers and was able to perform miracles, but as you become willing to be changed by Him, you will learn of His power to heal you.
Once you have a change of heart, you no longer desire to do what you did in the past. It feels so good to feel again and a natural consequence of this change is to the desire to keep this new feeling alive and moving fore ward.
I hope that you can make this change of heart in yourself. I know that you can do it, because you are not alone in this addiction struggle. So many really good people fall prey to addictive behaviors, and ultimately it leads to the desire to change. You can change, just like others. I urge you to attend Addiction Recovery meetings as often as you can, because the others that I have just spoken about are there at the meetings and can help lift you and strengthen you through their own experience in working the steps. Attending your meeting can give you what you need to make the positive changes in your life. Like the little quote says..." There is no time like the present!"
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