The singing of the doxology by the PCC student body begins Pensacola Christian College Chapel. At each chapel service, students have an opportunity to receive spiritual exhortation and enrichment during a time of music and meditation on God's word. This podcast shares selected recent chapel messages from guest speakers, faculty, and staff. Welcome to the PCC Chapel Podcast. Good morning. It's such a joy to be with you guys this morning and tomorrow. And as Dr. Atkins said, my wife and I graduated back in 1988. Went straight to serve on staff here at PCC for two years. Then we spent ten years in Christian education. Loved it. Then the Lord touched our hearts and called us into missions. And then after that, we spent the next 24 years serving the Lord in the countries of Cuba and in the Dominican Republic. A few years into that, the Lord saw fit to allow my wife to be diagnosed with a very serious disease, and that facilitated our move back to the States. We weren't ready for that. We're not expecting that. But in His providence, the Lord allowed us again to start another Hispanic church, this time on American soil in Charleston, South Carolina. Two and a half years ago, we turned that church over to a Hispanic pastor. That is when the Lord unmistakably led us to found Saylor International Counseling Ministries The needs are great, as you guys know, but not only in churches with the members, but also with those that are leading different ministries. They face difficulties, doubts, heartache, grief, challenges, just like all of us do. So as we are able now to come alongside those dear servants of the Lord, some of you have parents in ministry. You'll know exactly what I'm talking about. To be able to enter into that relationship, to see them bear their hearts, but then regain hope, then be able to take up the sword and the shield and keep serving the Lord in ministry. Young people, that is an awesome opportunity that God has allowed us to be a part of and to see. So I wish you would pray for us. We'll be here today and tomorrow and then Wednesday night services and in classes. And if there's anything that you would like to discuss with us or questions you have, we would love to take the time to talk to you about that. In our ministry, we deal with a lot of issues. But the main thing that we deal with is we must get to the heart of each individual. Because change in our lives as a believer and a follower of Christ does not happen by fixing the externals. Change that's going to happen in our lives, if any change ever is to happen, it's going to start within our heart. As I was talking to Brother Tutton when he picked my wife and I up from the airport, he said that the Lord has really been doing a work here on campus over the last year by just certain events that God has allowed. God doesn't do that by mistake. He has a purpose. For each and every one of us that are experiencing different circumstances that can be perplexing, can't understand why he's allowing that. We know that he is allowing that for a purpose. And he's working in a thousand different ways around every single circumstance, disappointment, tragedy that happens. And he's trying to get to our heart to be able to lead us in the way that he would have us to go. So I'm going to be speaking today and tomorrow from that perspective, from a biblical counseling perspective. It may be a little bit different, but my prayer is that I'm going to ask you, no, no, I'm going to beg you to really open up your hearts and listen to what the Lord wants to tell you and how he may be working in your life. Then would you receive his word and then act upon it, act upon it by faith. Let's pray. Father, I pray today that you would meet with us, meet with us, Lord, as we surround ourselves with your word, as we dig into your word, as we discuss different issues that most of us are gonna be facing. Lord, whether it's as a student, as a staff person, in administration, Lord, all of us face these things. So I pray that you would please Give us the grace we need to receive what your word is to say. Help us to take the time. Help us to take the time to deal with these issues, we pray. In Jesus' name, amen. 2 Corinthians 4.16. If you'd like to turn there, we will be looking at several passages. But this verse says, for the witchcalls we faint not, but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man It's a synonym for the heart, yet the heart is renewed day by day. The very first ministry that we were in when we left Pensacola Christian College and began in Christian education was in Atlanta, Georgia. In fact, it was in a city by the name of Stone Mountain, Georgia. Well, as we got involved in the church there in Stone Mountain, Georgia, a lot of people in Georgia had gardens in their backyard. They had tended it and I guess that was just the thing to do. So my wife got the idea and she said, Chris, why don't we have our own little garden? I said, great. I worked in landscaping. I know how to do this." So I borrowed a tiller, a massive tiller from a friend of ours, and took it out in the backyard. We had about a half an acre. And really, our backyard was just like the name of our city sounded, Stone Mountain. Most of the times when you get a tiller, you put it into the soil, it goes down into the soil and it starts turning up those roots. How many have ever done that before? Have you been on the back of a tiller? Yeah, it's not that bad. Our backyard, when I tried to put that down in the ground, it did not penetrate and it jerked me over and over, up and down. I could not penetrate that soil. Finally, and my wife was watching me out the back window, I finally got to where it would till a little bit down into the dirt, maybe a few inches. And I thought, okay, I'm good. So we planted corn, tomatoes, I think maybe a few cucumbers. And then I watered it the best I could. I fertilized it the best I could. And then I was ready in just a couple of months for a great harvest. To be honest with you, there was no harvest. The corn was about an inch long. The tomatoes did not make it at all and there was absolutely nothing that we could serve on our table. So then I began to research how to plant a garden after I tried to plant a garden. What came up when I did the Google search on what's the best way to plant a garden in your backyard? What is the most important thing? The soil. It said this, and I quote from Google, it says, good soil is the foundation for healthy plants. Soil provides access to nutrients, water, air, soil stabilizes the roots, and soil assists a plant's natural resistance to pests and diseases. So I had not taken the time to prepare the soil. If you're sensing in your heart this morning that you need a spiritual renewal, If you need a fresh touch from the Lord, if you feel distance from the Lord this morning, it all depends on how well you're gonna prepare the soil of your heart to receive what God's wanting to do, to receive his word. It's all about the heart. But what is it that we ignore day in and day out? We ignore the condition of our heart. And if you do that, over time, you're going to feel the neglect of the lifeblood of every Christian. What is the lifeblood of every Christian? It is your personal walk with the Lord. If you look back over this past semester, you're going to notice that that has probably been the main thing in your life you have neglected. Oh, you've grabbed your Bible, you've got your three chapters to read, you check off that list and you've done, you pray, God help me today in my classes and you're done. That is not a personal walk with the Lord. So today, as we look into the heart, we're going to look at how to define the heart, We're going to look at different things that may be causing those issues in the heart. And then we're going to look at how to care for our heart. First of all, defining the heart. What is your heart? Well, there are several Hebrew Greek words that describe the heart, but they all boil down to this. The heart is the core of who we are and the command center of our lives. Your heart is the core of who you are. and it is the command center for how you act and feel. Do you remember Matthew 12, 34? It says, out of the abundance of the heart, what happens? The mouth speaketh. Another way of saying this is out of the overflow of the heart, we think, we act, we speak, we feel, and we do. Out of the overflow of what's inside your heart, you act, you think, you feel, you speak, and you do. There are some great things your heart can do. What can your heart do? It can love. Your heart can remember. According to Scripture, your heart thinks. Your heart can discern. You can see with your heart. Your heart can meditate. Your heart can grieve. Your heart can love. Your heart can give. Your heart can repent. Your heart can pray. Then your heart can rejoice. And your heart can sing. Your heart can be faithful. Your heart can walk uprightly. Your heart can seek God. And your heart can believe. However, the heart can do some terrible things. Our heart can fear. Our heart can hate. Our heart can become proud. Our heart can lie. It can deceive. Our heart can lust. Our heart can worship idols. Our heart can become hardened toward God and toward others. My heart is my disposition. Who you are, your inclinations, that's your heart. That's who you are. We've heard it many times over as it being your mind, your affections, and your will. But why are you inclined a certain way in your life? Why are you inclined to withdraw from people? And others, why are you inclined to control all the little people? Because of your heart. In a secular way, They would say that our inclinations, that's your personality, that's who you are, and you really can't change it. Historically, the heart is your inclinations. That's why I make the decisions I do. And that's what drives me as a person. That's the heart. I recently read an article about the importance of the command and control center in the military. Anybody in the military here this morning? Nobody. Well, in the military, the success or the failure of a military operation depends on the communication from the command and control center. And there have been massive failures in that through the years. One recent one is when Russia invaded Ukraine. Their command and control went forward based on their leader, Putin. However, most of the studies had come about that said the Ukrainians are a people that will not surrender, they will not back down, they will fight to the death. And although the leaders read those reports and those pre-war studies, they ignored them and went forward. And now what are we, over a year in the conflict? They have not yet been to defeat the Ukrainians. Command and control determines how you are succeeding in a military operation. What about us in our lives? Scripture says, keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. Hebrew word for keep means to guard or tend or watch over. comes from two Hebrew words that mean Natsar and a synonym that is called Shamar. Those words mean to guard, to tend like a vineyard, to care for, to watch over, to be careful about. If we are foolish and we ignore this instruction, then we will end up in a place we never imagined that we could be. because your heart determines your course of life. Tending our hearts requires, the first thing, examining our heart, examining our heart. Now, we don't like to do this because it takes time and effort, and most of the time, we know what we're gonna find if we begin to examine our hearts. It's undervalued, and especially those that have been saved for a long time. How many of you grew up in a Christian home? vast majority. How many of you grew up in a preacher's home? Well, maybe 40%. It's very dangerous. Why? Isn't that a blessing? Absolutely. Growing up in a Christian home and in a pastor's home is a blessing. However, we can become accustomed to the word of God and knowing the word of God replaces knowing Jesus in our hearts. And that is a recipe for our heart to become hardened and cold. If you truly believe that your heart determines your direction in life, then you're gonna take the time today to examine your heart. Turn with me, please, in your Bibles to Jeremiah 17, five through 10. Jeremiah 17, five through 10. Jeremiah here is giving the message to the children of Israel And he says in verse number 5, thus saith the Lord. You see, the children of Israel at this time had their hearts hardened to the Word of God. Jeremiah did not see one convert during his ministry as a prophet. And he says here from the Lord, thus saith the Lord, cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm. and whose heart departeth from the Lord. He shall be like the heath in the desert, dry, and he shall not see when good cometh, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land, and not inhabited. However, blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters and that spreadeth out her roots by the river and shall not see when he cometh. But her leaf shall be green and shall not be careful in the year or worried in the year of drought. Neither shall cease from yielding fruit. Read with me out loud, please. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? Then he says, I, the Lord, search the heart. I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings. Lamentations 340, also by Jeremiah, says this, let us search and try our ways and then turn again to the Lord. Examination is essential. Why? Well, young people, because our current culture and really the American culture has deformed our hearts. We are coming at life and viewing life from a totally anti-biblical perspective. Most of us, without even knowing it, live life like life is all about us. Life is centered around me, my desires, what I want, when I want it. Even in our churches, in our evangelical churches, we have skewed what true ministry success is. We believe having numbers, big churches, big staffs equals ministerial success. Our heart yearns for that. And so we're willing to overvalue the external success rather than the personal heart toward the Lord. One of my favorite authors, theologian Mark Sayers, says this, if you're interested in spiritual renewal, this is what he says, it must be centered on our hearts being changed by God. And he's speaking to ministry leaders and Christians of all ages. Our hearts must be centered on being changed by God. It must begin by replacing the pseudo-Christianity of lifestyle enhancement with the spirit-filled faith of biblical Christianity. Spiritual renewal has to offer the renewal of Christ's likeness to those who are being deformed by our culture in the deepest part of their hearts. And this is what he says, we need a new generation of Christians engaged in mission, kingdom, vocational living, cultural engagement, biblical justice, filled with his spirit, formed by the way of Jesus and shaped by heavenly wisdom. I tell you what, if we have a generation of new leaders coming out of our colleges with that mindset, they will change the world. It's all about the heart. So what must we do? We must care for our heart. What does that even look like? Another favorite author of mine, Dallas Willard, said this, a person with a well-kept heart is a person who is prepared, incapable of responding to the situations of life in ways that are pleasing to the Lord. I could probably just stop there and let you meditate on that quote for the rest of the day. If you don't keep your heart, then you will not be prepared and capable of responding to whatever God allows in your life in a way that pleases Him. If you care for your heart, then you will be prepared. Now, does that mean that you're going to respond perfectly in every single circumstance? Absolutely not. What it means is this. It means you're going to respond to your roommate with the same courtesy that you respond to your teacher in class. Well, I don't respond with courtesy to my teacher in class. Well, then you're going to respond to that with the same courtesy you do your boss, who's paying you to do a job. See, that heart is going to be the same wherever you go. Also, it'll mean that you're going to respond differently when somebody cuts you off in traffic. It means that you're going to not be as defensive when somebody criticizes you legitimately. It means that you won't be manipulative when someone doesn't do something the way you want them to do it. So how do we fix those areas? How do we care for our heart? Four things, and then we're done today. First of all, you must live in an attitude of repentance. That is the opposite of American culture. Do you realize that? It's never my fault. I'm a victim, it's always somebody else's fault. There are legitimate times, students, I know some of you are starting to think, oh, but what about this, what about this, what about this? Yes, there are times when there's legitimate abuse and there are people that have been victims. We deal with that, but even they must come to the point where they're willing to see God in that situation and what he's trying to do in their lives. But today we must live in an attitude of repentance. God prepares the soil of our heart by what Pastor Redland talked about last night. Conviction. God will begin to cultivate, till up the soil of your heart by the Holy Spirit convicting you. But let me ask you this. Do you ever give time or the opportunity for the Holy Spirit to convict you? Or some of you right now may be texting or on your phone during the whole message, just like I saw a young lady do yesterday in church. What kind of a heart does not listen to the word of God and receive that? Answer that question. What kind of a heart does that? A proud heart. I don't need this. More important things to do. It's all about me. Revelation 2 tells us this, remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, take the time to remember your relationship with the Lord when you first were saved and then repent, then do the first works or else I will come into thee quickly and will remove thy candlestick out of this place. Sin, my brothers and sisters, the students, sin must be exposed and dealt with if your heart is going to be cured by the Holy Spirit of God. If you do not take the time to do that, the course of your life will end up in shambles. Secondly, develop a plan, I'm sorry, place high value on your personal walk with the Lord. I mentioned that at the beginning, I'm mentioning it now, I'll mention it tomorrow, and I'll mention it on Wednesday. That is something that we as Christians undervalue, our personal walk with the Lord. We become so familiar with the word that we deceive ourselves and don't even know it. The busyness of life, projects, how many are procrastinators? Nobody. Wow. Procrastination, busyness of life, projects that are due, last minute things, social events, boyfriend, girlfriend, unexpected diagnosis, unexpected tragedy, Staff members, how about you guys? Life gets busy. And I guarantee you, just like me, some of the staff members here that I was in college with are facing the exact same issues you faced when you were in college. Because we never have gotten down to the heart and the need for change. Tim Ferriss, who is not a believer, made this statement about busyness. Most often a lack of time, time pressures, rushing, scrambling to finish things, busyness is simply a lack of priorities. We can choose to spend our time differently on the things that are more important and then ditch the things that are not, thereby freeing up our time and energy. And he says this, we choose to be busy or rushed and we can choose otherwise. What we value will get done. What you value will become accomplished. Place a high value on your personal walk with the Lord. Third, develop a plan for specific areas that you need to change. This is hard work, strenuous work, but if you truly believe that your heart determines your life outcome, you'll take the time to do it. You can't keep doing the same thing you've been doing, hoping things are going to change. We must continue. We must not continue to hide behind the business. Well, I just don't have time. I just can't do it. I don't have time. The very best way students to care for your heart is to understand how to change biblically. And this has been one of the most beneficial things for my life personally, studying biblical counseling. I'm going to ask you that question. How does the Bible tell us that we can change? Most of the time we think hearing a sermon, coming to the altar or making a decision in your seat and saying I'm just going to do better, God help me to change, we think that's how we're going to change. How's that worked out for you? Respond in an altar, to an altar call. Respond in your seats. Make that decision. But that is not how you're gonna change. There's only one way that the Bible says that we can change as believers, only one way. And that is found in Ephesians 4, 22 through 24. And this is it. That ye put off concerning the former conversation or the way of life, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and then be, what is the word there? Renewed. in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Put off, renew your mind, and put on. That takes time. How are you doing? How are you doing on trying to change from the time you were 12 years old? Stop those habits. Change your way of thinking. Well, I remember when I got married, I had not done a good job at that. And my wife would begin to lovingly, most of the time, call out some of those things that I had in my life that should be changed. And my response was, well, that's just how I was raised. I'm from North Carolina, honey, what do you expect? And then I began to think, you know what? She's right. Things like this, maybe you can identify with some of these areas you need to change. For example, not looking at people when they speak to you. How about interrupting people? either out loud or in your head. You're not listening to what they're saying. You're thinking about your response. How about looking around at other people when someone is speaking to you? How about shutting down when certain people speak to you or when you are corrected? How about talking about yourself excessively, drawing attention to yourself in most circumstances? How about raising your voice and talking over people when the conversation gets heated? How about not being able to control your emotions? Did I mention anything in remote possibility that some of you may need to change there? Okay. How do we go about that? Where does the heart play into these flaws? Where does mastery over your body play into these issues? If you've ever tried to change a habit, you're going to see that it is extremely difficult to change that habit unless you deal with your heart first. In most of us, this is a quote by a secular psychologist by the name of William James. He says this, most of us by the time we're in our 20s, our character has been set like plaster and never will soften again. Say amen to that, biblical? Never in a million years. Because my Bible says that I can change. My Bible says that the apostle Paul changed till the day he died. Back to our first verse, 2 Corinthians 4, 16. It says, for which cause we faint not, but though the outward man perish, our flesh, perishing means that our flesh is corrupted. Our mind is completely corrupted. The natural way of thinking impermeates our way of thinking. Yet the inward man is renewed constantly, not a one-time event, but a constant daily changing. And this is in the passive voice, students. That means I have to humble myself and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to me through his word, but it takes time for that to happen. And it's renewed day by day, strenuous effort. Last thing, pray for an advocate to walk this journey with you. Some of you may have that. You may have someone that knows everything about you, all your struggles, and all the issues that you're dealing with. But I want to ask you, who has the freedom, students, to approach you and question you about your heart? Staff members, who do you have in your life that is able to question you about your heart? They may have noticed some things that's been deteriorating. Does anyone have that access? If our heart is so deceitful, then we must have someone speaking to us from the outside. If you do not prioritize developing an advocate, time with the Lord, walk with the Lord, you will not change. 2021, we noticed that some things were not right in my daughter-in-law, Tony's life. She was walking erratically. She had issues speaking. She couldn't respond emotionally correctly. Finally, the OBGYN, because she was 27 weeks pregnant at the time, ordered an MRI. And this is what they found. A tumor taken up a fourth of her brain. She didn't have the strength or dexterity to really do anything. But thankfully, we discovered that. But what would have happened if Tony had said, I don't really want to get an MRI. It's a waste of money. I think I'll be fine just like I am. This is just how I am. Disaster. Baby would have been lost. Thankfully, they saw the tumor. Three weeks, they got the tumor out. The baby was okay, was in NICU for several months, but then today, baby James and Tony are better than ever. Why? Because they noticed there was a problem, and they were willing to deal with it. If you see signs in your life that need to be changed, I challenge you, take the time today. Write down this question, and then meditate on this. What am I doing now? What am I not doing now that if I were to start doing it, It would help push me forward on my path to aligning my life with God and changes that He wants to make in me. You've been listening to a message from Pensacola Christian College Chapel. You're welcome to pass this sermon along to others. Please don't charge for it or alter it without written permission from Pensacola Christian College. For additional information about PCC, visit us online at pcci.edu. Pensacola Christian College, empowering Christian leaders to influence the world for Christ.