THE MEANS OF CHANGE by Robert Soto

THE MEANS OF CHANGE by Robert Soto

January 9, 2010

John 16:8-11 "When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned."

What does it take to have a change of heart? From the time we were all born, we started formulating habits and characteristics that would eventually become who we are. Attributes that formed us either for the good or for the bad. People, like our parents, also made us who we are - not so much by the words they said but also by their actions and words. The attitudes of the people we lived around and the character of the friends we made influenced who we are today as people. History also played a big part as to who we are as a people. The history that we as Indian people carry in our hearts sometimes shapes what we will do or accomplish in this world, if we let it. Things like the trust we have or do not have or the love we have or do not have or the joy we have or do not have, are determined by our personal environment. I'm sure the list could go on and on.

So in essence, we are the product of those things that we closely develop a relationship with. Some things we develop are for good and others are for bad. But in the end, it all comes down to us and the things we allow to influence our hearts. So the question is, how can we have a change when the things that made us who we are influenced us for the worse? It basically comes down to a spiritual change, or a change of the heart and mind of a person. That is when we allow the spiritual things of this earth to influence our lives and our hearts. When we allow the Creator's Son to work in our spiritual hearts it makes us who we are. Jesus once said, "When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned."

Robert Soto, Lipan Apache and pastor of:

McAllen Grace Brethren Church
The Native American New Life Center
Chief of Chiefs Christian Church