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Lord, Don't Let My Heart Grow Cold: Meditation from Matthew 24:12 · Growing Closer to God with Guided Meditation

• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to this week's Guided Christian Meditation.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: Here, we put aside all distractions to enter into God's presence and to hear from God better and to allow the Holy Spirit to make us more like Christ.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: I am your host, Pastor Robert Young, and thank you for allowing me to be your guide on this journey.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: If you're new to Guided Christian Meditation, check out Episode 164 entitled Getting Started in Guided Christian Meditation.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: Episode 164 explains the why, the origins, and even the science of all of the stages of meditation that we practice.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: If you suffer from severe anxiety, depression, or trauma, psychotic episodes, or if you are in active addiction, then consult your physician before beginning this or any meditation practice.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: This week's subject is about, Lord, don't let my heart grow cold.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: But first, according to Scriptures, God requires us to be completely involved and free from wrongful acts in mind, body, and spirit.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: Confession prepares the heart for being in the presence of Almighty God.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: Let's repeat the prayer that King David prayed in Psalms chapter 51, verses 1 through 4, where it says, Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness, according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: Blot out my transgressions.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: Before we start to reflect on Matthew chapter 24, verse 12, let's prepare our minds by closing our eyes and taking a deep breath as we invite the presence of God to fill us.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: Take a deep breath in for account of seven, hold the breath for account of five, and slowly exhale for a count of seven.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: Let's repeat.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: Take a deep breath in for a count of seven, hold the breath for a count of five, and then slowly exhale for a count of seven.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: Let's prepare our bodies with muscle relaxation exercises.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: We will simply tense each muscle group for three seconds and then release the muscle.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, don't hold your breath for this portion of the meditation.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: Let's begin with the calf muscles.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: Lightly tense the calf muscles for count of three.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: Now release.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: Moving upward to the hamstrings, quads, and glutes.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: Lightly tense for three seconds.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: Now release.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: Moving to the abdominals, chest, and back area.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: Lightly tense these muscle groups for three seconds and release.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: Finally, moving to the arms and shoulders, lightly tense these muscle groups for three seconds.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: Now release.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: Now we can enter into worship of our Heavenly Father by focusing on Psalms chapter 100, verses 1 through 3, where it tells us to shout for joy to the Lord all the earth.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: Worship the Lord with gladness, come before Him with joyful songs.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: Take a moment to lift up your voice in praise and thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father, who is worthy of all honor and glory, by repeating Psalms chapter 8, verse 9, which says, Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: Now that we have prepared our mind, our body, and our spirit, let's begin to examine Matthew chapter 24, verse 12.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: We see here that Jesus had been asked to tell when will the end come be some signs of the end times.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: Let's concentrate on verse 12.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: What exactly does Jesus mean when he says the love of most will grow cold?
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: Here, he's talking about people's hearts becoming so desensitized to the evil that they see or even hear about, and it does not have an effect on their conscience or emotions as it once did.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: Why is this a bad thing?
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: Simply put, a cold heart cannot love God.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: We as believers run the risk of a loss of empathy, compassion for others, or desire to offer Jesus' salvation when our hearts have grown cold.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: This empathy and compassion of sharing the gospel should apply to unbelievers no matter their sins.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: We are called to present the full gospel in love, not hate or judgment.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: We see the wickedness in our world so easily today.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: It's on the TV, social media, podcasts, and other places.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: But now, let's close our eyes and see God's restoration of our world through the triumphant return of His Son Jesus Christ.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: Feel the peace in your soul, knowing that the Savior has it all in control.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: Let's take five minutes to really check our hearts to see if we have enough compassion toward the unbeliever by asking ourselves this question.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: When I see someone in blatant sin, do I pray for their deliverance or for their demise?
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Lord, for cleaning and purifying my heart and motives.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: Again, thank you, Lord, for cleaning and purifying my heart and motives.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: Our assignment.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: Listen to this meditation daily until it saturates your soul.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: Follow up every day with the daily devotionals and reflection questions about this subject.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: Pray the prayer that King David prayed in Psalms fifty-one and watch as God begins to clean you from the inside out and make you more like Christ.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.