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Behavioral Problems begin in the Heart not in the Lack of Education: We all need Heart Surgery

by Teresa^(1,652) Bronze Star

Freelance writer/Speaker

According to Educators, the solution to bad behavior, from prejudice to murder begins and ends with education.

There has been a long-standing push that lack of education is the cause for crime; society is to blame. The majority of secular educators insist the behavior of a person good or bad is completely dependant on outward factors; broken homes, good homes, poor, wealthy etc. There is little room for personal accountability and in my opinion; this leaves little hope of change. If I have the option of blaming my actions on my lack of parenting, or lack of education, I do not have to consider change on the inside.

The other problem with this kind of thinking is that it does not reflect the reality of our history's highly educated criminals:

In an article entitled "Basic Myths about Criminals" Excerpted from "Inside the Criminal Mind" by Stanton E. Samenow, Ph.D he explains in detail how society must begin to rethink the mind of a criminal:

To embark on a truly corrective program, we must begin with the clear understanding that the criminal chooses crime; he chooses to reject society long before society rejects him. The criminal values people only to the extent that he can use them for his own self-serving ends; he does not justify his actions to himself. Only by "habilitating" the criminal, so that he sees himself realistically and develops responsible patterns of thought, can we change his behavior.

Click here to read the article in full http://www.enotalone.com/article/4486.html

When we take time to analyze the time and energy it takes to commit a crime, it becomes evident that it takes a well thought-out plan. It takes discipline and patience it takes wisdom and intuition to know when the opportune moment arrives to be successful, then it takes courage to follow through.

All we need to do is watch our nightly news to see that our country is in financial disarray because of highly educated "White Collar Criminals".

If Educators consider the possibility that education is not the only answer, perhaps it will contribute to a change in societies' thinking as a whole.

Additionally, things would look much different in our society today if our Physiologists and Educators heeded the teaching of the Bible in regard to the root cause of bad behavior which boils down to the heart of man.

It may be hard to accept as a society, we have bought into the idea that mankind is basically good and if we do bad, it is because of outside influences.

It's high-time we change our way of thinking.

After all the God who created all things might have something to say about this whole issue. In fact, He does, the word heart is used approximately 833 times in the Bible (Blueletterbible.com) and is filled with warnings and admonishment regarding the heart of man. The bottom line however, is found in one simple yet hard to swallow statement:

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord search the heart; I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doing?"

The Bible tells us that we are born with the ability and propensity to sin. This makes sense as we consider the fact that we do not have to teach children how to be bad, we have to teach children how to be good and excerise self-control.

Fortunately, we are not hopeless; there is a solution Heart surgery, spiritually speaking of course.

In the following passage of Scripture, God is speaking to His people Israel, yet it applies to all of man, as He sent his Son to save all peoples or every tribe, tongue, and nation.

"..Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness, and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit with you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them." Ezekiel 36:26-27

God made this possible by the sending Jesus Christ to pay the price for sin, that all that would believe in Him and walk in His ways, would be born-again, thereby receiving a new heart and the Spirit of God the Holy Spirit.

"In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of his glory" Ephesians 1:13 -14

The following passages reveal the truth that all behavior starts within not from without and thus it is important to make our hearts right before the Lord in order that we will be right and favorable to society.

"Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil" Proverbs 4:23-27

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also." Matthew 23:25 26

"For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are of the flesh cannot please God. But you are not of the flesh, but of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not HisTherefore, brethren, we are debtors not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if you live by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. Romans 8: 6-9,12-14

In conclusion, our only hope for change is a change of heart one that is yielded to the Spirit of the Living God.

Most criminals know the difference between right and wrong we know the difference between right and wrong, but in our weaknesses, we do not have the power to refrain from bad behavior whether it is minor sin, such as gossip or perverse speech, to the un-refrained lust, which leads to obsessive and violent behavior.

If we want to change society we as a society must undergo heart surgery. The choice is ours. If you haven't done so already, make an appointment with God, he has an opening right now.

Changing our hearts, changes our minds - changing our minds, changes our behavior.

(Supplemental Scriptures: Psalm 51, John chapters 1 & 3)

Teresa Ortiz - all rights reserved

Article submitted Saturday, May 30, 2009 & read 203 times.

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