I will plant a new heart and new spirit inside of you. I will take out your stubborn, stony heart and give you a willing, tender heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit inside of you and inspire you to live by My statutes and follow My laws. — Ezekiel 36:26-27
When we’re born, our parents take care of us, clothe us and teach us. In many ways, we become versions of them. Brought into the world as blank slates, our parents help shape who we are.
As a believer in Christ, we’re part of another family.
Committing ourselves to God, we offer up all that we were so that we can be remade. Once His, God does just that — He remakes us so that we may become a version of Him.
Though sin makes us an imperfect version, we can still aspire to be like our Father.
Being born again gives us a new start. God takes our slate and erases all the evil and sin, leaving only the good. He takes our hearts, hardened by the hurt and sin and evil in the world, and gives us hearts of flesh, able to accept His love and share it. He gives us the Holy Spirit, clothes us in His righteousness and teaches us through His Word.
We have a chance now, no longer shaped into who we are but rather into what we should be.
God’s Promise To me
- Through Me, you can be a new creation.
- The Holy Spirit is a gift I will never withhold.
- I can soften your hardened heart.
My Prayer to God
Lord, thank you for giving me new life in You. I rededicate myself to You as your servant. Help me to continue to follow Your ways and learn from Your Word.
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Your Turn
Isn’t it a relief that we don’t have to do the work of changing our own stubborn, stony hearts — because we are incapable of doing so — and that it’s God’s promise to us that He will? Sometimes it may feel like we have to work so hard in all the myriad areas of our life that are riddled with sin and brokenness, but knowing that it’s the Holy Spirit’s job brings tremendous peace. Our job is to focus on Jesus and listen to the Holy Spirit as we are abiding in Him and are being changed from the inside out. Have you experienced this in your own life? In what ways is the Holy Spirit softening your heart or giving you a new heart? We would love to hear from you! Please join the conversation on our blog! ~ Devotionals Daily