How God Deals with the Heart
Ezekiel 36:26-27
On Monday I spoke of how the heart of the co-dependent is programmed to deceive. The lies learned at home help give the appearance of stability and are not easily shaken. But deceit is not limited to the hearts of those who help cover for alcoholics. In fact when God looks at creation he sees in all people a heart that is deceitful and “desperately wicked.” (Jeremiah 17:9) The very nature of man/woman puts us at odds with the Lord, leaving us in a state where we are inclined to choose sin over God. Because we have a heart problem we are unable to simply change our minds or to wish the problem away. Something more drastic must take place and God knows exactly what to do.
Seeing the state of man God prescribes a solution designed to completely change his children and to prepare each of us to achieve our potential. God, who performed the first surgery when he created Eve, has declared a need for each person to receive a new ‘heart.’ Ezekiel describes a procedure that cuts at the very nature of who we are, showing the need for an internal change which cannot be performed by human hands. Thus, while religion is predicated on us changing ourselves, there is no way for us to do enough to change our nature from that which puts us at odds with our creator.
God demands more than a few external good works performed in order to prove how good we are before man. The decay God sees is internal, located in the very soul of the person where dwells spiritual death. The heart deceives, telling us we have no need for God and for his ancient book, in the process severing our tie to the giver of life. The only way to end this curse is to replace the heart with one that is alive and being filled with the truth. This is God’s prescription, his way of preparing us for his kingdom. I challenge you to examine your heart. Do you have a heart of stone? Perhaps you have received Christ allowing the surgery to begin but something more important has come up and you resist God, trying to keep him from completing the task.
When we look at our physical heart we see how heart disease destroys the entire body. The same holds true for the spiritual heart. Are you ready to receive your new heart and the gift of life that comes with? Ask God today, knowing he has promised a new heart to those who humble themselves before him and receive his deliverance.
See also: “Is That Really All That’s Needed?”
“Tempted to Doubt Your Identity”
“Repentance and Cleansing”
On Monday I spoke of how the heart of the co-dependent is programmed to deceive. The lies learned at home help give the appearance of stability and are not easily shaken. But deceit is not limited to the hearts of those who help cover for alcoholics. In fact when God looks at creation he sees in all people a heart that is deceitful and “desperately wicked.” (Jeremiah 17:9) The very nature of man/woman puts us at odds with the Lord, leaving us in a state where we are inclined to choose sin over God. Because we have a heart problem we are unable to simply change our minds or to wish the problem away. Something more drastic must take place and God knows exactly what to do.
Seeing the state of man God prescribes a solution designed to completely change his children and to prepare each of us to achieve our potential. God, who performed the first surgery when he created Eve, has declared a need for each person to receive a new ‘heart.’ Ezekiel describes a procedure that cuts at the very nature of who we are, showing the need for an internal change which cannot be performed by human hands. Thus, while religion is predicated on us changing ourselves, there is no way for us to do enough to change our nature from that which puts us at odds with our creator.
God demands more than a few external good works performed in order to prove how good we are before man. The decay God sees is internal, located in the very soul of the person where dwells spiritual death. The heart deceives, telling us we have no need for God and for his ancient book, in the process severing our tie to the giver of life. The only way to end this curse is to replace the heart with one that is alive and being filled with the truth. This is God’s prescription, his way of preparing us for his kingdom. I challenge you to examine your heart. Do you have a heart of stone? Perhaps you have received Christ allowing the surgery to begin but something more important has come up and you resist God, trying to keep him from completing the task.
When we look at our physical heart we see how heart disease destroys the entire body. The same holds true for the spiritual heart. Are you ready to receive your new heart and the gift of life that comes with? Ask God today, knowing he has promised a new heart to those who humble themselves before him and receive his deliverance.
See also: “Is That Really All That’s Needed?”
“Tempted to Doubt Your Identity”
“Repentance and Cleansing”
Labels: changed life, Christian, God, Gospel, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Salvation, sin, sinners
posted by Dennis | 6:30 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home