“A NEW HEART”
BIBLE
READING: Ezekiel 9-12
In Psalm 51, David is lamenting over his affair with Bathsheba and all of the
events that followed. In this song/prayer, he asked God to “Create
in him a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51.10). Who
among us has not felt the heavy burden of guilt? Guilt can be such a
powerful emotion because it can be positive in the sense of bringing us to
conviction and forgiveness, but it can also be negative in the sense of
weighing us down and preventing us from growth. If guilt is not an
emotion that we’ve experienced, it is either because of ignorance or rebellion.
In either case, it usually results in us having a heart of stone, but even when
our heart is hard and dull of feeling guilt, God still has the power to change
us. In Ezekiel 11, the prophet talks about what God can do to a heart of
stone. “And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I
will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and
give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules
and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.” (Ezekiel
11:19-20). In Ezekiel’s case, God knows that His people will
finally come around and understand why God has allowed the captivity to take
place. When they understand it has been because of their idolatry, they
will finally begin to feel this emotion of guilt. Their heart of stone
will be replaced with a heart that is capable of feeling guilt, regret and
conviction. It is then that they will begin to walk in the ways of the
LORD and obey Him, so they never have to feel that emotion again. Today,
when we experience guilt, it is best that we handle it quickly by addressing
our sin and asking for forgiveness. The longer we put it off, the harder
our heart will become.
Prayer
Requests:___________________________________________________________________________________
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