Heart Transplant

 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; 

I will remove from you your heart of stone

 and give you a heart of flesh.

Ezek 36:26 (NIV)

The heart and attitude that God responds to is a heart of humility and lowliness.  We are so often filled up with ourselves, our own importance, seeking only to fulfill our own wants and needs.  There is no room for God in a heart like that.  The heart God is looking for is the submissive and lowly heart, empty of self, ready to be filled with God.  

How do we get to that place?  Sometimes the crushing difficulties of life bring us finally to a place of brokenness where we become willing to turn from our own ways and turn our lives completely over to God.  This is actually a good place to be for we finally become willing to open the door to the only one who can help us and change us. At the end of ourselves, we find the gateway into all the glories of God.

We cannot effect the change ourselves.  God is the great surgeon. Only he can do the transplant, taking out the old, hard and stony heart and giving us a soft, repentant, and submissive one.

Lord, we ask for a heart transplant.  Take out our old, hard hearts and replace them with new hearts, tender and responsive to you.

The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

Psalms 51:17 (NLT)

Repentance & Confession

Cactus Garden, Carefree, Arizona

Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 

  Put on your new nature, created to be like God—

truly righteous and holy.

 Eph 4:23-24 (NLT)

Our lives are never free from conflict with our old nature.  Whenever we become stressed, annoyed, tired, etc. we are faced with the temptation to become short or sarcastic and may say unloving things.  We become self-centered, more concerned with our own feelings than the other person.  In those times, it's hard to yield and allow the Holy Spirit to control our attitudes, thoughts, words and actions. 

Our goal is to be like Christ – even-tempered, understanding and gentle. But, because of our human weaknesses we fall short.  Whenever we are not acting in accord with the love of Christ, the spirit within us makes us feel uncomfortable.  When this happens, the only remedy is to turn our hearts toward him (repentance), acknowledge our failure (confession), and ask for his assistance.  He is the only one who can keep us from falling.  

Oh Lord, when I am out of sorts, come through with your sweet spirit to help me control my tongue.  Help me to allow your spirit to live in and through me. When I fall short, may I quickly acknowledge my failure and turn to you.  Help me to learn the art of self-care so that I do not become too hungry, too angry, too tired or too stressed out which leaves me vulnerable to temptation. 

If we claim we have no sin, 

we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 

But if we confess our sins to him, 

he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 

and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

1 John 1:8-9 (NLT)