Devotion: A RENEWED HEART.
Texts: Ezekiel 11:17-21. |Genesis 6:5-7.|Ezekiel 36:24-30. |Jeremiah 24:4-7.
The Lord has continually dealt mankind His hand of mercy; if not so, He alone can tell what could have become of humanity today.
God Almighty is the One at work fully in us, making us both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Left to man, no good thing will ever come through from us; for evil is the continual thoughts of the heart of man.
>Genesis 6:5(AMP)==>“The LORD saw that the wickedness (depravity) of man was great on the earth, and that every imagination or intent of the thoughts of his heart were only evil continually.”
The world is gradually decaying.
The level of depravity is alarming, to the extent that what was once considered abominable, is becoming acceptable to the point where such abominations are even legalised.
Depravity has been from the beginning of the world and in this age, it has escalated beyond measure. But for the mercy of God Almighty, I wonder what would have become of the entire creation of man yet again.
The world is gradually decaying. Once, He was put off with the abominations of the hearts of men >Genesis6:6-7 (NIV)==>6)“The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.”” Out of regret, God became enraged against the evil-laden hearts of mankind. He decided to end it all.
>Genesis 6:17 (NIV)==>“I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.”
>Genesis 7:11-12, 23a (NIV)==>11)“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. 12)And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. 23)Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out…”
Thankfully, His mercy prevailed thereafter and that’s the saving grace we enjoy till date [not that man has actually gotten his bearing right].
>Genesis 9:9, 11-13(NLT)==>9)““I hereby confirm my covenant with you and your descendants, 11)Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you. Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth.”12)Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. 13)I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth.”
But for this Covenant, the earth and all therein [especially humanity] would probably have been wiped away yet again. Thank God for His mercy [though the heart of man is still stony]. Flesh is self-willed, wanting to pursue its own thing always as against the will of the One Whose idea we are. >Isaiah 53:6a(AMP)==>“All of us like sheep have gone astray, We have turned, each one, to his own way…
Today, God is saying >Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel?”==>Ezekiel 18:31NIV].
The Lord Who says get a new heart is set and ready even to give us a new heart >“‘I will give them a heart to know Me, [understanding fully] that I am the LORD; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.”==>JEREMIAH 24:7AMP].
>Ezekiel 11:19 (NIV)==>“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.”
The stony heart shall yet be done away with, as the Lord will give unto us a new heart, a brand new heart, an undivided heart, that will be spongy (fleshy) hence responsive to Him and not to self-will or idols (everything exalting itself above the knowledge of God). God’s action shall be thus: > “… I’ll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed. I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands. You’ll once again live in the land I gave your ancestors. You’ll be my people! I’ll be your God!”Ezekiel 36:24b-28 MSG].
What a joy!
Prayer Action:
-Give thanks to the Lord most merciful.
-Pray in the language of the spirit for 15 minutes.
-Cry to the Lord for mercy [do this with all your heart].
-Ask the Lord to create in you a new heart [grace to do His will and not your will anymore; grace to do just what He tells you to do].
