Responsive Heart

I have watched a lot of medical shows and when the heart stops working, life comes to a stop. I’ve taken CPR classes in the past in order to know how to keep a heart pumping until some other procedures to restart the heart are available. It is crazy how many people have some sort of heart event and their life stops right then and there. A healthy heart is important as we age.

I also think that my spiritual heart (aka my soul) needs to be healthy too. When I think of my spiritual heart, I think of the core of my existence – the part of me that is eternal because God made me that way. I don’t believe that this life is all there is – I believe in eternal life because the Bible speaks often about it. I believe the Bible is the Inspired Word of God.

I’m navigating through Ezekiel as he prophesies to the people of Israel. His prophesy is mostly negative because of hearts of the people are far from God. I came across a passage that I’ve loved for years because I feel like it describes seasons of my life in the past. Check this out….

¹⁸ “When the people return to their homeland, they will remove every trace of their vile images and detestable idols. ¹⁹ And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, ²⁰ so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.  (Ezekiel 11:18-20 NLT)

I want my heart to be responsive to the Lord.

I want a tender heart after the Lord.

I want a “singleness of heart” from the Lord.

I want my commitment to the Lord to be obvious to all because of how I love, live and work.

I can remember seasons in my past where my heart was cold and hard. I’m not sure I ever stopped believing God, but the fruit of my life was probably rotten.

When my heart is hard, I’m not open to the Lord speaking to me.

When my heart is hard, I’m in rebellion before the Lord.

When my heart is hard, I’m self-centered and disobedient.

I want the Lord to install His Spirit new every morning so that I will walk before Him with a tender and responsive heart. I want to walk in obedience before Him because my heart belongs to Him.

Pressing On!

Dwayne