HEART OF FLESH.........How often do you Accept the Prompting to do the right thing?

INTRODUCTION:

The word heart can mean different things depending upon the context. Most often, the heart refers to the soul of a human being that controls the will and emotions. The heart is the “inner man”  2 Corinthians 4:16

A heart of flesh fears the Lord and desires to please Him in all he or she does. A heart of flesh is an obedient heart that loves to do the will of God. A  heart of flesh is surrendered to His will.

In Ezekiel 11:19, God is addressing His people, the Israelites, promising to one day restore them to the land and to a right relationship with Himself. God promises to gather the Hebrews from the nations where they had been scattered  Ezekiel 11:17 and give them a new, undivided heart (verse 19). 

When we are born again, God performs a heart transplant, as it were and our hearts of stone are replaced with hearts of flesh that begin to respond to God’s Word... He gives us a new heart. The power of the Holy Spirit changes our hearts from sin-focused to God-focused. We do not become perfect (1 John 1:8); we still have our sinful flesh and the freedom to choose whether or not to obey it. 

But sadly, before long, disobedience may creep in and our hearts become divided between pleasing God and pleasing self. Who do we want to please – God or self??  This divided heart needs to be re-focused. The change happens because God initiates a way for the change. 

How does God do this? Just like a surgeon has to work on an artery that has calcification – God has to perform a divine operation.  When we come to God and surrender our will to His divine will, we empty our hearts of self, and embrace His will for our lives. 

Restoration: Then, God initiates the first step in heart softening by offering a single focused, undivided heart. The second step to softening our hearts is God’s promise of a new spirit.  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. 

God’s new Spirit, or wind, gives the heart the desire and the ability to hold on steadfastly in willing obedience.” This is stick-to-it-ness – keep holding on – don’t give up – do the right thing! These are things God’s spirit helps us with. When Jesus came, he gave us the Holy Spirit…who is our counselor, our helper.

The gift of the Holy Spirit…and our acceptance of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives…is one of the most precious, gracious gifts we could ever want. The Spirit helps us be steadfast and obedient. The Holy Spirit works on those rough edges that each of us has…one step at a time, one day at a time.  

PURPOSE OF NEW HEART, HEART OF FLESH:

The result of their receiving a new heart will be obedience to God’s commands: “Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God”  

Therefore, we can safely conclude that a  heart of flesh is one that accepts the prompting of the Holy Spirit and change the course of an action without hesitating...Why? Because you realize the action may not be correct with God no matter how insignificant it may be.

A heart of flesh is one that is open to the correction of the Holy Spirit instantly and move on. A heart of flesh is one in which the activities of the Holy Spirit affects , but if you do wrong things and your heart does not prick you and you don't even feel anything, then know you are very far from God Almighty.  It means your conscience is gone .  

It also means that you have been living in disobedience to the word and promptings of the Holy Spirit to the extent that the Holy Spirit no longer comes to guide you.  

Such lifestyle is dangerous for a believer.  It is a lifestyle that should make you cry for help.  You must cry for help because it is not supposed to be like that, and it was not like that when you believed, when you got born again.  The cares of the is life may have come in between.

OPERATIONS OF THE SPIRIT:'

You can start by examining what you do in your closet, in your secret chambers. Are they the right things a child of God should do?, if they are not, does your heart prick you?

If your answer to these two questions are NO, then you should repent today and apologize to God and the Holy Spirit for living your own way...in the flesh to please your heart desires.  

When you give a spontaneous answer which is wrong, though you never planned to lie or intended to benefit from such lie, does your conscience prick you immediately or later when you are alone and quite, does the Spirit rebuke you for the wrong answer? If yes, do you immediately apologize to God for speaking lies or sometimes half truth?

Beloved, we are not perfect and the devil is smart to sometimes put the wrong answers in our mouth and before you think about the question, you have already answered it and surely you have answered it wrongly. So, as children of God, when things like that happen,  we are expected to kneel to God in prayer asking for forgiveness and be ready to resist the devil in the future.

Few things to note:

1. God Knows Human Hearts

Matthew tells us how Jesus could see the heart: evil is kept harbored in the heart (Matt. 9:4); bad fruit is the product of an evil heart (12:34); adultery is committed in the heart before the overt deed (5:28); a whole inventory of wicked words, thoughts and acts has its origin in the heart (15:18–19, cf. 24:48); what we truly treasure is what we keep in our hearts (6:21); we are to love the Lord God with all of our hearts and with all our soul and with all our mind; the “pure in heart” are those who are especially blessed (5:8).

2. God made a promise to Give us a new heart - Ezekiel 11:19-20

Frankly – God is a jealous God. The Israelites were unlike those around them. They are and were people of one God. They knew the first commandment God gave to them: thou shalt have no other God’s before me.  

But when they find it difficult to focus on God alone and serve Him, He promised to 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. 20 Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.

What the Bible say about Obedience

Obedience is an important virtue for a christian to cultivate.  For those who wish to go far with the Lord, obedience is almost like a command and from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible kept emphasizing on obedience to the word and voice of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 11:26-28 sums it up like this: "Obey and you will be blessed. Disobey and you will be cursed." In the New Testament, we learn through the example of Jesus Christ that believers are called to a life of obedience.

The general concept of obedience both in the Old and New Testament relates to hearing or hearkening to the voice of God. Obedience is the easiest thing for children to do because they depend on their parents for practically everything. Any child of God, who depend on Him for his existence will have no problem obeying the Word of God.

It is the same with born again Christians, when they encounter the word of God, instructions from God, they are inspired and without wasting time, they obey.  

The Lord Comforts obedient children and Jesus said their angel is continually before God Almighty. As it is for children, so it is for adult sons and daughters of God. Obedience establishes your inheritance in Christ.

Why is Obedience to God Important?

Our Saviour was obedient

In Jesus Christ we find the perfect model of obedience. As his disciples, we follow Christ's example as well as his commands. Our motivation for obedience is love. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. John 14:15

Obedience leads to worship

While the Bible places strong emphasis on obedience, it's critical to remember that believers are not justified (made righteous) by our obedience, but by faith in the Lord. Salvation is a free gift of God, and we can do nothing to merit it. True Christian obedience flows from a heart of gratitude for the grace we have received from the Lord:

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable...which is your worship. This is truly the way to worship him. (Romans 12:1, NLT)

God rewards Obedience

We become whatever we may become with God through obedience. Our father of faith, Abraham became the father of many nations through obedience.  There are scriptures that declared specific blessings due to obedience. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 refers.

There is Genesis 22:18, which says: "And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me." 

Exodus 19:5 also, says: Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. 

Jesus replied, "But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice." - Luke 11:28.  So, the obligation of man is to obey God’s word and do what it says, otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.  For such people, Apostle James says they are like someone looking at his natural face in the mirror and after wards walks away, and forget what manner of man he is. James 1:22-24

Obedience to God Proves Our Love

The books of 1 John and 2 John clearly explain that obedience to God demonstrates love for God. Loving God implies following his commands:

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. (1 John 5:2–3)

Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, in the household of faith and do same to our neighbours.

Obedience to God affirms our faith in Him

When we obey God, we affirm our faith and trust in Him And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, "I know God," but doesn't obey God's commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God's word show their love for Him.

God values Obedience better Than Sacrifice

The phrase "obedience is better than sacrifice," can be explained within the old Testament perspective.  The law required the Israelite people to offer sacrifices to God, but those sacrifices and offerings were never intended to take the place of obedience.

That was why Samuel replied King Saul saying: "What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice?.  Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the LORD, he has rejected you as king." 1 Samuel 15:22–23.

Disobedience Leads to Sin and Death

The disobedience of Adam brought sin and death into the world. This is the basis of the term "original sin." But Christ's perfect obedience restores fellowship with God for everyone who believes in him: For as by the one man's Adam's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's Christ's obedience the many will be made righteous- Romans 5:19. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:22.

Obedience leads to Sanctification

Only Jesus Christ is perfect, therefore, only he could walk in sinless, perfect obedience. But as we allow the Holy Spirit to transform us from within, we grow in holiness. This is known as the process of sanctification, which can also be described as spiritual growth. The more we read God's Word, spend time with Jesus, and allow the Holy Spirit to change us from within, the more we grow in obedience and holiness as Christians.

Blessings of Obedience

At times, obedience to God feels mostly like sacrifice, but there are blessings and rewards when we obey the voice of the Lord and submit to his will. When we are obedient, we are certainly in God's will. When we’re in his will, we are sure to experience even more of God's blessings. In this way, we are living as he intended for us to live.

Scriptures that talks about the blessings of obedience include:

Deuteronomy 28:2 - And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God.

John 14:15 - If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

1 John 5:2–3 - By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

Psalm 119:1–8 - Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the LORD. Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths.

Genesis 22:18 - "And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me."

 CONCLUSION:

Someone whom God has given a new heart behaves differently. The new heart was created to mirror God’s own heart Genesis 1:17; James 3:9. We were designed to love Him, love righteousness, and walk in harmony with God and others Micah 6:8.

So, when you arrive at you office by 8.45 and signed by 745 Am, did your heart prick you and did you quickly correct the record to show you came late?  When you ask or receive gratification for doing your official duty, did your heart prick you.  If yeas, what did you do then?

Beloved , the end of all things is here. What Jesus Christ said would happen before His coming back are all happening and the new heart God gives His children is for them to live in obedience to His word and His voice and the Holy Spirit is given to help us to walk right before the Lord.

Let us examine our ways today, make amends where it is necessary, so that the name of the Lord will be glorified in our lives. Shalom!

FIRE...