Latest / Divine515 Podcast / Devotional Week 5: Softening the Hardened Heart

Transcript

Devotional Week 5: Softening the Hardened Heart · Divine515 Podcast

• 0:12
  Welcome to the intercessor's corner where life's questions
• 0:15
  and topics are met with biblical truth and
• 0:18
  spirit led wisdom.
• 0:19
  Here's this week's work to fuel and fortify
• 0:22
  your prayer walk.
• 0:28
  Hello and welcome.
• 0:30
  Today I'd like to talk about how God
• 0:32
  renews the heart
• 0:34
  and I want to start off by the
• 0:36
  scriptural text coming from ezekiel thirty six twenty
• 0:39
  six that says I will give you all
• 0:41
  a new heart and put a new spirit
• 0:43
  in you
• 0:44
  I will remove from you your heart of
• 0:46
  stone and give you a heart of flesh.
• 0:50
  And as always, I'd like to start by
• 0:52
  presenting you a question.
• 0:56
  Have you ever felt emotionally numb, spiritually dry,
• 0:59
  or disconnected
• 1:00
  from God,
• 1:01
  like your heart had gone
• 1:04
  hard over time?
• 1:07
  Well,
• 1:09
  whether due to pain or disappointment or simply
• 1:11
  the pressures of life,
• 1:13
  it is possible for even the most passionate
• 1:16
  believer to experience seasons where their heart feels
• 1:18
  like stone,
• 1:19
  unmoved,
• 1:20
  unresponsive,
• 1:23
  numb, and worn out,
• 1:25
  but here's the good news,
• 1:28
  God specializes
• 1:29
  in heart transformation.
• 1:33
  God doesn't catch up broken hearts,
• 1:36
  he replaces
• 1:37
  them.
• 1:38
  Ezekiel
• 1:39
  demonstrates this in thirty six twenty six
• 1:42
  by saying that he promises complete renewal,
• 1:45
  offering us a heart that is sensitive, open,
• 1:47
  and responsive
• 1:48
  to his leading.
• 1:51
  This defined heart transplant isn't just symbolic,
• 1:55
  but it is deeply spiritual,
• 1:58
  and it signifies God's desire and promises to
• 2:01
  renew us from the inside out,
• 2:03
  beginning with the most vital part of who
• 2:05
  we are, a heart.
• 2:09
  Now,
• 2:10
  a heart of stone represents more than just
• 2:13
  stubbornness,
• 2:14
  which can be good in some instances if
• 2:16
  you're stubborn,
• 2:19
  but in this particular case,
• 2:21
  it's a sign of spiritual emptiness and disconnection.
• 2:25
  It is a place of resistance to his
• 2:27
  will and
• 2:28
  and unwillingness to repent.
• 2:31
  Without the holy spirit indwelling in us, we're
• 2:34
  left trying to fill a god sized void
• 2:36
  with
• 2:37
  temporary things that never satisfy
• 2:40
  and often
• 2:42
  create
• 2:43
  a breach between god and ourselves.
• 2:46
  But when we yield to the spirit,
• 2:49
  he brings spiritual fulfillment that goes way beyond
• 2:52
  emotion,
• 2:53
  he gives us purpose and peace,
• 2:56
  he gives us discernment and wisdom,
• 2:59
  which would really help in times of crisis
• 3:02
  when we don't know which way to go
• 3:04
  by navigating life's complexities
• 3:07
  with divine guidance.
• 3:09
  And when we're sensitive to the spirit, he
• 3:11
  gives conviction and comfort
• 3:13
  by shaping us to live in alignment with
• 3:15
  his true path
• 3:17
  and purpose for our lives.
• 3:21
  Now the transformation
• 3:22
  promised here in the key text is made
• 3:25
  possible through the indwelling of the holy spirit.
• 3:28
  He becomes the constant presence within us,
• 3:31
  guiding and empowering and shaping our character.
• 3:35
  The holy spirit revives us
• 3:38
  and helps us when things grow cold and
• 3:42
  ignites passion for God's word and worship and
• 3:45
  his will.
• 3:48
  And the benefits
• 3:50
  are that he renews
• 3:52
  and makes a space
• 3:54
  for the spirit to do a deep work
• 3:56
  within, which is so important
• 3:58
  to healing and restoration.
• 4:01
  He provides spiritual growth by taking root when
• 4:04
  our heart is soft, teaching
• 4:06
  us
• 4:08
  to be sensitive
• 4:09
  to God's word and surrender.
• 4:12
  And the most important
• 4:15
  is that healing comes when we invite God
• 4:17
  to remove the calluses caused by life's pain,
• 4:21
  or maybe even sin from poor decisions,
• 4:26
  but it's really important to know how to
• 4:29
  invite renewal, right?
• 4:32
  That's not always taught,
• 4:35
  but here's some keys that can help us.
• 4:38
  God understands
• 4:40
  the heart better than we do, so it's
• 4:42
  important that we pray honestly.
• 4:44
  Ask God to reveal any areas of hardness
• 4:47
  or empathy in your heart.
• 4:51
  He says in his word, you have not
• 4:53
  cause you ask not and you ask doubting
• 4:56
  and wavering.
• 4:57
  So when it comes to your heart, ask
• 4:59
  with boldness, knowing that he'll more than
• 5:03
  answer and be right there to guide you.
• 5:07
  Welcome the Holy Spirit.
• 5:09
  It's so important with all of the distractions
• 5:12
  today that we make room for his presence
• 5:14
  daily through prayer and through worship,
• 5:17
  and
• 5:18
  by the way, worship is not just music.
• 5:21
  It's actually a lifestyle and a mindset.
• 5:25
  And
• 5:26
  one of the things that is so key
• 5:28
  and pivotal
• 5:29
  is staying in God's word because
• 5:33
  through the holy spirit and applying it when
• 5:35
  we pray, it softens and shapes the heart
• 5:38
  like nothing else.
• 5:41
  You don't have to live with a heart
• 5:43
  and heart,
• 5:45
  nor should you.
• 5:47
  God desires to breathe life into you
• 5:49
  every single day
• 5:52
  he wants to renew you emotionally
• 5:54
  mentally and spiritually
• 5:57
  so let me encourage you
• 5:59
  to replace the weight of a stone
• 6:02
  with a heart that beats with his spirit.
• 6:09
  Thank you for joining me in the intercessor's
• 6:12
  corner. If today's word encouraged you, be sure
• 6:15
  to subscribe to Divine's podcast
• 6:18
  so you'll always be fueled for your weekly
• 6:20
  prayer walk.