A New Heart

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.
Ezekiel 36:26 NIV
https://ezekiel.bible/ezekiel-36-26

Have you seen the movie Moana? I have seen it probably 50 times. ????? Or it has at least been on my TV that many times….. I do not actually sit and watch it. It is my one year old daughters favorite movie. I am going to describe a little bit of the movie for those who aren’t familiar….*spoiler alert*. In the movie there is an angry, stony, lava filled, personified island. The heart of this island had been stolen and because she did not have her heart, she was cracking, splitting, turning to stone and full of fury. The entire plot line of the story is Moana trying to get the heart back to the island of Te Fiti so that she can be complete, flourish and thrive. The movie is filled with music and a silly chicken but in the end this little green stone, her heart, is put back in its rightful place on the island. The stony, cracked ground then turns to lush land. The lava stops boiling…. The island is healed. Te Fiti smiles and thanks Moana for retrieving her heart and she peacefully lays down.

 

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. Ezekiel 36:26

I do not think Disney knew that a huge analogy in this movie could be made about coming to salvation in Christ. However, to our benefit, it can. The Bible says that when we come to know Jesus as our savior God replaces our heart of stone with a heart of flesh. The cracked, broken, stony, angry, non-flourishing areas of our life become healed. We no longer have to live in a state of unrest. Stony hearts refuse to hear the truth. Stony hearts cannot soak up nutrients. Stony hearts are cold and they are not mallable. The heart of flesh is warm, it is able to be formed and changed, it is living it is thriving and nourished.

We all have the same opportunity to turn our lives over to Jesus. To repent of our sins. The Bible says not everyone will but that God wants ALL people to come to Him in salvation. He gives us all a choice. He doesn’t force us to believe or force us to follow Him. He gives everyone the same opportunity. He says that there will be some who have darkened minds and hardened hearts but He is patient with us.

I want you to ask yourself are you a stony volcano ready to erupt? Are you a stony, cracked island hoping to have your heart restored? The restoration begins the moment you put your trust and faith in Jesus. The moment your heart is replaced, areas of your life that you never thought you would see growth in- begin to grow.

All of us were stony volcanoes. Not one of us, no matter how ‘good’ we seem on the outside had a heart of flesh until Christ began a work in us.

I have sinned greatly in my life. I have ignored God’s truth and promises. I turned down my own path for a time disregarding who God was and how much He has done for me. But God, being rich and mercy waited for me. He patiently lead me out of the cracked earth and lava. I heard and knew of His promises of restoration and forgiveness and although undeserving, He loved me all along that broken path. I knew I did not want a heart of stone anymore. I was depressed, anxious, lonely and sad at my center; cracked and broken. On the outside perhaps no one knew. But isn’t that how it is sometimes? We don’t want anyone to know the pain we hide. But God knows. He knows your pain, your deepest hurt, and He says I will wash you white as snow. I will give you a heart of flesh. I will save you from the lava and anger. I will restore you.

Have you ever tried to plant an apple tree from a seed?

I made the mistake of not looking up any form of directions which is typical for me. ????? I figured trees come from seeds and that is all I needed to know. As I cut open the apples to feed my kids I decided to take the little seeds and plant them in dirt. Many weeks later nothing had happened. I figured this was weird because when I planted broccoli last year I had sprouts in a few days. Well the reason they did not grow is because apple seeds have an extremely tough exterior. You have to wrap them in a damp paper towel for a month or so and let the sprout break through the shell. When you see the sprout you can plant the seed.

Some of us fall into this category. We have very hard exterior shells. We have had to protect ourselves from the blows of life. We have built up such a tough exterior that even if we hear the gospel, or hear about Jesus we are like an apple seed planted before a sprout was formed. We might hear and listen but we are not able to grow because our sprout has not broken through yet. You do not need to rely on this shell anymore when you come to the cross. When you lay down your worries, your sorrows and sins down, Jesus will take away your tough exterior shell. He will break through to you so that you can sprout and grow in Him. But you have to take the first step. You have to admit that your outer shell is too tough, there is too much hurt and you cannot possibly grow on your own.

God loves you!! Salvation is for imperfect people. Which all of us are! Everyone except Jesus. He is perfect and Jesus came to save those who are lost, to love those who are hurting, to heal those who are broken, and most importantly to pay the price of our sin. He does not want you to do it on your own. He wants to replace your heart of stone. He wants to break through your tough shell. Ask him into your heart today.

The Lord Bless you and Keep you,

Kara