A new heart will I give you

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you..(Ezekiel 36:26 KJV)

man believes with the heart showing a group of people making hearts with their fingers

This year for us here at Patrick Oben Ministries Inc is one of preparation of the heart, as I stated from January 1st. The Lord is directing us to pay attention to the states and activities of our hearts. The Law given in the Old Testament to the Jews had very few mentions of their hearts’ activities. The overwhelming majority of the laws given had to do with what they should or should not do or say. That was because the Law was simply a RELIGIOUS or legalistic relationship with God.

However, the New Testament is the exact opposite. It begins with the hearts of men. God begins a relationship with us by changing our hearts through the new birth, as Ezekiel 36:26 reveals. . Then He commands us to engage in the process of spiritual renewal of our hearts as our minds are being renewed. When this is done, then and only then can our actions and words be what God wants them to be, that is, proceeding from right hearts.

Why is this so important? The life of the believer in the New Testament is the life of the Spirit. It is God Himself living in and through the believer. It is far from mere religion or trying to act or behave in a certain way. Trying to act or speak “spiritual” when your heart is not in line spiritually is not valuable to God and, at best useless to us. Jesus’s teaching on faith in Mark 11:23 clarifies this point. Speaking faith words without faith in our hearts is futile. Also, it is obvious speaking loving words to God in worship when our hearts are far from Him is also a spiritual waste.

Pay attention to the heart.

MEDITATE

Where is the state of our hearts today more important than it was in the

APPLY THE WORD

What is the state of your heart? Its joy, peace, cleanness, focus on God, believing, understanding, etc., are critical heart states for a healthy spiritual walk with the Lord. Prepare ye the way of the Lord in your life!