Create in me a New Heart
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10
What does it take for the Lord to change our hearts? The Word tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. (Romans 12:2) If we read the Word and transform our mind by changing our thinking, does that change our heart? Our spiritual heart is the core of our being. It is our deep beliefs and our will and we live out of our hearts. God changes us by changing our hearts.
We are created in the image of God and we can never be the person God created us to be unless he transforms our heart. How does God change our hearts from a worldly heart to a Christ centered heart? The way to the heart is through the mind. This begins with reading the Word, praying, and fellowshipping with other Christians. We read the Word to understand God, his divine ways, his promises, his forgiveness, and his love for us. Through fellowship we learn to be disciples of Christ. Then Jesus said to his disciples, Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Matthew 16:24) Our hearts will not change until we deny our selfish natures. God changes us through the Holy Spirit as we walk in obedience to his will. He changes our selfish natures derived from Satan to loving natures which come from God.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:24) We crucify our flesh from our selfish worldly will and God changes our hearts to desire his divine loving will. We now start to see people as God sees people. We see them with the loving, caring, compassionate heart of Christ. Now our hearts are changing to that of Jesus because the Spirit is guiding our lives to model Jesus’ life. Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. (1 John 2:6) If we live as Jesus did, we develop the heart of Christ. The heart of a true Christian is driven by the Spirit to seek and bring lost souls to Christ.
The more we walk in obedience to Christ, with prayer, Bible study, and fellowship, the more he molds our minds and hearts to that of Christ. This brings us closer to the Lord and this is a blessing beyond words. The closer we are to the Lord the more love we have in our hearts. We also have more peace and joy, less fear from Satan, and we live for eternity with our Lord.
Today, live from your heart through Godly thoughts. Put God’s Word into action. What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? (James 2:14) We are saved by faith in Christ, faith to surrender our life to the Lord. Step out in faith and start seeing people as God sees people. Continue to develop a more caring and compassionate heart, and minister to anyone who needs help, who needs an encouraging word, or needs someone to listen.
Let’s Pray: Lord, continue to create a new heart in me. Change my emotions to your emotions. Keep Satan from triggering any fear, anger, or anything that is self-centering. Help me to crucify my flesh; to make choices through the Spirit and not strictly through the flesh. Free me from this world, free me from Satan’s attacks, and free me from my sinful habits, so I can be free in Christ and have a new and free heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.