A New Heart and a New Spirit

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them."
—Ezekiel 36:26-27

The grace of the new covenant is not merely an improvement upon the old; it is an entirely different way of life. Under the law, obedience was required but not enabled. Under grace, God Himself supplies both the desire and the power to live according to His ways. The promise in Ezekiel speaks of this radical transformation—He removes the heart of stone, that cold, lifeless center resistant to Him, and replaces it with a heart that is alive and responsive.

This transformation is not left to our own efforts. He has placed His Spirit within us, not as a distant guide but as the very source of our life. It is not our striving that produces holiness, but His presence within us shaping and directing our steps. Jesus made this clear: "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing" (John 6:63). Our natural strength, no matter how well-intentioned, can never produce the life God desires. The Spirit alone imparts true vitality.

Yet, not all who have received this new heart walk in the fullness of what has been given. Some, though made new, continue to operate as if they must achieve righteousness on their own. This is like a person receiving a beautifully cultivated garden yet refusing to draw from the rich soil, instead trying to sustain the plants with artificial means. The life God has provided flourishes only as we trust in His sufficiency and yield to His working within us.

The promise remains sure: "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes." He does not merely point the way—He leads, energizes, and transforms. In humility, we acknowledge our need; in faith, we rest in His provision. This is the way of grace.

Prayer

Father, I stand in full confidence that You have given me a new heart and placed Your Spirit within me. You are the source of my life, the One who produces in me what is pleasing to You. I rejoice that my sufficiency is in Christ alone, and I trust You to live through me today. Thank You for making me a vessel of Your grace and power. May my life be a testimony of Your work, as I rest in Your Spirit's leading. Amen.

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*Devotional Credit: Day by Day by Grace