Tag: renewed life

A Penitent and Sanctified Heart

Ezekiel 36:26
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.

When we accept Jesus Christ as Our Lord and Savior, we are given a new heart. We are given a heart that senses sin and danger. We are given a penitent heart, keenly aware of the things that offend our Lord. We are given a sanctified heart, submissive to the will of God. We are born again into a renewed life.

We are renewed by the Spirit and the grace of God. New light is given to us. A new will filled with new purposes and resolutions is provided to us. In our renewed spirit, we find new affections and desires for God and all things holy. As new men and women in Christ, we find new delights and joys in the Lord every day.

Being born again is the unmistakeable work of the Holy Spirit. We are given a new vision of life – kingdom vs. carnal. We are taught, directed and sanctified by the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are equipped to walk in the ways of Our Savior. We are given ongoing access to the One who replaced our heart of stone with a heart of flesh.

Let us be aware of the presence of Our Lord in our lives. Let us seek Him for He is infinitely superior to anything that the world has to offer. Let us refresh ourselves regularly in the Lord.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the new hearts that You have given us through the redeeming work of Your Son, Jesus. We praise the name of Jesus for the renewed lives we are given through His sacrifice. We pray, Lord, that You will keep our hearts soft. We beseech you to protect us against the world that tries to harden our hearts. We humbly ask that You give us the grace that we need that we may stay refreshed in Christ and be vessels of refreshing to those around us. We pray these things in the name of the Author and Perfecter of our faith, Jesus Christ.

The Pathway to Regeneration

Galatians 6:14
But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Man throughout the ages has always tried to define what creates a better and more satisfying lifestyle. From a secular standpoint, many different types of programs, processes and religions have taken turns being touted as the new thing that will change lives for the better. But none of these have stood the test of time, nor will they ever. In the end, the secular programs and processes are about as effective as New Year’s resolutions.

No plan except the salvation plan of Our Savior has merit. As the apostle Paul taught repeatedly, vain and carnal hearts will never come up with a plan that even approaches the way, the truth and the life that is offered to us through the Cross of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.

We can read every single book on how to improve ourselves. We can attend every seminar that promises to make positive changes in how we live our lives. Life changes that are instituted from any of these will produce nothing of real and lasting value. No matter how much we believe that we have improved ourselves, it will not be sufficient. Until our minds and hearts are changed supernaturally by the regenerating influence of the Holy Spirit, we will only change the elements of this world. Only through the Cross will we truly change and claim victory over the foolishness that the world offers and that our flesh demands.

Let us claim the promise of Our Savior to perfect His strength in our weakness. Let us call on the Holy Spirit to guide us on our path of sanctification. Let us rejoice as God reveals His plans for our lives.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to give us victory over the weakness that is our flesh. We rejoice in knowing that by accepting Your Son as Our Savior that we can overcome all of the trials and tribulations that the world offers to us. We pray that we will be given the grace and the wisdom to see the folly that we will undertake if we arrogantly look to our own abilities to secure our future. We ask that the influence of the Holy Spirit will keep us in humble submission to Our Lord and Savior at the foot of His Cross. May we deny all riches, praises, honors and pleasures of the world in exchange for our renewed lives in Jesus Christ. We ask all these things in name of Our Savior King, Jesus Christ.

The Need for a Savior

Acts 26:15
Then I asked, “Who are you, Lord?”

When Jesus struck Saul down, Saul had one important question that he wanted answered. “Who are you, Lord?”

God has placed this question in all of our hearts. When we come to a time in our lives when we are challenged to ask the question, He responds with an answer that convicts us of our ignorance and our weakness. He shows us the way, the truth and the life that is in His Son, Jesus. He shows us a void in our hearts that can only be filled by accepting His Son as Our Savior.

To get to this place and through this place of self-discovery and redemption, we must rely on the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a divine gift. The Holy Spirit is the presence of the Lord with us continuously. The Holy Spirit never leaves us. Relying on ourselves, we choose to live in the flesh instead of living a renewed and enlightened life in the Spirit.

Let us make a commitment today to let go of our lives in the flesh. Let us become humbled, broken and repentant. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to show us who we really are. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us Our Savior and our need for Him. Let us submit our new hearts to Him so that we may learn to live in His presence.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for giving us Your Son, Jesus. We praise You for revealing to us that Our Lord is always present with us. We bless the name of Jesus who brings us peace to fill our minds and His love to be our daily portion. We pray, Father, that you will open our eyes to the way, the truth and the life that is in Your Son, Jesus. We ask that the Holy Spirit reveal to us the depths of our ignorance and our iniquity. We cry out, Lord, for the strength and the wisdom to give up our own convictions and delight in doing Your will in our lives. We humbly plead that we will abandon our flesh and live our lives in Your presence. We ask all these things in the name of our ever present Savior, Jesus Christ.

Kingdom Versus Carnal Vision

Ezekiel 36:26
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.

When we accept Jesus Christ as Our Lord and Savior, we are given a new heart. We are given a heart that senses sin and danger. We are given a penitent heart, keenly aware of the things that offend our Lord. We are given a sanctified heart, submissive to the will of God. We are born again into a renewed life.

We are renewed by the Spirit and the grace of God. New light is given to us. A new will filled with new purposes and resolutions is provided to us. In our renewed spirit, we find new affections and desires for God and all things holy. As new men and women in Christ, we find new delights and joys in the Lord every day.

Being born again is the unmistakeable work of the Holy Spirit. We are given a new vision of life – kingdom vs. carnal. We are taught, directed and sanctified by the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are equipped to walk in the ways of Our Savior. We are given ongoing access to the One who replaced our heart of stone with a heart of flesh.

Let us be aware of the presence of Our Lord in our lives. Let us seek Him for He is infinitely superior to anything that the world has to offer. Let us refresh ourselves regularly in the Lord.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the new hearts that You have given us through the redeeming work of Your Son, Jesus. We praise the name of Jesus for the renewed lives we are given through His sacrifice. We pray, Lord, that You will keep our hearts soft. We beseech you to protect us against the world that tries to harden our hearts. We humbly ask that You give us the grace that we need that we may stay refreshed in Christ and be vessels of refreshing to those around us. We pray these things in the name of the Author and Perfecter of our faith, Jesus Christ.

Author and Perfecter of Our Faith

Ezekiel 36:26
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.

When we accept Jesus Christ as Our Lord and Savior, we are given a new heart. We are given a heart that senses sin and danger. We are given a penitent heart, keenly aware of the things that offend our Lord. We are given a sanctified heart, submissive to the will of God. We are born again into a renewed life.

We are renewed by the Spirit and the grace of God. New light is given to us. A new will filled with new purposes and resolutions is provided to us. In our renewed spirit, we find new affections and desires for God and all things holy. As new men and women in Christ, we find new delights and joys in the Lord every day.

Being born again is the unmistakeable work of the Holy Spirit. We are given a new vision of life – kingdom vs. carnal. We are taught, directed and sanctified by the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are equipped to walk in the ways of Our Savior. We are given ongoing access to the One who replaced our heart of stone with a heart of flesh.

Let us be aware of the presence of Our Lord in our lives. Let us seek Him for He is infinitely superior to anything that the world has to offer. Let us refresh ourselves regularly in the Lord.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the new hearts that You have given us through the redeeming work of Your Son, Jesus. We praise the name of Jesus for the renewed lives we are given through His sacrifice. We pray, Lord, that You will keep our hearts soft. We beseech you to protect us against the world that tries to harden our hearts. We humbly ask that You give us the grace that we need that we may stay refreshed in Christ and be vessels of refreshing to those around us. We pray these things in the name of the Author and Perfecter of our faith, Jesus Christ.