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NEW HEART AND A NEW SPIRIT This is a promise for us in Ezekiel 36: 26-28 And
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit into you: I will remove
the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh; and I
will put My spirit into you. Thus I will cause you to follow My laws and
faithfully to observe My rules. Then you shall dwell in the land which I
gave to your fathers and you shall be My people and I will be your
SOVEREIGN. This
is a wonderful set of promises. A new heart of flesh, a compassionate
heart. The spirit of ETERNAL inside us that will make us want – even
more than we do now – to follow the Teaching of ETERNAL and to follow
His rules. His spirit within us will help us to understand the
teachings, laws and rules that come from ETERNAL, not to limit us, but
to keep us on the path that will allow the ultimate blessings. ETERNAL
cannot bless us if we are disobedient. The
blessings ETERNAL promises us include being part of His people, chosen
by Him, and being able to live in ‘the Land’. Not a land of struggle
and strife but a Land of blessings and abundance. For us, a Land of much
needed repentance and the demonstrated truth of the words of ETERNAL.
For ETERNAL it will be a Land that clearly says “When ETERNAL speaks
He keeps His word –it will happen.” These
promises are part of a larger prophecy that Ezekiel spells out in
chapter 36. We can see the first part of the prophecy being mirrored in
the daily news. Ezekiel 36:1-3. And you, O mortal, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say: O mountains of Israel, hear the word of ETERNAL: Thus
said ETERNAL CREATOR: Because the enemy gloated over you, “Aha! Those
ancient heights have become our possession!” therefore prophesy and
say: Thus said ETERNAL CREATOR; just because they eagerly lusted to see
you become a possession of the other nations round about, so that you
have become a butt of gossip in every language and of the jibes from
every people. As
we read this, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is in the hands of an
islamist group that denies the existence of the Temple. People from a
mythical land of Palestine are trying, every which way, to expel the
Hebrew people from the State of Israel. In many countries anti-semitism
is a growing curse and Hebrew people a butt of cruel jokes. The events
of the prophecy from Ezekiel are around us now. Of
course, we should not be surprised that the Tanakh is true, our whole
life is based on the truth it contains, the hope it offers and the
lessons it demonstrates – for us, where and how we are now. In
fact, the new heart and new spirit prophecy is an unfolding one. It
begins in Ezekiel 18: 31, 32. Cast
away the transgressions by which you have offended and get yourselves a
new heart and a new spirit, that you may not die, O House of Israel. For
it is not My desire that anyone shall die – declares ETERNAL CREATOR.
Repent therefore and live! ETERNAL
challenges us first, change your ways do not conflict with the CREATOR
of the Universe. Can you do it on your own? Can you survive the
judgement of ETERNAL? He wants you to! Time
and time again ETERNAL makes it clear, do it His way and live. Ezekiel
20: 11, 13b I
gave them My laws and taught them My rules, by the pursuit of which a
man shall live. They
did not follow My laws and they rejected My rules – by the pursuit of
which a man shall live – and they grossly desecrated My Sabbaths. ETERNAL
has put His laws and rules in place because He loves us. Each of us
makes rules for our children to protect them – do not play with fire,
do not go with strangers, you must go to school, cross the road where it
is safe and so on… This is part of the way that we demonstrate our
love for our children. We give them rules to live by for their good. ETERNAL
wants the best for us – but He can only make it available to you, if
you allow Him to. You will not be blessed against your will! The
wonderful promises in all of chapter 36 of Ezekiel are available if we
will permit them into our lives. Are we ready for ETERNAL’s surgery? A
new heart and a new spirit – a new blessed way of understanding and of
living that will bring you into ETERNAL’s presence in the Land. Will
you take the first offer – change your life, attitudes and obedience?
Get your own new heart and new spirit. Or
do you want to wait to see how ETERNAL cleanses you and causes you to be
obedient? It will be effective but you may not enjoy it. |