"And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God" Ezekiel 11:19-20.

I remember the first heart transplant. It took place on my birthday during my teen years. A man with a badly diseased heart was given a fresh, healthy one. The procedure was considered successful even though the patient died a few days later. Medical advances since have allowed numerous people to live relatively normal lives with transplanted healthy hearts beating in their chests.

You and I once suffered from a serious heart condition. It was serious enough to be terminal if drastic measures were not taken. Nothing less than a transplant would save us, and that's exactly the procedure performed on us. Our dangerously calcified heart has been replaced with a healthy new one. A fresh, energizing spirit causes it to be responsive as it needs to be.

We hear plenty today about the harmful effects of cholesterol on our heart and arteries. Over time cholesterol builds up and restricts our arteries and the vital flow of blood. Sin has the tendency to do the same to us spiritually. Over time the habitual practice of sin has a calcifying effect on our hearts, diminishing spiritual sensitivity to the point of eventually causing us to be totally unresponsive. Nothing less than a heart transplant will save us.

The promise of God, spoken of through Ezekiel, has been accomplished through the life and sacrifice of Jesus our Lord. The most radical procedure of all was performed on us so that we might have new life. We have been saved from the certainty of death and given abundant, vibrant new life.

Heart by-pass procedures are routinely performed these days because of our dietary practices, but the benefits are often short-lived because lifestyle changes are not made. Radical surgery is ineffective if lifestyle changes are not made.

It is a great spiritual tragedy when the benefits of a heart transplant are diminished through the habitual practice of sin. This practice will eventually lead to death (Hebrews 10:26-27). Lifestyle changes must accompany the heart transplant that we have received.

All of us are prone to our favorite sin. There is a sinful practice that we each are especially vulnerable to, and this is the arena of our great personal spiritual battle. It is imperative that we master that habit by the Spirit of God if we are to avoid rendering the work of Christ in us ineffective.

With gratitude for our new heart in Christ, we engage in battle with sin through the Spirit. We will not completely successful in overcoming sin today, but we will gain progressive mastery over it. A heart's desire with our new heart is the springboard to victory.

Be sure to also visit http://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/ & https://kingdomdreamer.blogspot.com/

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