The Heart We Leave Behind
Just as replacing an old vehicle requires a brand-new engine, so God gives us a brand-new heart in Jesus.
Devotional Credit: Immeasurably More
Photo Credit: Unsplash
The message in today’s devotional from Ray Stedman brings us face to face with one of Scripture’s most unflinching truths: the natural human heart is not simply flawed, it is incurably corrupt. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us it is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. That means it cannot be reformed, improved, or made respectable. The life we inherited in Adam will never deliver the goodness we might expect from it.
This reality is not meant to drive us into despair, but to turn our eyes toward what Jesus has already done. The old heart has been put to death at the Cross. Jesus did not try to rehabilitate it; He crucified it. In Him, the fatal nature we once carried was executed, and in its place, we received His life. The Christian walk is not about dressing up the old man to make him appear holy; it is about living from the new life Christ has given us.
Stedman also points out that deceit runs deep in the natural heart. It is capable of disguising rebellion with politeness, masking hatred with a smile, or cloaking selfish ambition in noble-sounding goals. That is why efforts to improve ourselves apart from Jesus are like painting the pump of a poisoned well. They may change appearances, but they do nothing to cleanse the source.
The world offers countless approaches to fixing humanity: education, self-improvement, political systems. Some may help manage behavior, but none can transform the heart. Only God’s Word tells the full truth and offers the only remedy — new life in Jesus. Once we grasp this, we stop trying to reform what God has already condemned, and we start living from the heart He has made new.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I have not asked you to improve what I have already crucified. The heart you were born with in Adam was beyond repair, so I gave you Mine. I removed the heart of stone and gave you a heart of flesh, alive with My Spirit. This is not a life you create; it is a life you receive.
Do not be deceived by the disguises of the old way of living. Its patterns may look polished, but they lead to the same end. Set your mind on the truth: you have been crucified with Me, and you now live because I live in you. When you abide in Me, My life is expressed through you, and My love becomes the source of your words, actions, and thoughts.
You are no longer defined by deceit or corruption, but by My righteousness. Live in the freedom of this exchange. Walk in the reality that your old self has been put away, and your life is hidden with Me in God. Let My Spirit guide you, for the life I have given you is incorruptible and eternal.
Scripture References: Jeremiah 17:9, Ezekiel 36:26, Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:6–11, Colossians 3:3, 2 Corinthians 5:17, John 15:5, Philippians 3:3
Real-Life Analogy
Think of an old, rusted-out car that has been sitting in a field for decades. You could repaint it, put in new seats, and polish the chrome, but underneath, the frame is still rotted through. It will never run as it should. The only real solution is to replace it with something entirely new.
Our life in Adam is like that rusted frame. Efforts to improve it are cosmetic at best. But in Jesus, God has not restored the old vehicle; He has given us a brand new one with His life as the engine. Today, when you face the temptation to simply “do better,” pause and yield. Say, “Lord, I trust You to live Your life through me in this moment,” and let Him express His nature through you.
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, I thank You that my old heart was crucified with You, and that I now live from the new life You have given me. I praise You that I no longer need to pretend or improve what You have already replaced. Thank You for being my life, my source, and my righteousness. I rest in the truth that You live in me, and I rejoice in the freedom to let You express Yourself through me today.