The New Heart We Were Promised
New life always begins at the root.
Devotional Credit: Day by Day by Grace by Bob Hoekstra
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Today’s devotional by Bob Hoekstra lifts our eyes to one of the most breathtaking promises of the New Covenant: the gift of a new heart and a new spirit. Ezekiel 36:26 is not just a future hope—it is a present reality for all who are in Christ. The Old Covenant laid out God’s righteous standard, but man’s best efforts consistently fell short. Even with zeal and verbal commitment, Israel's attempts at obedience ended in rebellion. Something more was needed—something only God could give.
That “something more” is new life in Christ. The prophets foretold it, and Jesus fulfilled it. When we place our trust in Him, we are not merely improved versions of our old selves. We are made entirely new—spiritually reborn with a heart that is soft, responsive, and aligned with God. The laws written on stone have been replaced by the living law written on the heart, empowered by the indwelling Spirit. It’s not about trying harder to do what God commands. It’s about receiving what God has done and walking in what He has placed within.
This isn’t a theoretical hope. It’s your present inheritance. You no longer carry a heart of stone. In Christ, you have a new heart—alive, attentive, and empowered to walk in step with His will. The Christian life is not about striving to obey from a place of death, but about resting in the obedience birthed through a new spirit within.
✍🏼 Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I have not asked you to perfect the old life. I have given you a new one. You were once dead in your spirit, hardened by your own efforts and blinded by your own striving. But I reached in and replaced that lifeless heart with one of My own design—tender, teachable, and alive in Me.
The covenant I made with you is not like the one etched in stone. This one is alive—written not with ink but with My Spirit on the tablet of your heart. You are no longer under the weight of obligation but under the delight of communion. I did not come to improve your flesh. I came to crucify it with Christ and raise you up in Him, as a new creation, holy and set apart—not by your works, but by My life within you.
You now live by the Spirit, not by law. I have removed the stony silence that once echoed in your soul. In its place, I’ve given you a heart that hears, responds, and rests. You don’t need to plead for what is already yours. You are no longer alienated from Me—you are indwelt by Me. The old has passed away. The new has come.
Scriptures referenced: Ezekiel 36:26; Ezekiel 20:19–21; Exodus 24:7; Jeremiah 31:31–32; Hebrews 10:19–20; John 3:3, 6; Ephesians 4:17–18; 2 Corinthians 5:17
🧺 Real-Life Analogy
It’s like trying to write on a fogged-up mirror. No matter how much you press, the message fades. But when the mirror is wiped clean and warm, your words stay clear. In the same way, God didn’t ask you to keep trying to write His will onto your hardened heart—He gave you a new surface entirely, one that reflects Him back.
🙏🏼 Prayer of Confidence
Father, I thank You that You didn’t leave me to improve what was never meant to be fixed. In Christ, You gave me a new heart—alive, receptive, and already joined to Your Spirit. I no longer live under the burden of striving to obey, but under the freedom of Your indwelling life. You’ve made me new, and I rejoice that the old has passed away. I rest in this newness today, confident that the Spirit within me is both the source and the sustainer of all You desire to do through me.