God's Holy Fire: 'A New Heart!'

Thursday, March 5, 2026

[God, to the Israelite exiles in Babylon:] "I'll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I'll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that's God-willed, not self-willed. I'll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands."
— Ezekiel 36:26-27 MSG

Key Thought

Sometimes, I'm afraid that "stone heart" and "self-willed" describe me. And when I check around, I find most folks don't believe that people can really change who they are, at least not deep down inside. But I've seen God move in me and change me through his Spirit. I believe he can and will do it again. And I believe he can do it in more than just me - he can move and change each of our hearts. So let's not just ask for our hearts to be softened, but let's ask to have our hard hearts replaced and remade by the Spirit of God. Let's ask that the Spirit work on us to mold our wills to be like the Father's and not like our own selfish yearnings. Then, I believe, we will see more practice in ourselves of what the Father wants rather than our pontificating on what others need to do!

Today's Prayer

Almighty God, remake me and form me to have a heart like Jesus. I confess that this request scares me a bit, but I do want your Spirit to hold sway over my life; so humble me gently and reform me consistently, and remake me from the heart to be who you want me to be. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

5 Related Resources by Heartlight

Spiritual Surgery
Illustration of Ezekiel 36:26-27
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. And I will put my spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. - Ezekiel 36:26-27
Spurgeon PM Devo for Aug. 15th
Devo: Morning & Evening
"A heart of flesh is known by its tenderness concerning sin. To have indulged a foul imagination, or to have allowed a wild desire to tarry even for a...."
Fake
Article by Tim Archer
Bet you've faked a photo before Photos often represent a "reality" that doesn't exist. They focus on the surface level. God looks beyond that, looking at the heart. How do we get our hearts right? God can fix them.
God Answers the Mess of Life
Article by Max Lucado
Is there any hope for the monotonous mess of life? Max Lucado recognizes the monotonous routine of life and its challenges and reminds us that God's grace meets us in our messes and gives us the power to live our way out of them.
See All 5 Related Resources about Ezekiel 36:26-27

Illustration

Illustration of Ezekiel 36:26-27 MSG — "I'll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you."

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Thursday, March 5, 2026

Passion for Praise
A daily passage of Scripture emphasizing praise to our God.
'Coastlands Be Glad!' (Ps. 97:1-2)
"The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice! Let the farthest coastlands be glad. Dark clouds surround him. Righteousness and justice are the foundation....."
Spiritual Warfare
A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
'God Helps Those Living in Covenant with Him'
"Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from..."
Praying with Paul
Features the apostle Paul's writings turned into daily, powerful prayers.
'Perseverence' (1 Co. 10:6-15)
"Dear Father, righteous judge of all mankind, Help me to live as one upon whom the end of the ages has come. Help me take what happened to the..."
Morning & Evening
The classic twice-daily devotional from Charles H. Spurgeon.
Evening Thought: Exodus 17:12
"So mighty was the prayer of Moses, that all depended upon it. The petitions of Moses discomfited the enemy more than the fighting of Joshua. Yet both...."

About This Devotional

God's Holy Fire is a daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The Thoughts and Prayer for God's Holy Fire are written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked MESSAGE are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

More God's Holy Fire

Translations