How can my heart become the heart God wants? - Heart - TouchPoints

2 Chronicles 12:7When the Lord saw their change of heart, he gave this message to Shemaiah: “Since the people have humbled themselves, I will not completely destroy them and will soon give them some relief. I will not use Shishak to pour out my anger on Jerusalem.”

To have the kind of heart God wants, we must develop an attitude of humility. Only when we are humble can we begin to change.

Ezekiel 18:31“Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.”

To have the kind of heart God wants, we must get rid of sinful habits or lifestyles. When we practice obeying God’s Word, we will see our hearts change for the better.

Ezekiel 36:26“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.”

God has the power to change our hearts. So to have the kind of heart God wants, we should turn to him and ask him to do his transformative work in us.

Hebrews 9:14Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

To have the kind of heart God wants, we must trust fully in Christ. When we believe that Jesus died for our sins and commit ourselves fully to him, he forgives us and purifies our hearts.

Psalm 51:10Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.

Luke 8:4-8, 11-15One day Jesus told a story to a large crowd that had gathered from many towns to hear him: “A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it. Other seed fell among rocks. It began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture. Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants. Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted! . . . This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word. The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved. The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation. The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.”

Ephesians 4:23-24Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

A clean heart produces clean thoughts and actions. So to have the kind of heart God wants, we must not allow bad desires in so they can take root and grow into bad thoughts and actions. Bad desires and thoughts are evidence that bad seeds have been planted, and we need to do some weeding. Complete renewal is not yet accomplished. No one will be entirely pure in this life, but one of the worthiest goals to pursue is purity of mind and heart. We should consider what we might look like a year from now—inside and outside—if we prioritized that goal.