Dave’s Monday Blast – February 17, 2020

Ezekiel 36:25 – 28 tells us that God desires to give each of us a “heart of flesh” so that we will be pliable and responsive to Him. When touched by the finger of God, a tender heart yields to the pressure and assumes the form He desires. Verse 27 communicates the result of this responsive heart: “And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.” As I read this passage I envision the illustration of the lump of clay in the hands of the potter yielding to the process of shaping the vessel into a useful form.

Note the role of the Holy Spirit in this process. His indwelling awakens our responsiveness to Him. As we yield to His promptings with obedience, our heart becomes increasingly tender and sensitive to His leading. The Lord is able to impact greater understanding of His Word to a soft heart because it has faithfully accepted and obeyed previous teachings.

Charles Stanley comments: “Any resistance to God will result in hardening. But those who are accustomed to intimacy with Christ, which is the result of submission to Him…will be quick to deal with sin and return to the place of obedience and blessing. People with tender hearts stay closely connected to the body of Christ, seeking to build up and encourage others in their walk of faith. Such individuals are not only receptive to what God wants to tell them; they are also teachable, in that they are willing to listen and be corrected by others.”

This week when you read your Bible and pray (this is what INTENTIONAL men of God do), let your heart be soft toward the words of God. As He “pokes” His finger into each hard area, listen to His instructions, and rely on the Spirit’s power to help you yield and obey. Let Him shape you into a beautiful and useful vessel.