#proverbs4:23

“Lord, change me from the inside out.”

“Create in me a pure [clean] heart, God, and make my spirit right again [renew a right/steadfast spirit in me].” Psalm 51:10 (EXB)   “When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun! ” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (TLB) 

When you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, you are “born again.” You may not act or speak much different at first, but like cells are renewed throughout your body every moment of your life, so God begins to renew you on the inside, day by day. 

“I will give you one heart and a new spirit; I will take from you your hearts of stone and give you tender hearts of love for God.” Ezekiel 11:19 (TLB)

“I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the LORD; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.” Jeremiah 24:7 (NASB)

I’ve heard it said that you can tell a Christian by how they cry when they hear the story of the Crucifixion, grieving for the suffering of Jesus. They feel deeply (particularly the weight of their sin), because God has given them a new tender heart to replace the old heart of stone, unnaturally hardened by sin. This heart is now vulnerable, so “Guard your heart more than anything else, because the source of your life flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23 (GW) 

It’s all about the heart. Friend, God offers to give you a new heart and to walk with you always. Do you want to be changed from the inside? If you do, all you have to do is ask in faith and receive. 

Have you been in that situation wherein you wanted something so bad yet it seems God is saying “No, I have better plans for you.” but then again, since you really want it, you keep on praying and hoping that God will change His mind and plans for you.

Like a kid, you are begging to your Father to give you what you want. Stubborn as you are, though you heard Him saying He has something better far beyond what you are asking, you kept relying on your own understanding, you don’t trust His words neither trust His plans.

Sometimes "deliver us from evil.." means deliver us from our own heart and its desires. 

Sometimes, things planted in our hearts was not supposed to be there but since we feel it deep within us, we think we felt it right.

"The heart is more deceitful than anything. It is incurable— who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9 )

At times we felt like our desire doesn’t bond to His, we have to be brave enough to surrender everything. Literally, EVERYTHING. I know it’s hard.. You might find yourself negotiating with Him, “Oh God, please. PLEASE. Let me handle this.” “God, I don’t want anything but this.” “God you can work on anything that you want, you can take everything from me but this one, can I keep it?” – sounds familiar? 

The bargaining stage is always the hardest. It is the stage wherein you already know what to do but can’t accept that what you have to do is not the one you wanted to do.

  It is a tricky situation that only your FAITH IN HIM can unravel.

You have to let God be God. Lift up every broken pieces of your existence. Every broken pieces of yourself, broken pieces of your family, your love ones, your friends, your finance, your plans, your shattered dreams and even the broken pieces of your faith. I know it is easier said than done but if you will possess some pieces with you, if you will keep hiding those broken pieces from Him -- He can never make you whole again and at the same time you will continuously hurt yourself because since it is a sharp broken piece, it will endlessly cut you again and again. Let that broken piece go.

Always remember that “When God doesn’t change the situation, probably He wants you to change your heart.”

Friend, I don’t exactly know how are you feeling today but I am praying that at the midst of whatever your heart is looking for, you find Jesus. Let Him search in your heart and allow Him to remove in there everything that is not pleasing Him.

May God Bless your heart,

Chok Guerra

- Proverbs 4:23-