“I
will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you
from all your impurities and from all your idols. 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. You will live in the land I
gave your forefathers; you will be my people and I will be your God” (Ezekiel
36:25-28).
The
Lord wants to give each of us a "heart of flesh" so that we will be moldable
and responsive to Him. When touched by God, a tender, yielding heart summits to
the pressure and accepts the form He desires much like a lump of clay that
allows the potter to determine the shape of the vessel. The following four
areas provide insight in developing a tender heart.
The Holy Spirit: God’s gift of the Holy
Spirit dwells in each believer. By yielding to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
with a willingness and readiness to obey, the heart becomes increasingly tender
and sensitive to His leading. The Lord is able to impart greater understanding
of His Word to a tender heart because it has faithfully accepted and obeyed
previous teachings.
Stay connected with
God:
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.
Stay connected with
other believers:
People with tender hearts stay closely connected to the body of Christ, seeking
to encourage others in their walk of faith. Such individuals are not only
receptive to what God wants to tell them they are also teachable, willing to
listen, and be corrected by others.
Make Bible reading
and pray a priority:
As you read the Word and pray, let your heart be tender toward the words of
God. As He touches you in each hard area, listen to His direction, and lean on
the power of the Spirit to help you yield and obey. Allow Him shape you into a
beautiful and useful vessel.
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