Scripture reading:
Create in me a clean heart, O Lord, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
David, Psalm 51:10
To whomever is reading this, I hope and pray you are well and you are blessed by this blog post.
What does it mean to "renew your heart"?
I looked up the word "renew" in the dictionary and the definition is "to resume (an activity) after an interruption." When I think about Christ renewing my heart, I think of three applications - the physical, mental and spiritual (in other words, on a holistic level). I believe that Jesus wants to work on every aspect of our lives and in order for that to happen, we need to be willing to be vulnerable with Him and come to Him without holding anything back. In this blog, I will focus on two aspects of renewal: physical and spiritual renewal.
Physical Renewal
Did you know that it is possible to renew your heart through various healthy lifestyle choices? Some of these include: the way you eat, how much you exercise, how you manage stress and your exposure to environmental toxins. These lifestyle choices can help reduce the likelihood of getting heart disease or even reverse it if you have already been diagnosed. Amazing, isn't it!
A man in his 60s found out that two of his coronary arteries were 100% blocked and he would need immediate coronary artery bypass surgery. Imagine how he felt when he received that news! He didn't want to have bypass surgery, as it only helped reduce the symptoms (it didn't cure the actual disease). So, he researched alternatives to bypass surgery and found out about a Doctor named Dr. Esselstyn, who promotes plant-based diets.
Dr. Esselstyn encouraged him to eat fist size portions of greens, six-times a day. He also went for walks daily. Four months later, the man went to a heart hospital, and the doctors couldn't find any problems with his heart! A link to his story can be found here.
This true story is a great example of how your heart can be renewed under the right conditions.
It is necessary that you sacrifice your desire to eat unhealthy food and your unhealthy habits (e.g. a sedentary lifestyle). Instead, great substitutes are: healthy food, drinking water, and physical exercise.
Spiritual Renewal
Similarly, sacrifice is a product of a genuine spiritual revival. For example, I will want to sacrifice my debilitating thoughts, carnal desires or idols as a result of Christ renewing my heart.
There are many examples of people who sacrificed everything to follow Christ. However, I will touch on only one individual: John Newton, the writer of the well-known hymn “Amazing Grace”.
John Newton was an English Anglican cleric (priest) and a former captain of slave ships who later became an abolitionist (find out more about his story here).
In 1748, during a ship voyage, Newton’s ship was about to sink. In response, he prayed for God’s mercy, and the storm began to die down. This experience marked the beginning of his conversion to Christianity.
He began to read the Bible and other religious literature. By the time he reached his destination, he had accepted the doctrines of Christianity. From that point on, he sacrificed his unhealthy habits of gambling, drinking and swearing. Moreover, some years after experiencing a conversion to Christianity, Newton renounced his trade of slaves and became a prominent supporter of abolitionism.
Newton allowed the Holy Spirit to completely transform his identity, and he experienced the real-life application of the verse, “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 (Ezekiel 36:26).”
How does this apply to me?
You may be wondering how the story of the man with the heart condition and Newton's story relate to your life.
Although I may not know you, there is one thing that I do know - you are not perfect. I know this because Isaiah 64:6 states, "When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags."
Therefore it is plausible to come to the assumption that you have sinned and felt distant from God before. This may or may not be your current circumstance, however, I am experiencing this at the moment.
I pray that this blogpost encourages us all to realise that we can come to God no matter how dreadful the situation looks, and He will renew our hearts.
Consequently, we will need to sacrifice some things that we hold dear. However, as the classic hymn says, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus; Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim; In the light of His glory and grace."
May you be blessed and I hope that you experience a holistic renewing of your heart, by the grace of God.
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