Tuesday, June 20, 2017

God Can Change Hearts



How do I know that God can overpower jealousy, animosity, anger and resentment? Because he is doing it in my own heart.

Recently, I was able to walk away from a visit with a person—with whom I have had a roller coaster time of it—with a sense of sincere connection.

It was just a glimmer, and I’m certainly not “there” yet in the way of full Christian love and maturity in relationship to this person. But God, through circumstances, life experience and his merciful acknowledgement of my endless prayers to have my heart transformed towards this person, is doing it. I felt something I haven’t toward this person in a very long time, and to be honest, this new feeling is amazing and startling all at once.

When we struggle within a turbulent ocean of animosity in a relationship, especially if the other person is semi or totally oblivious to that inward struggle, it truly borders on the miraculous to one day be in the presence of that person and sense something new, something good, something of God.

I’m not ready to label this a “new beginning.” I have learned to not get ahead of myself—or others—when it comes to relating to one another. 

But I do know my prayers, and I do know God. And I know that my sincere desire for the trajectory of this relationship and my role in it, are of Him, regardless of where the relationship ultimately and actually ends up.

copyright Barb Harwood





“Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26

“Do not call to mind former things,
Or ponder things of the past.
‘Behold, I will do something new,
Now it will spring forth;
Will you not be aware of it?
I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,
Rivers in the desert.’” Isaiah 43:18-19

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14




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