Tuesday, June 8th, 2021
I met with John again a week later. His face looked like he’d just been told his best friend had died. “What’s wrong, John?” I asked.
“That getting rid of all the impurities in my heart and seeking all that’s true is really hard, Pat,” he mumbled.
I smiled. “It’s more than hard, John; it’s impossible. You can’t do it on your own. You can only pray as the psalmist did: ‘Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.'”
John looked at me with the skepticism of a person who has tried to come off drugs eighteen times. “How do I know God will do that for me if I pray?”
Because he promised that in Ezekiel 36:25-26: “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.”
A look of hope gradually appeared on his face. “So, I need to stop trying to fix myself and pray for God to remove my impurities and give me a new heart. That sounds pretty simple.”
“It is simple, John. You need to believe God is good all the time and wants what’s best for you. Then you wait for Him to show you the good He has in store for you. You see, what He’ll do is get rid of all that is not of God in you; those are the impurities. Then you let Him fill you up and give Him your mind to think with, your will to decide, and your emotions to react.”
“Thanks, Pat,” John said. “You’re welcome, John,” I replied. “I pray you put all that in your heart and live it out day by day. Remember, It’s not what you do but who you are and what fills your heart that comes first. The doing will follow.”