In the Holy Book, the Lord makes the promise, “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart” (Ezekiel 36:26, NLT). Furthermore, God tells us he knows something about us that we do not like to hear, to acknowledge, or even to admit about ourselves. He tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things…”(Jeremiah 17:9, NIV). (Excerpt from “Island Girl: A Triumph of the Spirit,” soon to be released in April.)

For me, it is most difficult to hear God telling me that my heart is deceitful. I’m sure it feels the same way for you, doesn’t it? However, it is a hard awareness we must face daily when we look into God’s mirror of truth. And it helps us to understand why he makes the promise above, to give us a new heart and a new spirit.

As we face this coming Easter weekend; as we attend church services, probably for the first time this year; as we worship and offer our love, and our thanks to God for the saving gift of his son Jesus, can we be sure that our heart is not deceitful? It is a very hard thing to do. Yet I encourage all of us to cry out as the Psalmist, David did: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me” (Psalm 51:10-12, NIV).

Sustenance, from God is what we need in this difficult world. The greatest blessing God gives us is his divine presence and we can only have it when our hearts are made pure. Remember, there were two criminals hanging on a cross on either side of Jesus ~ one whose heart was doubtful and conceited; the other whose heart was pure ~ this one believed in Jesus by faith and he is now spending eternity with Christ in paradise. Isn’t that our desire as well?