Recently I endeavored to categorize all 750+ verses in the Bible pertaining to the heart. It was rewarding to discover the dozens of rich aspects of the heart. One such aspect of the heart is the idea of God putting deposits, plans and ideas into our hearts.
First and best of all, as followers of Christ, God put a new heart in each of us at the moment of our salvation. You have a new heart.
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 (NIV)
As we grow closer to Him and learn to listen to His guiding voice, we notice Him putting other things in our hearts.
“Thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you.”
2 Corinthians 8:16 (NIV)
Here Paul says he’s thankful that God put the same concern in Titus’ heart as the concern he had in his. The word “put” means to give, bestow or grant.
Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD and the king’s house; and Solomon successfully
accomplished all that came into his heart to make in the house of the LORD and in his own house.
2 Chronicles 7:11
God gave Solomon ideas and plans for a magnificent temple of worship where God’s Spirit could reside.
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God puts important and beautiful things in your heart too…if you’re open to believing, in faith, that He does. If you know God to be good and that “He has good plans for you”, as Jeremiah says, then you may wonder exactly what He’s uniquely put on your heart.
- to draw close to Him in prayer and silence each day?
- to contribute time or money to an organization serving the poor or disadvantaged?
- to serve your clients and co-workers as though they were actually God’s children?
- to move closer to Him by participating in a spiritual renewal retreat?
- to love on your wife or husband with a sacrificial love (even when it’s not ‘deserved’)
- to stop dividing people politically by who’s right and wrong, but to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly before God?
- to come along side others and help them grow in their faith?
- to love everyone you come in contact with?
I’d like to encourage you right now to stop – pause for just 2 minutes and ask God this simple question:
Lord, what have you put on my heart? Will you show me or remind me?
Then, be still and quiet. Wait for God to remind you or tell you what He’s put in your heart. If you don’t “hear” anything, think back to the last thing He told you to do and go do it. You’ll be glad you did.
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you for caring about me personally; for having a plan for my life. I thank you for putting a new heart in me, not the old heart of stone I used to have. I believe in faith that you have laid something new on my heart..an urging and longing. Lord, I want to draw close to You to know You and to know what You’ve put in my heart so I can say thank you and then obey. Thank you for opening the eyes of my heart to see Your hand on me. In Jesus’ name, Amen
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OTHER VERSES ON GOD’S PUTTING NATURE
Revelation 17:17 (NIV) For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority, until God’s words are fulfilled.
Nehemiah 7:5 (NIV) So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families.
Ezra 7:27 (NIV) Praise be to the LORD, the God of our ancestors, who has put it into the king’s heart to bring honor to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem in this way
Nehemiah 2:12 (NIV) I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem.
