THE NEW HEART
- il y a 2 jours
- 5 min de lecture
FROM THE OLD IDENTITY
TO THE FREEDOM OF THE CHILDREN OF GOD
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26)
Many Christians sincerely seek God: they participate in the life of the Church, pray, evangelize, serve in mission, and study the Word of God with the desire to see the Kingdom of God manifested. Yet, as a priest and spiritual guide, I often encounter a recurring reality. I have seen people receive genuine graces from God and then gradually lose their peace, joy, and inner freedom. Some become rigid in their convictions; others, after experiencing God's mercy, end up judging their brothers and sisters. Others drift away from fraternal communion and experience a slow spiritual decline.
These situations are often attributed solely to attacks from the evil one. Yet sometimes the root of the problem is not primarily external.
It is in the heart.
To understand this battle, we must return to the biblical understanding of the heart and to the promise God entrusted to the prophet Ezekiel.
The Heart as Identity
In the Bible, the Hebrew word for heart is Lev (לֵב) or Levav (לֵבָב). In modern thinking, the heart is mainly the seat of emotions. In the biblical perspective, however, it is the center of the whole person. Within the Lev are formed:
thoughts;
convictions;
deep beliefs;
memory;
conscience;
will;
decisions;
desires;
affections;
motivations;
discernment;
the direction of life.
That is why Scripture says:
“As he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7)
The heart thinks.
“Give your servant a listening heart.” (1 Kings 3:9)
The heart decides.
“It is with your heart that you believe.” (Romans 10:10)
The heart believes.
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23)
The heart directs the whole of existence.
If we were to translate the meaning of Lev into a single modern word, it would probably be: IDENTITY
The heart is the place where we answer life's most important question: Who am I?
Am I a son or an orphan?
Am I loved or rejected?
Am I chosen or forgotten?
Am I called or useless?
A large part of our spiritual life depends on how we answer these questions.
The Battle for Identity
From the very beginning, the evil one has sought to strike precisely at this point. In the Garden of Eden, the serpent did not first attack Eve's behavior; he attacked her trust in the Father.
“Did God really say...?” (Genesis 3:1)
The same thing happens to Jesus in the desert.
Twice the tempter says:
“If you are the Son of God...” (Matthew 4:3-6)
Temptation is always about identity. The devil knows that someone who understands his identity as a child of God is difficult to manipulate and can face trials without losing peace. That is why he seeks to replace the identity received from God with identities built on fear, pride, wounds, or human affiliations.
When Culture Replaces Identity
One of the most subtle temptations of our time is to confuse our identity with our culture, nation, group, religious sensitivity, or traditions.
People begin to think:
“My culture is superior.”
“We are better than others.”
“We have understood everything.”
“We are the only faithful ones.”
“Our people are superior.”
“Others simply do not understand.”
This attitude can take religious, cultural, or nationalistic forms that are incompatible with the Gospel. At its root is often a search for human security.
The gospel illuminates the culture.
A Christian loves his culture, his homeland, and his history. But he does not build his identity upon them. Saint John the Baptist warned:
“Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’” (Matthew 3:9)
And Saint Paul, deeply attached to his Jewish roots, wrote:
“Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.” (Philippians 3:7)
Our ultimate identity is not national, political, cultural, or merely religious. Our identity is to be children of God. That is why Pentecost does not erase differences; it harmonizes them in the Holy Spirit.
“We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own languages.” (Acts 2:11)
The new heart does not idolize its culture; it places it at the service of the Kingdom of God.
Why so many constant defeats?
Many believers pray, evangelize, and serve the Lord, yet continue to live as slaves.
God says:
“You are my beloved Son.” (Mark 1:11)
Yet the person continues to think:
“I am worthless.”
“No one understands me.”
“No one recognizes me.”
God says:
“I have called you by name; you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)
Yet the person continues to feel abandoned. A fracture develops between what God declares and what the person continues to believe. It is no coincidence that the Greek word diabolos means “the one who divides.”
The enemy seeks to separate:
humanity from God;
brother from brother;
the person from his true identity.
The Stages of Spiritual Self-Sabotage
1. The Wound
Someone disappoints us or fails to meet our expectations.
2. Resentment
Instead of bringing our pain to the Cross, we hold onto it.
“See to it that no bitter root grows up.” (Hebrews 12:15)
3. Judgment
We begin interpreting everything negatively and assume we know other people's motives.
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” (Matthew 7:1)
4. Rigidity
We stop listening, reject correction, and defend our position at all costs.
5. Isolation
Communion gives way to distrust, and fraternity gives way to separation.
6. Self-Sabotage
At this point, the person destroys what God was building.
They reject dialogue, forgiveness, mercy, and reconciliation.
As a result, they lose battles they could have won.
The Heart of Stone
Ezekiel describes this condition with a powerful image: the heart of stone. It is a heart that refuses transformation, always wants to be right, and constantly suspects others. It prefers winning an argument to preserving a relationship. It protects pride more than communion, sees itself continually as a victim, and becomes incapable of receiving. That is why God promises:
“I will remove from you your heart of stone.” (Ezekiel 36:26)
The New Heart: A New Identity
Ezekiel's promise is not simply about emotions. God does not promise a better personality or a few moral adjustments. He promises a new identity.
The new heart is the heart of a son or daughter:
it knows it is loved;
it knows how to forgive;
it knows how to ask for forgiveness;
it knows how to begin again;
it knows how to welcome correction.
It prefers communion to pride, lives according to the Spirit, and places the sensus Ecclesiae above emotional reactions.
The Path of Mercy
The transformation of the heart inevitably passes through mercy. On the Cross, Jesus did not choose resentment, revenge, or retaliation. He said:
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)
Mercy is not weakness. It is the victory of love over pride.
Forgiveness does not erase the truth; it prevents the wound from becoming an identity.
A Question for Each of Us
When conflict, disappointment, or hurt arises, the decisive question is not:
“Who is right?”
The decisive question is:
“Am I responding with the new heart God has given me, or with my old wounded heart?”
The Lord did not come merely to improve our behavior. He came to give us a new heart, a new identity, and a new life.
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
