Tuesday, September 22, 2026 · KJV DEVOTIONAL
The Heart God Can Shape
Ezekiel 10–12
“And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.”
Ezekiel 11:19–20 KJV
TODAY’S DEVOTION
God’s answer to stubbornness is not better behavior laid over an unchanged heart. He promises inward transformation: one heart, a new spirit, and living responsiveness where stone once resisted Him. The goal is not emotion for its own sake. A softened heart becomes an obedient life—one that walks in His ways and belongs openly to Him.
This promise prepares us to understand the new-birth work proclaimed in the New Testament. The Holy Ghost is not a religious accessory added to the old life. God fills, renews, and empowers people to walk with Him. Yet tenderness must be guarded. Repeatedly resisting conviction can harden what God desires to shape. Respond while He is speaking. Let the Word correct you, let repentance remain immediate, and let the Spirit form obedience deeper than appearance.
GO DEEPER
Context for careful reading.
לֵב · lēb · H3820
Lēb refers to the inner person—the center of thought, desire, resolve, and moral response. God’s promise reaches beneath outward conduct to the source from which obedience flows. In Ezekiel 11:19–20 KJV, the KJV wording reflects the sense “heart.”
Ezekiel provides the immediate setting for this word and its application. As the glory departs from Jerusalem, God promises to be a sanctuary to the scattered remnant and to gather His people. The new heart promise appears within judgment and exile, showing that restoration begins with God’s initiative and produces covenant obedience.
RESPOND
Make room for devotion and prayer.
What truth will you carry from this passage into the day?