“And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh.”
— Ezekiel 11:19

What does the Lord mean here when He says He’s going to take out our hearts of stone and give us instead hearts of flesh? Think about this: Does a heart of stone feel anything? If you knock on a stone or pinch it or slam your fist down on it, will that stone feel anything? Absolutely not, right? But if you pinch or punch or knock on flesh, the flesh will feel it. So what the Lord is saying here is that He’s going to take our hearts of stone that were previously insensitive to Him and unable to discern His Spirit, and He’s going to give us instead hearts that will yield to His Spirit.

Beloved, God wants to help you become more and more sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). Now, the ability to discern the voice of God does not come overnight. It takes training. We don’t hear His voice perfectly all at once. But if you’ll make it your priority to know Him—to hear His voice and sense His Spirit working in your life—God is going to teach you to recognize His voice when He speaks. And you will be led into a deep relationship with God because He’s given you the capacity to do so.

Father God, thank You for removing my old heart of stone and giving me a heart of flesh. Help me to be more sensitive to Your Spirit and to recognize Your voice when You are speaking. Lord, You said Your sheep hear Your voice, and I am one of Your sheep, so help me to not only discern Your leading but to trust what You are doing in my life. I want to partner with You to accomplish Your will in my life and in the earth.

Rabbi Kirt A. Schneider, Rivers of Revelation (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2020), Used by permission.