“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart
of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.” Ezekiel 11:19-
20 (NIV)
It is easy to allow habits to creep in and take up residence in our lives just as the Israelites did in Ezekiel 11. We can allow the world around us to sell us their idols. Our focus becomes our jobs, our sports, our cars, or any other thing that starts to absorb our time and affections. Then God will intervene and allow circumstances in our lives to bring our hearts back to Him.
As a child, I dreamed of becoming a teacher. Life circumstances prevented me from realizing my dream. Still drawn to this environment, I volunteered in schools until I got my first job as a classroom assistant. Years later, when my children were grown and my husband agreed, I went back to school. After earning my degree, I was thrilled to have my first class. Having my dream job added a new dimension to my life. After 15 years, though, I started to feel exhausted all the time. Two years later I received a diagnosis of cancer. The initial shock, followed by a fear of death, caused me to seek God.
I spent many hours in study and prayer. I realized that my heart had become calloused. More of my time and attention was going to my teaching. Revelation 2:4b-5 (NIV) says, “You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.”
Father God, help me to keep my focus always on You. Thank you for blessing my life with Your goodness, Your healing, my family, my
church family, and Your many answers to prayer.
– Theresa Bose
Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.
The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.
Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org