There was a time in my life when I didn’t even realize how lost I was. I was living my life, making my own choices, doing what felt right to me, one foot in church door and other one in a club—but my heart was hard, and I didn’t even know it. As human beings, we are all born into a world full of sin, spiritually blind and naturally selfish. Our hearts resist God because, without Him, we only seek what benefits us.

But thank God for Jesus! He is the only one who can take a heart of stone and make it a heart of flesh. I love how when God shows us His sovereign work in Ezekiel chapter 36 verse 26 by saying, “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” This is exactly what happens when we surrender our lives to Christ. He removes the hardness, the pride, the selfishness, and replaces it with a heart that longs for Him. He gives us the Holy Spirit to guide us, convict us, and help us walk in obedience.

If you’ve ever felt distant from God or struggled to change on your own, let this be your reminder: You can’t soften your own heart—but I know of a man who can-Jesus! His grace and longsuffering is greater than our stubbornness. His love mixed with His mercy is stronger than our resistance. All we have to do is surrender.

Our Encouraging Takeaway: Each day, choose to surrender your heart to Jesus, allowing Him to shape, soften, and transform you from the inside out.