"A New Nature"

Ezekiel 36:26-27 — “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. “And I will put My Spirit within you and bring it about that you walk in My statutes, and are careful and follow My ordinances.

The Flesh and the Spirit!

The old sin nature only desires and operates in these things:

Galatians 5:19-21 — Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Right after, Paul shows us how the new heart functions, what it desires and how it operates:

Galatians 5:22-26 — But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well. Let’s not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

That being said, it is no easier for a sinful man to make himself submit to God's Law or have fruit of the Spirit, than it is for a zebra to remove its stripes. It is literally in any way impossible.

Rom 8:6-7 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so.

Ever think about just how literal that is? I mean seriously. All that the flesh mindset can pour forth is death. Think of the abortion rates. Murder rates. The hatred in many peoples hearts (which Yeshua said equates to murder!). It cannot operate in any other way, it's like trying to run a Mac program on a Windows PC. It won't work. But, the mindset on the Spirit pours forth life like abundant waters. It loves all forms of life, cares for all others above themselves, serves, ministers, protects. It can do nothing but have true love for God and one's neighbor.

So since no one can make this change on their own, how can it happen?

Heart Transplant!

Sin doesn't need a covering, it needs to be totally stripped away - just as we don't need a slight makeover, we need a new "nature", a new heart. What God has commanded for us is contrary to the flesh and physically impossible to keep. That is the importance of a new heart. It acts differently, functions differently, behaves differently, and yes, even changes your taste (interests). Back in 2014, my oldest sister had a heart transplant. I can tell you all of these things above are true because of that. And yes it's true, after receiving a heart transplant, your taste can change and you might enjoy foods you didn't before and dislike others you already liked. It is the same with a new heart spiritually. It longs for different things. For years my sister could not run because of her old heart being so out of shape, but after the transplant, was able to run freely and exercise and do as she pleased. Same with a new spiritual heart, it behaves differently and can take on new tasks that the old heart couldn't. It is full of abundant life. A heart of stone is cold and unmovable. But a heart of flesh can feel. It can love the LORD and everyone around them. That new heart placed in you by God is connected to Him and directed by His Spirit like an FM or shortwave radio, while the old heart is connected to sin and is directed by its own changing desires.

Cry Out!

I believe flesh crucifixion has to be done daily. Those desires have to be surrendered afresh each day. We can neglect and grieve the Holy Spirit and push it out of our lives by disobedience to God, and that new heart fades. I'm not promoting a works based faith, but one that prioritizes God and walking in the Spirit. This "new heart" can be destroyed by living in the sinful nature, like bad eating destroys a healthy body. The new heart and mindset in the Spirit must be renewed daily. Let us cry out to God daily to walk in the Spirit, put the flesh and sin to death, and to continue in this "new nature" according to how He wants us to live!

Backsliding - a brief note

This is somewhat unrelated, yet still ties into the subject of a new nature vs the fleshly one: how can you tell that you're changing or backsliding? When you find yourself laughing at things you didn't before. Listening to things you didn't before. Watching things you didn't before. Talking about things you didn't before... Your "nature" is changing. Your character and heart is changing. Maybe your mind is filled with things you didn't think before, or words you didn't use before. That is how you know. Just as a man or woman of God shows fruit by having new desires, so does the backslidden man by his desires and godly standard failing. This is a major issue and most rarely notice it taking place in them. The devil will often try to get you to just peek at sin, just laugh once at a joke, just get one bite - Just as he told Eve "did God say?" and made her believe nothing would come of her sin.