Another man, another heart

Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man…God gave him another heart – 1 Samuel 10v6,9

It is obvious what the Holy Spirit did not work in exactly the same was in the Old Testament as in the New Testament, but there are still some similarities. Here is a classic example of that.

Saul and Samuel stepped aside alone to prepare for Saul’s coronation and reign. We have indications all along that Saul is fearful and anxious about this big change in his life. There are a couple of key phrases that stick out for us.

‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you…’ Literally, the Holy Spirit will come like a rushing wind.’ Sound familiar? Just thought I would drop that in, even though it is not a part of today’s thought.

The key here is what brought about the change. God was going to make a ‘new man’ out of him and he would do so by giving him a ‘new heart.’ It is a little mysterious how the Holy Spirit worked in the lives of believers in those days, but He was vital in changing lives.

The Holy Spirit has a similar ministry today. When we are saved He does come on us ‘like a rushing wind.’ He creates a new heart in us and makes us into new people. Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. The old man is dead; the new man is made alive in Christ.

The problem comes when we allow the new man to be drawn away by the flesh. Our new man still lives in the flesh with all of its issues. Saul’s problems are going to come when his new man with a new heart still chooses to follow his fleshly human logic.

The new man is empowered to have victory over sin. May we live our lives as new creations with new hearts in submission to the Holy Spirit instead of in submission to the flesh.