"I will put My Spirit within you,
and cause you to walk in My statutes."
Ezekiel 36:27
The old country preacher said, as he delivered his sermon, "I'm a preacher, but I could go out and get drunk if I wanted to. I can commit all the sins I want to, but when God changed my life, I don't want to do all those things anymore. God changed me from the inside out." When God changes our hearts, we have a desire to do what's right. That doesn't mean that we don't sin from time to time, but God gives us a desire to please Him.
God spoke to the people of Israel through the prophet Ezekiel. He called their attention to their sins, but he promised them hope. God could change their hearts and put His Spirit within them. They would become people of new desire. They would want to obey the statutes of God's word. After we trust in Christ as our Lord and Savior, He puts His Spirit within us to live a new life. "Having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:13).
Does God's Spirit live in you? If you have believed the gospel of Christ, the Spirit of God lives in you. Every believer is indwelt by the Spirit of Christ. "Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His" (Romans 8:9). When believers do wrong, the Spirit within us is grieved (Ephesians 4:30). When we yield to the Spirit, we walk in the joy and peace of God. The choice is ours from day to day. God puts His Spirit within us to live a new life.
God, may the Holy Spirit work in us through our Lord Jesus Christ.
