Replacing what’s in your heart with what’s in His begins with surrender. It means recognizing that not everything we desire, feel, or naturally gravitate toward is necessarily what God desires for us. Sometimes our hearts are filled with jealousy, selfishness, pride, fear, resentment, or a need for approval. The goal isn’t to pretend those feelings don’t exist, but to bring them before God & allow Him to change what is happening within us.
The truth is that you cannot replace something simply by trying harder to stop thinking about it. You have to begin filling that space with something different. If your heart is consumed by comparison, begin filling it with gratitude. If it is consumed by resentment, begin practicing forgiveness. If it is consumed by the need to be loved by everyone, begin learning to rest in the love God has already given you. Transformation happens when we stop allowing our feelings to lead us & start allowing God’s truth to shape us.
Romans 12:2 tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. This means that following Jesus isn’t just about changing our outward behaviors. It’s about allowing Him to change the way we think, the things we desire, & ultimately the condition of our hearts.
One of the most important things to understand is that God doesn’t ask us to fix our hearts before coming to Him. We come to Him with the messy, imperfect, & sometimes selfish parts of ourselves. We invite Him into the places we would rather hide. Through prayer, Scripture, obedience, & spending time in His presence, we slowly begin to desire what He desires.
You cannot produce a heart like His by your own strength. You have to spend time with Him. The more you get to know His character, the more your heart begins to reflect it. Eventually, the things that once consumed you begin to lose their hold on you because your heart is being filled with something greater.
The goal isn’t just to stop having a heart that misses the mark. It’s to develop a heart that increasingly reflects His.
Proverbs 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Ezekiel 36:26
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
Psalm 51:10
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Philippians 2:5
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.
Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
Matthew 6:21
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Colossians 3:2
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you
- Ellie Mont