“Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn” (Deuteronomy 10:16 ESV).
God commanded Israel to circumcise their hearts, removing stubbornness and fully devoting themselves to Him. Physical circumcision was a sign of the covenant, but God desired more than an external mark—He wanted a transformed heart. To “circumcise the heart” means to remove anything that hinders full obedience and love for God. Stubbornness (or a hardened heart) resists God’s leading, but a circumcised heart is tender, responsive, and submitted to Him.
Yet Israel had a problem, they could not change their own hearts. Time and again, Israel failed to obey, revealing that an external sign (physical circumcision) was not enough. They needed an internal transformation. They needed a spiritual heart transplant.
God, in His mercy, promised to do what they could not. Through the prophet Ezekiel, He declared: “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).
This prophecy finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Through His death and resurrection, He gives us new hearts—softened by grace, filled with His Spirit, and able to love and obey God.
Like Israel, we cannot change our own hearts. No amount of effort, self-improvement, or religious practice can remove sin’s grip on us. But what we cannot do, God has done through Christ. When we put our faith in Jesus, He removes our stubborn, sin-hardened heart and gives us a new heart—one that desires Him.
Are there sins, habits, or attitudes that keep you from fully following Him? Maybe it’s pride, unforgiveness, or self-reliance. God desires a heart that is soft, teachable, and fully devoted to Him. Today, let’s ask the Lord to reveal areas of stubbornness and allow Him to transform our heart’s, so we can love and obey Him more fully.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we confess that our hearts are often stubborn and resistant to Your will. Thank You for sending Jesus to do what we could not, giving us a new heart. Help us to surrender fully to You, allowing Your Spirit to shape us into the people You’ve called us to be. In Jesus’ name, Amen.