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New Heart, New Spirit
This comes from The book "Spiritual Means" by H.H Pope Shenouda III
"The Spiritual Means
Prayer is opening the heart to God, so He would enter and purify it.
It reminds us of the prayer of the tax collector who lifted up a contrite
heart before God, asking for His mercy (Lk 18:13). And so he went back to
his house justified. Therefore, you should pray to acquire purity of the heart,
while you say to God in your prayer: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be
clean, wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Ps 50)... Is not He the one who
said, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you... I will put My
Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes” (Ezek 36:26-27)... Ask
Him in your prayers to fulfil this promise."
What or who is this new spirit? the Holy Spirit?
Well why do we have to ask I thought we have the Holy Spirit when we are baptised and annointed with Holy Oil or something? I have asked God to fullfil this promise for me before I think in the past after I had sinned so much and I think it helped me to follow His commandments.. I think maybe I lost the Holy Spirit and then through this prayer? He came back to me.. or maybe I never had the Holy Spirit and through this prayer? I received Him?
"The Spiritual Means
Prayer is opening the heart to God, so He would enter and purify it.
It reminds us of the prayer of the tax collector who lifted up a contrite
heart before God, asking for His mercy (Lk 18:13). And so he went back to
his house justified. Therefore, you should pray to acquire purity of the heart,
while you say to God in your prayer: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be
clean, wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Ps 50)... Is not He the one who
said, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you... I will put My
Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes” (Ezek 36:26-27)... Ask
Him in your prayers to fulfil this promise."
What or who is this new spirit? the Holy Spirit?
Well why do we have to ask I thought we have the Holy Spirit when we are baptised and annointed with Holy Oil or something? I have asked God to fullfil this promise for me before I think in the past after I had sinned so much and I think it helped me to follow His commandments.. I think maybe I lost the Holy Spirit and then through this prayer? He came back to me.. or maybe I never had the Holy Spirit and through this prayer? I received Him?
Comments
"A sinner may go to the extent that God's Spirit
departs from him.
The Holy Bible said about King Saul, "But the Spirit of
the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit
64
from the Lord troubled him" (1 Sam. 16:14). What a
hard thing that God's Spirit departs a person!!.
If this is hard for you and you exclaim, 'How can it be
that God's Spirit departs from me?', I shall facilitate the
meaning for you. I tell you that it is not God's Spirit that
departs from you but it is you who departs from God's
Spirit. But in both cases there is departing and separation
between you and God's Spirit."
So maybe I did lose Gods Spirit and then maybe I received Him again.