From Stone To Flesh

Jul 11 2025 - Eric Buresh

“Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh.” 

—Ezekiel 11:19 

A common question during discipleship conversations is some version of “I don’t feel like I’m where I should be, what do I need to do?” It’s a totally well-intentioned question of a heart wanting to pursue God. But it is also indicative of a heart still longing for control that is not ours to have. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are things we can and should do, i.e., the means of receiving grace – be in the Word, pray frequently, seek out Christian fellowship where spiritual conversations are the norm. In the end, though, these are all means of receiving the work of the Holy Spirit. What we often need to do is get ourselves and our invasive pride and our striving and our desire for control through religion totally out of the way and then we receive new life from our Father. 

Consider the Lord’s proclamation in Ezekiel 11:19. It is not the cry of man toward God—it is the voice of God toward man. Not a plea, but a promise. Not a request for reformation, but a declaration of regeneration. The Lord speaks, and He does not say, “They will change themselves.” No, He says, “I will give... I will put... I will take... I will give.” It is God’s sovereign hand of grace! 

So many try to polish the stone, to warm the stone, to train the stone! But a stone is still a stone, no matter how religiously it behaves. It may sit in a pew, mouth a prayer, or even preach a sermon—yet remain cold, dead, and unmoved beneath the surface. The problem with man is not fundamentally his actions, but his heart—only God can change the heart. 

Transformation requires a miracle: “and give them a heart of flesh.” Here is the divine transplant—not a patch, but a resurrection. Not a mending of the old, but a birth of the new. The heart of flesh is tender, teachable, responsive to the Lord.  It trembles at His Word. It mourns over sin. It rejoices in grace. It does not run from God’s will—it runs to it. 

Have you received this new heart? Or do you still carry the heavy stone within? You cannot soften yourself. You cannot awaken your own affections for Christ. You must go to the Surgeon of souls, the One who never lost a patient, and cry, “I want to receive a new heart, Lord – do what you said you would do!” 

For it is the Spirit who is the breath in the new lungs, the flame in the new soul, the voice whispering, “This is the way, walk in it.” He convicts, He comforts, He conforms. He does not merely teach us about God—He brings us into unity with God. Without Him, even a heart of flesh would soon grow cold again. But with Him, our new heart beats in rhythm with heaven.