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No More a Heart of Stone

There was a time when my heart was hard.

Not hardened by strength — hardened by survival. Pain, disappointment, sin, pride, and self-protection don’t announce themselves. They just quietly build walls, brick by brick, until one day you realize you’re distant from God, resistant to truth, and unable to fully love the people standing right in front of you.

A hard heart feels safe. But safety isn’t the same as healing.

God knew that. And He refused to leave me there.

“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

What strikes me about this verse is that God doesn’t ask us to soften our own hearts. He does it. This isn’t self-improvement — it’s divine surgery. And surgery requires surrender.

I’ve been on that table.

He has softened what years of hurt had made rigid. He replaced bitterness with grace I didn’t earn, pride with humility I didn’t deserve, and indifference with a compassion that still surprises me. A heart of stone can endure — but it cannot grow, cannot be shaped, cannot be truly used.

A heart of flesh can be broken open and made new.

So when people ask what God has done for me, I don’t point to a moment or a miracle they can see from the outside.

I point inward.

He gave me a new heart.

Not a perfect one. Not a finished one. But a heart that wants Him — and that want itself is the miracle.

For that, I will always be grateful.

From stone to spirit. From broken to blessed. That’s my testimony.

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Turn to Jesus. OnePastor Podcast
EPISODE 54 — NEW!!
"GRACE ISN’T COMPROMISE”

Click here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/onepastor/id1808226400?i=1000769023529

Episode 54: Grace Isn’t Compromise

Is grace making Christians soft?
Should pastors speak harder? Louder? More forcefully about sin?
And where is the line between calling people to holiness… and crushing them with shame?
In this episode, Donnie tackles a question that some people may already be asking about OnePastor: Can you speak gently to struggling believers without compromising truth?

🔹Because sin is serious.
🔹Holiness matters.
🔹Repentance matters.
🔹Eternity matters.

But there’s also a difference between conviction and condemnation—and many believers no longer know the difference.
Conviction says: Come back.
Shame says: Hide.
Maybe you've been wearing a mask. Smiling on the outside while secretly exhausted, drifting, numb, battling sin, struggling in prayer, or wondering if God is disappointed in you.
Maybe you’ve learned how to sound spiritual while quietly falling apart inside.
This episode explores what Scripture really shows us about Jesus and sinners: truth without compromise, correction without humiliation, and grace that calls people higher instead of leaving them hopeless.
Because Jesus confronted sin…
…but He did not abandon sinners.
If you’ve been hiding, drifting, pretending, or carrying shame—this conversation is an invitation to step back into the light.
Not toward performance.
Not toward pretending.
Back to honesty.
Back to surrender.
Back to worship.
Back to Jesus.
Because grace that never calls us higher isn’t biblical grace…
…but correction that crushes people isn’t biblical either.
Eyes on Jesus. Always back to Jesus.

Available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Amazon Music.

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