Are You Circumcised?

Deuteronomy 30:6 “And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” 

In the bible we see the word circumcision, and we automatically think of the surgical removal of skin. But this is not what the Lord meant by it. We are thinking of the physical aspect of the act. We tend to leave out the spiritual circumcision of the heart that God desires to give us. 

I remember a time when I asked the Lord to show me what was in my heart. I prayed this prayer for Him to show me thinking that there was nothing bad in there. Why did I think this? Probably because I was a generally good person. Was I in for a shock!

I had some wrong relationships that I was in that I needed to let go of. The only problem was that I didn’t want them to end. Why? Because this was the first time in my life, I thought I had true friends. I made these relationships idols, and the Lord was asking me to release them to Him. I knew that I couldn’t hold on to the relationships and allow God to circumcise my heart at the same time. 

When I didn’t let these relationships go like the Lord asked, I started to lose the relationships anyway, one by one. The more I tried to hang on to them, the faster they were all leaving for one issue after another. I became angry because I felt that one of my friends had sowed seeds of discord amongst us, and this was the result of it. I was broken up about it, and I thought that till this friend came into my life, it was perfect. 

My husband owns a car dealership and one day his office caught fire. I thought the friend that sowed seeds of discord was behind it because she had been practicing witchcraft. So, I got angry and yelled out to God and asked him to send her straight to hell! It shocked me because it just spewed out of my mouth, and I didn’t know where it came from. I suddenly felt the anger of the Lord, and heard him say in my spirit, “If I send her to hell why shouldn’t you go as well? She is My child just like you!” Then the Lord reminded me of the prayer I prayed and that he was showing me my uncircumcised heart. 

I knew then that God was not interested in a circumcision of the flesh, but a circumcision of the heart, and that I needed him to do heart surgery on me to remove years’ worth of junk that was in there that was keeping me from possessing a heart to love, know, and follow Him. Thank God that this transformation doesn’t depend on us! It is the job of the Holy Spirit. 

              What does Circumcision Mean According to the Bible?

In the bible circumcision meant a cutting away with. In the book of Genesis 17:23, God told Abraham to circumcise himself, and all those born in his house or bought with his money, by the removal of foreskin. Circumcision often represented the cutting away of a fallen, sinful nature. It marked a sign of a covenant relationship with God. If the demands of the covenant were met, then the people would be in right standing and would come into a covenant relationship with God and receive covenant blessings. 

                     What does Having a Circumcised Heart Mean for Believers?

• Ezekiel 36:26 explains it well. God promises to replace our stony hearts with a heart of flesh. 

• Having a circumcised heart allows God to change us through His Holy Spirit so that we will be made into trees of righteousness. 

• It means that when we allow God to do heart surgery on us, we are being molded into the image of God. 

•  Having a circumcised heart helps us to forgive others and show them love and kindness. 

In the end, having a circumcised heart is not just theological speaking in a sense. It is about truly allowing the Lord to do heart surgery and get everything out of there that would hinder the relationship that you have with Him. 

Prayer 

Father God, I pray for a circumcised heart. Psalm 51:10 says, create in me a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit in me. Let me live by these words. I thank you that anything not of you within my heart will be removed. Help me to forgive where I need to forgive and help me to show love and kindness to others in Jesus’ name. Amen.