A New Heart

When Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostle's hands, he offered them money, saying, "Give me this power too, so that anyone I lay hands on may receive the Holy Spirit."
But Peter told him, "May your silver be destroyed with you, because you thought the gift of God could be obtained with money! You have no part or share in this matter, because your heart is not right before God. Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to The Lord that the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity." Acts 8:18-23

This man had the wrong end of the stick (saying). He approached the Holy Spirit with an old mindset. Jesus Himself taught that new wine could not be put into old wine skins. Matthew 9:17
Simon needed to be born again. Although he believed and was baptised he needed a new heart to receive the new message.

Simon's old nature was used to being in the limelight and demonstrating power, he was used to attention. Along comes Phillip and did precisely that but he was different from himself, Phillip spoke of a God he did not know and then when Peter and John came and laid hands on people to receive the Holy Spirit he went into overload.

Nicodemus was a leader of the people and had come to Jesus by night so that he might discover what this Jesus was all about. In John 3 Jesus tells him straight out: " you must be born again!"

Simon needed to be born of the spirit. Although he believed that the message Phillip brought was right he needed it to change him. Had he come to repentance over his old life? Probably not because here he is trying to resurrect it with the addition of the Holy Spirit.

We need to ask our God to give us a new heart so that his desires are ours! His ways are ours, His thoughts are ours. Amen!

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