Heart Motives

By: Lisa Hodgins

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26

New believers and mature believers share something in common: the need to check our motives. If we do anything with the wrong motive, we could be opening a door to sin. For example, a technique Satan often uses is stirring up our pride. A wrong (prideful) motive would be seeking attention for ourselves instead of giving the glory to God.

God's Word is quite clear on how strongly he feels about pride. We see an example of this in Acts 8. Philip traveled to Samaria and began to tell everyone about Jesus. Many believed and got baptized, including a man named Simon. Before Simon believed he was a famous sorcerer. He was known for captivating people with his magic and boasting about his greatness. But when he heard the gospel, he believed! After Simon was baptized, he began following the apostles and was amazed by the signs and miracles he witnessed (Acts 8:13).

When Peter and John arrived, they prayed and "laid hands" on all the new believers to help them receive the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that the Spirit was being given through the apostles, he offered Peter and John money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8 18-19). Peter rebuked him for trying to buy God with money and told him his heart (his motive) wasn't right. Then the apostles told Simon to pray to God and repent of his wickedness (Acts 8:20-23).

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23

Simon was a believer and he was baptized, but his motives were impure. Scripture doesn't say, but his motives were likely connected to his old life. God gave the apostles discernment, so they knew Simon wanted to be the center of attention and receive glory. Even believers must intentionally guard their hearts. Why? Because if we aren't careful, like Simon, we can easily slip back into our old patterns of sin.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

God doesn't ask Christ followers to be perfect. He is also willing to forgive our mistakes, and He will help us overcome our sin. But He does command us to humble ourselves and align our hearts with Him. When our hearts and motives are right, we can live the victorious life God has planned for us!

Read: 1 Peter 1:14-15, Matthew 5:8