Let's look at a simple illustration of how the heart cycle would work in your new heart.
Your new heart, created at the time of your salvation, now has the capability of desiring what Jesus desires, knowing truth that God reveals, and intending what God wills.
Step One: Your New God-Given Desire
The foundational desire that God implants in our hearts is the desire to know and please Him.
That desire to know Him leads to reading His word, the Bible because that is where He reveals His heart to us. Soooo I'm readling along one morning, getting to know Him and I come across 2 Corinthians 9:7 and I read this:
"Each one must do just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver."
(I like to use this particular command from Scripture because it's easy to identify knowledge and will and emotions in the practice of giving.)
Step Two: Your New God-Given Knowledge
When I'm learning truth I'm involving now the knowledge circle of my heart.
So I read this truth and I learn that God loves a cheerful giver, and that identifies for me problem number one: I have not been giving at all. This raises a red flag for me when I realize my life is not in line with what God loves and desires and commands. This realization is what we call conviction. By the way, you may have gotten the idea that conviction always is accompanied by guilt and shame and anguish and sorrow. Sure enough it might be, but sometimes it's just a matter of "AHA I see that now."
And confession is not a session with a priest or anybody - it's just agreeing with God that He says this and I do that.
Step Three: Your New God-Empowered Will
So then we cycle around to the will circle of the heart. I have to bring my will to the party and make a choice as to what I'm going to do with the truth that I've learned.
Being the eager disciple that I am, I am now going to choose with my will to give a tithe of my money to God's Kingdom through my church. I've completed one cycle through the heart cycle from desire to knowledge to will. I desire what God desires, I know what God says, and I commit to do what God says to do.
My next post will look at our emotional responses. What do you do with those negative ones?