OPEN HEAVENS FOR 1ST JUNE 2026

TOPIC: A BRAND-NEW HEART I

MEMORISE:

Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. — Hosea 10:12

READ: Ezekiel 36:25-30 (KJV)

25. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

26. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

27. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

28. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

29. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.

30. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.

MESSAGE:

According to 2 Corinthians 5:17, when a fellow becomes born again, he or she immediately becomes a new creature. In Ezekiel 36:26, God said that He will take away our stony heart and replace it with a heart of flesh.

When people give their lives to Jesus Christ, they exchange their stony hearts for hearts of flesh. However, despite this, the world is plagued with many people who claim to be believers, but whose hearts appear not to be different from those of unbelievers.

Sadly, some people who serve as ministers of God also still appear to have hearts like unbelievers. Some of them go as far as not forgiving fellow ministers who have offended them. This is wrong, and it was not so at the inception of the Church. The Bible says that the Church was in one accord (Acts 1:14), and believers were called Christians because they were Christ-like (Acts 11:26).

Unfortunately, however, you might find some self-professing Christians today accepting bribes or dancing in nightclubs because they still have stony hearts.

From the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:1-23, it is very clear that there was nothing wrong with the seeds that were sown. The seeds, which Jesus revealed to be the word of God, were potent, as God’s word is always potent. However, despite the potency of the seeds, only a fraction of them yielded a harvest. The reason some of the seeds did not bear fruit was the ground on which they fell, and as Jesus explained, the heart of a fellow in which the word of God is sown is the major determinant of whether the word will bear fruit in his or her life or not.

Beloved, if you are living in sin, or if you allow the circumstances around you to determine how you receive the word of God and how it will operate in you, then you have a stony heart, and God’s word will not bear fruit in you. For His word to bear fruit in you, you must repent of any sin that might exist in your life and cry out to Him to wash you clean, transform you, and give you a heart of flesh.

God will answer you and make your heart a fertile ground for His word to grow. I pray that you will continually experience the blessings in God’s word as you surrender your life completely to Him, in Jesus’ name.

PRAYER POINT:

Father, please give me a heart of flesh and let your word bear fruit in me.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:

Job 21-24

HYMN 39: I AM THINE, O LORD

1. I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
   And it told Thy love to me;
   But I long to rise in the arms of faith
   And be closer drawn to Thee.

Chorus:
Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

2. Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
   By the power of grace divine;
   Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
   And my will be lost in Thine.

3. O the pure delight of a single hour
   That before Thy throne I spend,
   When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God,
   I commune as friend with friend!

4. There are depths of love that I cannot know
   Till I cross the narrow sea;
   There are heights of joy that I may not reach
   Till I rest in peace with Thee.

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About RCCG and Open Heavens

The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) is a global Pentecostal denomination founded in 1952 by Reverend Josiah Akindayomi and now led by Pastor E. A. Adeboye as General Overseer. Headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, RCCG has spread to over 200 countries with millions of worshippers worldwide.

Open Heavens is the daily devotional of RCCG, written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye. First published in 2003, it has become one of the most widely read daily devotionals in the world. Each edition includes a memory verse, Bible reading, message, prayer point, and hymn. The devotional is known for its practical, Bible-based teachings that address everyday Christian living, spiritual warfare, and faith.

The devotional for 1st June 2026 begins a new series on the heart, focusing on the need for a brand-new heart—a heart of flesh instead of a stony heart.

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BRIEF COMMENTARY

Based on Open Heavens 1st June 2026 – “A Brand-New Heart I”

The Stony Heart vs. The Heart of Flesh

In today’s devotional, Pastor Adeboye begins a new series on the condition of the heart. The memory verse from Hosea 10:12 is a prophetic call to spiritual agriculture. “Fallow ground” refers to uncultivated, hardened soil—ground that has never been broken or has become compacted over time. Just as a farmer must break up hard soil before planting, the believer must allow the Holy Spirit to plow through the hard, resistant areas of their heart.

The Bible reading from Ezekiel 36:25-30 is the Old Testament blueprint for the New Birth. God promises to sprinkle clean water, cleanse from filthiness and idols, remove the stony heart, and give a heart of flesh. He also promises to put His Spirit within to cause obedience, restore the covenant relationship, and multiply fruit.

The Immediate Transformation of the New Birth

According to 2 Corinthians 5:17, when a sinner says yes to Jesus, an atomic-level change occurs. The moment a fellow becomes born again, he or she immediately becomes a new creature. In Ezekiel 36:26, God said He will take away our stony heart and replace it with a heart of flesh.

The problem is not that the transplant fails. The problem is that many believers never allow the new heart to function as designed. They remain spiritually “stony” in character even while claiming a new status.

Symptoms of a Stony Heart in Believers

The devotional delivers a piercing diagnosis: a stony heart is not just for atheists. It manifests in the church when:

• Ministers hold grudges against colleagues and refuse to forgive.

• Christians accept bribes or compromise ethical standards.

• Believers love worldly entertainment over secret prayer.

• People leave a church because the pastor preached against their pet sin.

The devotional states plainly: “Some of them go as far as not forgiving fellow ministers who have offended them. This is wrong, and it was not so at the inception of the Church.” The early Church was in one accord (Acts 1:14), and believers were called Christians because they were Christ-like (Acts 11:26). A stony heart produces factions, competition, and envy.

The Parable of the Sower Revisited

From the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:1-23, the devotional makes a critical point: the seed (God’s word) is never the problem. It is always potent, always alive, always sharp. The variable is always the soil (the human heart).

• The wayside heart (hardened): Hears but doesn’t understand; Satan snatches the word.

• The stony ground heart (shallow): Receives with joy but has no root; falls away when tribulation comes.

• The thorny heart (divided): Hears but cares of the world choke the word.

• The good heart (flesh): Hears, understands, and bears fruit.

A stony heart by any other name—religious activity, ministerial title, emotional worship—is still unproductive ground. If the word of God does not produce a change in your conduct, your heart is still stony.

Why the Early Church Thrived

The reason the early Church turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6) is that their hearts were soft, responsive, and deeply plowed by the Spirit. One accord is impossible with a stony heart. Stony hearts produce factions, competition, and envy. The world gave them the name “Christian” because their behavior mirrored Jesus perfectly. If you are called Christian but act like the world, your heart needs breaking.

How to Break Your Fallow Ground

Based on Hosea 10:12 and the devotional’s message, here is how to exchange a stony heart for a heart of flesh:

1. Honest diagnosis – stop defending your bitterness. Ask the Holy Spirit, “Where is my heart still hard?” (Psalm 139:23-24).

2. Cry out for cleansing – Daddy Adeboye says, “Cry out to Him to wash you clean.” Use the prayer of David in Psalm 51:10: “Create in me a clean heart, O God.”

3. Actively repent – repentance is not sorrow; it is a U-turn. If you have accepted bribes, restore the money. If you are dancing in nightclubs, renounce that lifestyle.

4. Claim the promise of empowerment – meditate on Ezekiel 36:27. God will put His Spirit within you and cause you to walk in His statutes. This is supernatural enablement, not willpower.

5. Forgive immediately – nothing softens a stony heart like releasing a debtor (Matthew 18:35). Make a list of everyone you have not forgiven, and forgive them today.

Warning: Don’t Mistake Religion for Transformation

The devotional warns that it is possible to be a minister, a lifelong church member, or a “professional Christian” and still carry a stony heart. The evidence is not your title but your reaction to God’s word. Does the word make you tremble (Isaiah 66:2) or make you defensive? Does it produce fruit or just facts in your brain?

A stony heart reshapes itself to the shape of the world. A heart of flesh reshapes itself to the image of Christ.

Conclusion: Your Prayer for a Heart Transplant

The devotional ends with a promise: “God will answer you and make your heart a fertile ground for His word to grow.” Do not just read this devotional—wrestle with God over your heart. For His word to bear fruit in you, you must repent of any sin and cry out to Him to wash you clean, transform you, and give you a heart of flesh.

Prayer Point from the Devotional:

Father, please give me a heart of flesh and let your word bear fruit in me.

Action Steps:

1. The 24-hour challenge – for one day, every time you feel irritation, offense, or a desire to compromise, stop and ask: “Is this my old stony heart or my new heart of flesh?”

2. Plow your ground – write down one area where God’s word has not produced fruit in your life (e.g., anger, lust, gossip, unforgiveness). Confess it to a trusted mature believer (James 5:16).

3. Memorize Hosea 10:12 – recite it every morning for one week. Let “break up your fallow ground” become your daily anthem. Seek the Lord now until the rain of righteousness falls on you.

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