* * * * * *
Some
Biblical definitions of the HEART include: the mind, will, emotions,
desires, affections, appetites & motives.
The
Heart is where…
sin
is conceived AND
repentance
takes place
We’re
called to keep our heart (protect our heart) with all diligence for out of it
spring the issues of life.
So what are the characteristics of the heart of those who do not
know God:
Selfishness, evil, hardness,
unrepentant, blindness, deceitfulness, wickedness, rebelliousness;it houses
unbelief and fear; it’s tortured and envious; it’s full of confusion and
disharmony.
Let’s
go to Scripture for more about some of these characteristics:
In Gal 5:20-21, Paul cautions us about selfish ambitions or works of the flesh. We
learn that those who practice these things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Phil 2:3 encourages us to have “Unity through Humility.” “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition
or conceit but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than
himself.” In other words, look out for the interests of others not just
yourself. James 3:16 tells us where envy and self-seeking
exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. Confusion
corrupts human relationships because it brings disharmony. Evil
produces confusion.
God brings harmony and
wisdom into our lives. He WANTS that for us…it’s what a father wants for
his children in all aspects of their lives.
Our Father God knows the secrets of the heart:
We read in Psalm 44:21
that God knows the secrets of the heart.
It reminds me of when I was a little girl and my dad
would say, “Now, Donna, I’m going to ask you a question and I want you to
tell me the truth.” I KNEW my dad ALREADY knew the answer to that question
and I’d better not even THINK about not telling him the truth. I often wondered
HOW he knew what had really happened or even scarier…how he KNEW what I was THINKING:
He’d say, “I know you’re thinking I don’t understand how you feel or why you
did what you did.” I figured my dad and God were on a first name basis and
I didn’t stand a chance if I decided to be dishonest with either of them!
Speaking to those here who grew up listening to the old time radio
programs, do you remember the program called “The Shadow.” For those of you who don’t have that
wonderful memory, I’ll tell you the Reader’s Digest version of the
program. The intro line was, “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of
men? The SHADOW KNOWS!” Now,
that was just a radio program but how many little kids really thought there was
someone who REALLY knew what was in a person’s heart? The good news is THERE IS!!! He is
our Heavenly Father and He’s more than just a “Shadow” on a radio program.
Talking about God knowing
the secrets of our heart, do you sometimes feel compelled to “help someone see
the light” and point out a flaw or a short-coming? You might have the best of
intentions and after all, you have been a Christian for a whole lot longer! God
knows your heart, right? When I read 1 Cor 4:5 I had to read it a couple of times before it
really registered in my brain what Paul was saying. (“Therefore judge
nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the
hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each
one’s praise will come from God.”) He’s reminding us that a servant needs
to focus solely on pleasing his master and NOT be distracted by what others
think of his work or efforts. He’s telling us as believers while we benefit
from constructive evaluations of fellow believers, our ultimate master and
judge is the Lord – and if God is our Judge, we all need to be cautious and
careful about making premature judgments or evaluations of others. Remember that God is our judge and He
doesn’t need our help in that regard; we need to check our own heart…ask
Him to search our heart…BEFORE we act.
So how can our hearts be changed?
Please turn with me to Ezekiel 36:25-27.
God’s promising…
A new heart…a new spirit…
He’ll remove the heart of stone…
He’ll give us a heart of flesh…
He’ll put His Spirit within us…
He’ll cause us to walk in His statutes…
AND… we’ll keep His judgments and DO them!
This is what God said to Israel thru the prophet Ezekiel regarding
the renewal of Israel after they had sinned against Him. He wanted to remind them of how He brought
them thru to the promised land and how, in turn, they defiled that land by
their own ways and deeds instead of following His CLEAR instructions and
commands. He did write it down in stone
afterall! God wants to do these things for us – He tells us CLEARLY what
He wants to do for us through His Word; He also tells us CLEARLY what
will happen if we stray from His commands.
Sounds easy enough, right?
How many of us, as mommies, told our children, “Now if you follow the
rules on this list, you’ll never get in trouble, I won’t yell at you, and
you’ll always get dessert after dinner?”
OK, maybe that was just me…but I’m pretty sure we all had our own
version of that scenario. And how many
times did our children fall short? And
even more – how many times did we wonder to ourselves, “If they’d only done
what I told them to do in the first place, they wouldn’t have lost that
privilege?” I often wonder if God has
ever had that conversation with Himself? “I get Pharoah to let them go AND
pay them to leave; I part the Red Sea so no one gets wet feet; I give them food
to eat for 40 years AND clothes that don’t wear out for 40 years; I provide
crops on land they didn’t plow or sow, and these knuckleheads can’t remember to
serve ONLY Me?”
So what happens when we go off on our own? When we don’t “check
our heart?” We lose? We lose out on all the many ways He wants to bless us.
Through the Fruit of the Spirit He creates in us a new heart and a new spirit. Gal. 5:22 tells us what
that fruit is: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. What an amazing gift from our
Father.
So how do we get this new heart?
Rom. 10:9-10 tells us when we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus and
believe in our HEART that God has raised Him from the dead, we will be saved!
With the HEART we believe and with the mouth we confess for our
salvation. He gives us a new heart and a new spirit that helps us follow Him
and do His will.
2 Cor 5:17 tells us when we come to Christ, God takes away the old
and makes us a new creation!
In Matt 7:9-11 Jesus points out to the crowd that if
they, being evil, wouldn’t fail to give their children good food when they
asked for it, how much MORE will our Father give us when we ask Him? When we
come to Christ, God takes away the old and makes us a new creation. His Word doesn’t say he “repairs” us or
“restores” us – at that VERY moment, the old self dies and a new self is
created! Amazing when you take some time to think about it!
So this new creation is 100% new – with a new heart and all that
comes with it – a thirst and a hunger to serve Him; to be honest; believing,
unafraid, helpful, tender-hearted, loving, faithful, sure, open, repentant,
peaceful. It’s His gift to us!
Our responsibilities to this new heart?
Summed up in one word – it’s FOCUS!
Rom. 8:5-6 is a reminder that we become governed by the things on
which we focus!
Remember King David who chose to focus on Bathseba as she was
bathing on the roof instead of being out with his troops! David had a temporary
lapse in focus but that didn’t prevent him from coming back to God and asking
Him to forgive him. When we lose our focus, all we need to do is come back!
Re-focus on HIM and His Word. God refers to David as a man who sought His own
heart. Being known forever in history as “a man who sought God’s own
heart” makes David someone I look forward to meeting one day.
Eph. 4:20-24 encourages us to put off the old man and put on the new
man!
And Rom. 6:4 reminds us that we walk in the newness
of life…that newness that comes as part of that new heart.
So we need to constantly guard this new heart…remember to
stay focused on the things of the Spirit and not the flesh.
Easy from here on out…right?
No way! Wishful thinking!
Satan tempts us through our very desires! He’s not all-knowing but he sure
knows where my weaknesses are and left to my own devices, I don’t stand a
chance against him.
John 8:31-32 is a reminder that God’s Word sets me free. I’m not asked
to “go it alone.” And Heb. 4:12-13 tells us His
Word is “living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword…it is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart!” Everything…our
thoughts, the desires of our heart…everything is laid bare and open to God…and
we WILL give an account to HIM for those things.
Some might think this has been another long laundry list of “dos”
and “don’ts” and God just doesn’t want us to have any fun. Nothing could be
further from the truth. Just like my earthly father wanted only the best for
me…to be safe, secure, happy, wise AND obedient…our Heavenly Father wants to
give us only the best. And I have to ask myself what greater gift could my
Heavenly Father give me than the privilege to love Him with ALL MY
HEART?
I encourage each of you as you study through each weekly lesson. I
am praying for each of you every day of the week that God will open your heart
and your mind to a new and greater understanding of His Word as you go through
each lesson. I know that He’s already working a change in my heart…and I also
know that change won’t always be easily accepted but it will be what HE wants
and it will be HIS reply as I ask Him to “Search my heart, O God.”
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