The Status of Your Heart
November 2015
“….For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7 AMP
1 Samuel 16:7 AMP
This message has been burning in my spirit for quite some time now. I pray that through this message, you are encouraged, but also provoked and challenged to grow up and really pursue Christ-likeness…not just in the “big” stuff, but the "small" stuff too!
Let me be clear, it DOES matter how you live. We are called to be in the world, but not of it. We are called to be holy and set apart. In everything we do and/or say, we are to be a reflection of Christ….pointing all who come into contact with us to Him. Our actions all week long should always be in line with and back up the Word we hear, the songs we dance to, and the beliefs we proclaim on Sunday morning. Again, it does matter how you live!
As Christians, especially if you have been saved for a while, it is easy, if you're not careful to grow complacent.
It's easy to give yourself a “LIKE” for the things you do and don't do to honor God. It's easy to go to church, serve in 5 different ministries, and attend every service and receive a “LIKE” from people because you are oh so faithful, committed, and on fire for God. Friend, it's easy to post about the Lord on Social Media, get a few “LIKES” and think….”Yes, I’ve arrived!” But here’s the thing….we can do all these things, while inadvertently neglecting the part of us that is most important….our hearts. We should go to church, serve, be a light on social media, and of course, live by what the Word says PUBLICLY AND PRIVATELY, but we must never forget that although man looks at what we do or don't do, God knows the "why," because He looks on the inside where no one can “LIKE” the status of our hearts.
Truth is, you can do all those things, but if your heart is not right, you are not truly honoring the Lord.
Need an example? God corrected the Pharisees in Matthew 23:25-28 NLT:
“….for you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy----full of greed and self-indulgence!
….First wash the inside of the cup and the dish and then the outside will become clean, too….For you are like whitewashed tombs----beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
The Pharisees thought they had it down. They looked like they were extremely committed and faithful to God. They honored Him with their lips and with their service, but their hearts were far from Him! Again, the outside…how we live….does matter, but it's extremely difficult to honor Him…in ALL ways…if our hearts are either divided or not guarded.
Do you have a divided heart?
Does part of you want to honor God, but the other want to impress and please people?
“Am I now trying to win the favor and approval of men, or of God? Or am I seeking to please someone? If I were still trying to be popular with men, I would not be a bond servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10 AMP
Paul made it clear, we either want to have the “LIKE” of people or we want to serve the Lord. If by serving God, we have favor with man…great, but it should never be a desire of our heart or the motive behind our actions.
Are you guarding your heart?
“Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it flows the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23
You can go to church, serve, post on social media, and live right, but trust me, if you are not guarding your heart, spending time with the Lord in prayer and in His Word AND sitting under good, sound teaching, your vineyard is open wide for the enemy to drop “small” seeds like pride, self-righteousness, bitterness, jealousy, envy, un-forgiveness, fear, strife, etc.
And because these are things that no one else can see with the natural eye, if not rooted out, they will take root and produce a harvest in our lives that is not pleasing to or honoring God!
“But whatever (word) comes out of the mouth comes from the heart and this is what defiles and dishonors the man. For out of the heart comes evil thoughts, plans, murders, adulteries, sexual immortalities, thefts, false testimonies, slanders.” Matthew 15:18-19 AMP
"As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects man." Proverbs 27:19 AMP
See friend, it's a heart thing!!!!! Eventually, what is in us, will come out! If not in what we say, it will be through our actions!
So how do we make sure that God “LIKES” the status of our hearts?
1. Yield Ourselves Completely to God
"Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part [of my heart] You will make me know wisdom. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right and steadfast spirit within me." Psalms 51: 6, 10
"Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way." Psalms 139:23-24 AMP
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable and pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, immovable] rock and my Redeemer." Psalms 19:14
Friend, it is so important that we as believers never harden our hearts, but that we always submit and yield our hearts to God. We should go before God and say, " Search me, O God and know my heart, my attitude, my motives, my intentions, my agendas; test me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any thing in me that is not like You. For you desire truth in the innerost being, and in the hidden part of my heart You will make me know wisdom. Lord, create in me a clean heart, and renew a right and steadfast spirit within me. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable and pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, immovable] rock and my Redeemer. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Once you have prayed this, then you should be sure to......
2. Sit under and listen to sound teaching that is in line with the Word of God
AND
Get in the Word for Yourself
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils." 1 Timothy 4:1
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." 2 Timothy 4:3-4
It is so important to be plugged into a church that is teaching/preaching the Word. We are living in the last times, we cannot afford to have itching ears; only wanting to hear what we want to hear. Or even worse, think that because we have been saved for awhile that we do not need to sit and learn from someone else. How does this help with the status of our hearts?
“Every scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, (and) for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action). So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well-fitted and throughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
It is the WORD that is going to cause you to mature in the Lord and be who He has called you to be. Your leader{s} should be teaching/preaching the Word in such a way that you are not only encouraged and taught to walk by faith, but also if need be, convicted of sin...not just the "big" stuff, but also the "little" things like pride, jealousy, envy, strife, un-forgiveness, etc. That Word should if need be, correct you, discipline you in obedience, and help train you in righteousness so that YOU may be complete and proficient, well-fitted and throughly equipped for every good work.
And you must also be in the Word for yourself. You can't just depend on your leader{s} to feed you. The Holy Spirit wants to teach YOU too. How does this help us check the status of our hearts? Well, as Hebrews 4:12 says, the Word is powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, it is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Friend, once you yield your heart to God, sit under good teaching/preaching, and allow the Holy Spirit to teach you in your alone times with God, it's inevitable for you to see you.
You'll see the areas that you are doing well in and the areas that you can improve or change .
The Word is your mirror.
Look into it every day to be sure that you are a true reflection of our Father.
3. Trust Him
"He who learns from instruction and correction is on the [right] path of life [and for others his example is a path toward wisdom and blessing], but he who ignores and refuses correction goes off course [and for others his example is a path toward sin and ruin]." Proverbs 10:17
"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [that is, separate you from profane and vulgar things, make you pure and whole and undamaged—consecrated to Him—set apart for His purpose]; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete and [be found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful and absolutely trustworthy is He who is calling you [to Himself for your salvation], and He will do it [He will fulfill His call by making you holy, guarding you, watching over you, and protecting you as His own]."
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Once He reveals those areas, don't run away from or brush off His correction. Trust Him. Yes, it will be uncomfortable at times, and sure, there may be some things that you feel are not that big of a deal, but again trust Him.
He's doing exactly what you asked and what He promised. He's shaping and molding you into a person that looks, sounds, and walks just like Him. He is also preparing you for those great things that He has prepared for you.
Remember, it's always better to be corrected in private, than to be embarrassed in public.
So friend, I pray that whether you just got saved, or have been saved for decades, that you would go before the Lord and do a heart-check. As believers, we want pure hearts, pure motives, pure agendas, and pure intentions. And the only way that is going to happen is if we yield ourselves to God, sit under good, sound teaching, and allow the Holy Spirit to teach and correct us. God has awesome things in store for you. Let's not let these "little foxes" creep in and hinder what He desires to do in, for, and through us. He's searching much deeper within, through the way things appear, He's looking into our hearts. So let's get back to the heart of worship, where it's all about HIM.
Be encouraged!!!
Let me be clear, it DOES matter how you live. We are called to be in the world, but not of it. We are called to be holy and set apart. In everything we do and/or say, we are to be a reflection of Christ….pointing all who come into contact with us to Him. Our actions all week long should always be in line with and back up the Word we hear, the songs we dance to, and the beliefs we proclaim on Sunday morning. Again, it does matter how you live!
As Christians, especially if you have been saved for a while, it is easy, if you're not careful to grow complacent.
It's easy to give yourself a “LIKE” for the things you do and don't do to honor God. It's easy to go to church, serve in 5 different ministries, and attend every service and receive a “LIKE” from people because you are oh so faithful, committed, and on fire for God. Friend, it's easy to post about the Lord on Social Media, get a few “LIKES” and think….”Yes, I’ve arrived!” But here’s the thing….we can do all these things, while inadvertently neglecting the part of us that is most important….our hearts. We should go to church, serve, be a light on social media, and of course, live by what the Word says PUBLICLY AND PRIVATELY, but we must never forget that although man looks at what we do or don't do, God knows the "why," because He looks on the inside where no one can “LIKE” the status of our hearts.
Truth is, you can do all those things, but if your heart is not right, you are not truly honoring the Lord.
Need an example? God corrected the Pharisees in Matthew 23:25-28 NLT:
“….for you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy----full of greed and self-indulgence!
….First wash the inside of the cup and the dish and then the outside will become clean, too….For you are like whitewashed tombs----beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
The Pharisees thought they had it down. They looked like they were extremely committed and faithful to God. They honored Him with their lips and with their service, but their hearts were far from Him! Again, the outside…how we live….does matter, but it's extremely difficult to honor Him…in ALL ways…if our hearts are either divided or not guarded.
Do you have a divided heart?
Does part of you want to honor God, but the other want to impress and please people?
“Am I now trying to win the favor and approval of men, or of God? Or am I seeking to please someone? If I were still trying to be popular with men, I would not be a bond servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10 AMP
Paul made it clear, we either want to have the “LIKE” of people or we want to serve the Lord. If by serving God, we have favor with man…great, but it should never be a desire of our heart or the motive behind our actions.
Are you guarding your heart?
“Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it flows the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23
You can go to church, serve, post on social media, and live right, but trust me, if you are not guarding your heart, spending time with the Lord in prayer and in His Word AND sitting under good, sound teaching, your vineyard is open wide for the enemy to drop “small” seeds like pride, self-righteousness, bitterness, jealousy, envy, un-forgiveness, fear, strife, etc.
And because these are things that no one else can see with the natural eye, if not rooted out, they will take root and produce a harvest in our lives that is not pleasing to or honoring God!
“But whatever (word) comes out of the mouth comes from the heart and this is what defiles and dishonors the man. For out of the heart comes evil thoughts, plans, murders, adulteries, sexual immortalities, thefts, false testimonies, slanders.” Matthew 15:18-19 AMP
"As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects man." Proverbs 27:19 AMP
See friend, it's a heart thing!!!!! Eventually, what is in us, will come out! If not in what we say, it will be through our actions!
So how do we make sure that God “LIKES” the status of our hearts?
1. Yield Ourselves Completely to God
"Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part [of my heart] You will make me know wisdom. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right and steadfast spirit within me." Psalms 51: 6, 10
"Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way." Psalms 139:23-24 AMP
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable and pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, immovable] rock and my Redeemer." Psalms 19:14
Friend, it is so important that we as believers never harden our hearts, but that we always submit and yield our hearts to God. We should go before God and say, " Search me, O God and know my heart, my attitude, my motives, my intentions, my agendas; test me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any thing in me that is not like You. For you desire truth in the innerost being, and in the hidden part of my heart You will make me know wisdom. Lord, create in me a clean heart, and renew a right and steadfast spirit within me. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable and pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, immovable] rock and my Redeemer. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Once you have prayed this, then you should be sure to......
2. Sit under and listen to sound teaching that is in line with the Word of God
AND
Get in the Word for Yourself
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils." 1 Timothy 4:1
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." 2 Timothy 4:3-4
It is so important to be plugged into a church that is teaching/preaching the Word. We are living in the last times, we cannot afford to have itching ears; only wanting to hear what we want to hear. Or even worse, think that because we have been saved for awhile that we do not need to sit and learn from someone else. How does this help with the status of our hearts?
“Every scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, (and) for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action). So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well-fitted and throughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
It is the WORD that is going to cause you to mature in the Lord and be who He has called you to be. Your leader{s} should be teaching/preaching the Word in such a way that you are not only encouraged and taught to walk by faith, but also if need be, convicted of sin...not just the "big" stuff, but also the "little" things like pride, jealousy, envy, strife, un-forgiveness, etc. That Word should if need be, correct you, discipline you in obedience, and help train you in righteousness so that YOU may be complete and proficient, well-fitted and throughly equipped for every good work.
And you must also be in the Word for yourself. You can't just depend on your leader{s} to feed you. The Holy Spirit wants to teach YOU too. How does this help us check the status of our hearts? Well, as Hebrews 4:12 says, the Word is powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, it is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Friend, once you yield your heart to God, sit under good teaching/preaching, and allow the Holy Spirit to teach you in your alone times with God, it's inevitable for you to see you.
You'll see the areas that you are doing well in and the areas that you can improve or change .
The Word is your mirror.
Look into it every day to be sure that you are a true reflection of our Father.
3. Trust Him
"He who learns from instruction and correction is on the [right] path of life [and for others his example is a path toward wisdom and blessing], but he who ignores and refuses correction goes off course [and for others his example is a path toward sin and ruin]." Proverbs 10:17
"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [that is, separate you from profane and vulgar things, make you pure and whole and undamaged—consecrated to Him—set apart for His purpose]; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete and [be found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful and absolutely trustworthy is He who is calling you [to Himself for your salvation], and He will do it [He will fulfill His call by making you holy, guarding you, watching over you, and protecting you as His own]."
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Once He reveals those areas, don't run away from or brush off His correction. Trust Him. Yes, it will be uncomfortable at times, and sure, there may be some things that you feel are not that big of a deal, but again trust Him.
He's doing exactly what you asked and what He promised. He's shaping and molding you into a person that looks, sounds, and walks just like Him. He is also preparing you for those great things that He has prepared for you.
Remember, it's always better to be corrected in private, than to be embarrassed in public.
So friend, I pray that whether you just got saved, or have been saved for decades, that you would go before the Lord and do a heart-check. As believers, we want pure hearts, pure motives, pure agendas, and pure intentions. And the only way that is going to happen is if we yield ourselves to God, sit under good, sound teaching, and allow the Holy Spirit to teach and correct us. God has awesome things in store for you. Let's not let these "little foxes" creep in and hinder what He desires to do in, for, and through us. He's searching much deeper within, through the way things appear, He's looking into our hearts. So let's get back to the heart of worship, where it's all about HIM.
Be encouraged!!!