Friday, July 3, 2015

Getting Our Heart Right

Date: Friday, July 03, 2015
Chapters: Psalms 114-118
Message Title: Getting Our Heart Right

Hello My Friend,

The heart is the center of our entire being, it feeds off of the wants, needs, and desires of our emotions. A saved soul may have Jesus Christ in it, but it may not feel like it when everything that it's heart longs for seems so far out of reach. We can do everything we are supposed to do to serve God in hopes that it will bring joy, but none of that will do if our heart is not right. “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:” - Matthew 15:18,19.

Part of the reason our heart is not right is because it really doesn't know what it wants. The heart feeds off of our emotions, naturally a heart that longs for love is going to feed off of loneliness and sorrow, Likewise, a heart that longs for revenge feeds off of anger and resentment. The key to getting our heart right is fearing God. Fearing God helps us put all of those emotions aside to see what the root of the matter is. “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake. O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield. Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield. The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great.” - Psalms 115:1,9-13.

A heart that fears God, one that loves and adores God, even when we are angry, sad, or glad learns to trust God and not the circumstances around them. Of course, we are not always going to have a perfect heart, but we can trust the perfect God, who can get it where it needs to be. “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” - 1 Peter 1:22,23.

A defiled heart will not get God's attention, in fact, the more the heart moves away from God the more trouble we get into. However, the pouring out of a broken heart to God does get His attention. “I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul. Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful. The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me. Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.” - Psalms 116:1-7.

God knows what is going on with us, He knows our heart, and even if we are going to do some stupid things as the result of it. He also loves us, and is right there to help us, but He will never intervene when we decide to do things under our own will. Does He want to? Of course, but free will is what gives us a choice in whether or not we call on Him to intervene. It's not that God cannot protect us at any time, in fact, He does it more than we know, it's that we choose our own will. Okay, a person who decides to jog by themselves in pitch dark should know that danger is out there, they choose to do it anyway. And while it is not their fault if something happens to them, they put themselves in danger as they walked into someone else's will. Had a preacher tell us that he never wants to be in someone else's will so he does everything he can to stay in God's. When we are in God's will we are less likely to walk into someone else's. “Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:” - Ephesians 6:5-7.

We can never underestimate God's mercy, even when our heart is not right and we are walking in our own will He is still merciful to us. God may have no mercy on a hard heart that does not know Him and no intention of knowing Him, but His mercy is endless toward those who belong to Him. “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever. Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for ever. Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever. Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth for ever. I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? The LORD taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.” - Psalms 118:1-8.

We cannot trust anyone because we all have this battered and torn flesh that we tote around with us, people are going to let us down, we are going to let people down, but God will never let us down. Yes, of course, we are going to face disappointments, our hearts our going to get broken, we are going to get angry, proud, and bitter, but God is always there to mend us. It's up to us to choose whether or not we get angry at God and get worse or look to Him and let Him heal us. “The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly. I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD. The LORD hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death. Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD: This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter. I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.” - Psalms 118:16-21.

It is only by the mercy and grace of God that any sinner, who puts their faith and trust in Jesus Christ to save them from their sins is saved. We can never lose our salvation, we can however, face some difficulties if we choose to walk in the emotions of our heart rather than with Christ. Our hearts will deceive us time and time again, but God will mend us and give us a new heart if we put our trust in Him, fear Him, and get in His will. Our we always going to be in His will? No, but we can learn to get back in it quick by opening our heart completely to Him. “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” - 1 John 3:18-22.

Today's Prayer: God, Thank You for loving us so much that You gave us Your only begotten Son, so that we can live with You forever. Since You made us in Your image, naturally we are going to have the same emotions as You do, You love, we love, You hurt, we hurt, Your heart gets broken as well as ours does. When our heart gets broke we get into trouble when we act on our emotions, and it affects us physically, mentally, and spiritually. Lord, lead us and guide us, teach us to walk in Your will to keep us from walking in our own, and give us Your power to get back in Your will when we get out of it. Mend and heal our broken hearts, give us the strength to trust You, to do what You want us to do, and not act on our emotions. In Jesus' name, Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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