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Of the Heart

Did you know the heart is what really matters? Physically it is the hollow, muscular organ that circulates the blood by alternate dilation and contraction. The heart needs to operate within a certain pressure and rhythm for your body to stay healthy. If it fails to operate then the body ceases to function and you die. The health of your heart is very important. This is also true spiritually. Spiritually the heart is the center of feelings and the seat of the affections. There are several versus that describe how important your heart is your spiritual life. Matthew 15:18-19 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:

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?
What is in your heart guides your speech, your thoughts, and your actions. A heart that is full of sin cannot produce good fruit. Your heart is what the Lord sees. I’m not saying he doesn’t see your actions or deeds but your heart is where God wants to be.

1 Samuel 16:7 For the Lord seeth not as man seeth: for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

This why the greatest commandment given is “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” (Matthew 22:37)

You might ask how do I change my heart from being evil to being good? David said “Create in me a clean heart O God;”

Ezekiel 11:19-20 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh. That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

Psalms 34:18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart: and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
I have read scriptures in the Old Testament that talked about serving God with a perfect heart. What does this mean? Does it mean that you are without sin? That you live a perfect life?

1 Chronicles 28:9 And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee:…

Serving the Lord with a perfect heart doesn’t mean that you are a perfect person. I feel that it means that your heart is fixed on God and that he is at the center of your life. Your thoughts are toward Him. Your desires are toward Him and His way.

Psalms 57:7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.

This verse doesn’t include doubts about what your purpose is or fear of what might happen. It says your heart is determined and settled. Sometimes in the journey of life we lose our focus. Our heart becomes drawn away by our own desires and we dwell on our circumstances instead of seeking God first in our lives.

I was reading my Bible and read the verse below and God convicted my heart. Like me you might be going to church, reading your Bible, doing good to others but if your heart isn’t fixed on Him then you will feel empty. When I read this verse I realized that I wasn’t seeking Him with my heart. It’s when my heart seeks after Him that I am blessed.

Psalms 27:8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face: my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.

I think this is what is lacking in our worship of the Lord. You can go through the actions and follow the program but if you heart is not seeking and fixed upon Him then the heart will not be filled as it needs to be but will be empty of that strength that it needs.

Matthew 23:26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

I desire a closer walk with God. I want to make a greater difference in this world. I want to feel more of His Holy Spirit in my life.

I want God to work miracles in the lives of those around me. I want to be in God’s favor and under His wings.

God doesn’t measure us on our ability to do great things. But God does search our hearts to see if our heart is for Him. A heart that is fixed recognizes that God is omnipotent, God is in control, God knows best, and God is the center of your existence.

Psalms 28:7 …my heart trusteth in Him, and I am helped.

Creating A Miracle Atmosphere

A miracle is defined as a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency.

I am slowly learning the purpose of miracles in my life.

Miracles are not to brag or boast about, they are to humble you by the fact that without God we cannot do anything.

Miracles are not for us to forget but for us to remember that there is a God that loves us.

While miracles surprise us naturally on earth they are commonplace in the supernatural.

Miracles do not happen for history to continue and repeat itself. Miracles come for us to learn and to be thankful for our newfound knowledge that we would have otherwise have lacked without God.

The base components of a miracle are:

  1. a welcoming environment for the godhead (god, spirit, son)

  2. a recognizing of needs beyond our control

  3. unwaivering faith not crumbled by doubt and temptation

  4. compassion for others and a willingness to help

  5. full and entire obedience to the full call of God

1) This miracle of sight to the blind shows that if we will not over complicate our approach to God and bring a humble faith that things can begin to be opened!

We must learn to open our hearts and welcome God in the midst of our lives

Matthew 9:27-31

27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us.

28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.

29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.

30 And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.

31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.

2) The virtue going out from Christ shows that through our advocate of Christ that our faith is enough to cause miracles to come to pass, only but be faithful!

Luke 8:43-48

43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,

44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.

45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.

47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.

48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

3) Though it was a spirit of infirmity, an evil spirit, that she was under the power of, Christ has a power superior to that of Satan, is stronger than he.

Luke 13:10-17

10 And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.

11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.

12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.

13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.

15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his donkey from the stall, and lead him away to watering?

16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

17 And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.

4) This miracle of faith shows that it is far more easier to exercise compassion and faith towards God than to act as though we are going to ever help people by judgments and forms of reason

Mark 2:1-12

2 And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.

And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.

And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.

And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,

Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?

And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?

Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?

10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)

11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.

12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

5) Jesus’s demonstrated lack of fear and hesitancy toward the leper showed that God wants to reach out to others to whom the world would call “untouchable” by our full and entire obedience

Luke 5:12-16

12 And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.

14 And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

15 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.

16 And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed

The Concept Of “With All My” Being Applied To Love

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thine soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates”

To break this away from being standard commentary, I’ll simply put it like this: this is the part of love that is missing today. Loving from the heart requires a lot of due diligence, patience, understanding, and paying attention to details one normally would pass on by. Loving from the heart will love in spite of faults and help to promote the greater good in one who has failed. Most importantly, loving from the heart is the fuel and the passion that drives everything else in our lives.

I will be real honest with you today. It is hard to see people try so hard in church and at life and still feel like that they fail. When asked directly about what needs to begin to change, the first thing I always reference to is starting to love God with all of your heart in a greater way. Upon hearing this people generally will typically roll their eyes, laugh, or almost get angry with me as if I am questioning or judging them. You can laugh if you wish, but the truth to this is that no one really wants to hear honest answers about why we fail!

Here’s the bottom line: if we love God more, the qualities of God begin to reflect in us and help us to succeed and give us strength when we feel like we do not. As you love God greater, the amount of self-admitted failures dramatically reduce and begin to be turned into parts of life that are continually mended by God’s leadership. And finally, to my favorite part I say this: as we have a strong foundation in love, we are able to love others the way they need to be loved!