A Matter of the Heart
From the Pastor’s heart A matter of the heart
Mar_11:23For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
A couple of years ago, the Lord spoke to me and said; “Believe and pray, not pray to believe”. This woke me up about how I perceived things when praying. The heart is above all deceitful Jer_17:9The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? In a spiritual sense, the heart can deceive you into unbelief rather than causing you to have faith. The heart is the inner man where the seat of his emotions lay. Since we are emotional beings, the heart is tender toward feelings. Yet, feelings are the least of all in determining the truth. The truth produces its own feelings after it is realised. The emotions that proceed from the realisation of the truth far outweigh anything that is possible to feel in the natural. That is why the human concept of love is so fragile and has no true meaning to it. Love between humans truly only exist out of the realisation of the truth. For example; when you know beyond anything else that you are loved, then the attacks of the enemy, tragedies or triumphs in life cannot shake what you know. People have gone to their deaths knowing that they are loved and will not compromise on that knowledge. It is the matter of the heart not the head.
It is time for us to know the truth about God’s love. Maybe we have been under a wrong reasoning about it. I know I have. I believe that circumstances in life and wrong admonition by parents had destroyed my trust in God’s love. Furthermore, when God’s silence was unbearable in the midst of strife, it cause me to think He did not love me. When He did speak to me in an audible voice, I was shaken to the core and my heart was touched so deeply with His assurance of love that I did not have words or feelings to express this love I felt in my heart. Yet, it was not enough for me to understand this love because circumstances in life and my own deliberations in the mind kept me from this love. Till one day, I realised my true identity in God as a child of God and a son who was loved. This shook me to the core again but yet I had more to learn because circumstances in life kept me from the assurances of love. The whole time natural feelings got in the way till finally, one day, I met Him as my Father in Singapore and that changed my opinion about God’s love. Yet, I had much more to learn and face in life. The heart was the recipient of the lessons that followed.
Many a time I was broken and put aside by the cruelty of men and by the attacks of the enemy. Other times, I condemned myself. All these had to come to a place of rest in my heart about God and His love, or I was going to live life a ship tossed to and fro in a storm.Isa_54:11O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. Many Christians are like what this verse describes. They do not know they are actually laid up with precious stones and beauty. The trials of our faith produces that 1Pe 1:7That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
When we discover our true heart condition we realise that we have searched the world for love and found it has slipped through our hands till we came to the knowledge of God’s love. Once that was discovered and established in our hearts then nothing mattered. All of life bowed down to the fullness of this love of God and our hearts settled on it.
My friends, the heart cries out for recognition of the pain it goes through. We look to man to fulfil that recognition and at other times we resort to worldly pleasures and pursuits and become addicted to things that do not edify the heart. Other times, we allow the heart to be so beaten up that bitterness and un-forgiveness become the stronghold so we are easily offended. These things are all to do with satan. God is love and those who are not perfected in love are tormented. 1Jn 4:18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
The devil always seeks to condemn us. 1Jn 3:19And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. 1Jn 3:20For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 1Jn 3:21Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 1Jn 3:22And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. The Lord gave us a heart not to condemn us but to convict us. By convicting us, we can change through repentance if there be any sin and if there be no sin then we can receive the conviction of instructions from God no matter who gives them, without fear.
The whole purpose of the heart is to make a person stronger than they are. When the mind is attacked confusion prevails. When the heart is attacked, emotions go out of line and problems arise. The enemy’s darts are aimed at the heart and the mind. So, God gave us peace. Peace acts as a shield against the darts of the enemy Php 4:6Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Php 4:7And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. I have often come across people who have had no peace that has affected them considerably. What seems to be worse still is, they are tossed to and fro with circumstances. God speaks to the heart which is the spirit of man. When God does that, there comes an assurance that breaks every chain of fear and despair. Once that word comes from God, faith arises and man is able to keep his heart from anything that comes to steal, kill and destroy that seed that God plants in our hearts. Seek that word from God.
The parable of the Sower always refers to the condition of the heart and uses soils to describe it. However, three soils do not seem to be able to keep that seed (word) that is planted in it. The devil steals it, the offences of the word shake them and they walk away from its requirements and the cares of the world choke that seed and make the heart ineffective. It is only the good soil that is able to retain the seed of God. What then is the good soil? The good soil is the heart that is tested and ready to receive what God has said. It should be our faith that what God promised, He will do. No matter how long or how difficult the journey becomes that word only takes root more so because the heart is settled on God and on His love and goodness. When did that heart settle on God? I believe when it encountered God as beyond reproach. That reasoning sometimes takes a journey of time to arrive at and other times an encounter with God settles the heart. No one can be sure how that happens or why. I have met people who have had one encounter with God and have never been moved by circumstances after that. Others I have met have had journeys of having to learn to trust God. Yet, it seems that either way, the trials of faith do not diminish. In fact they are there to establish the heart and make it more fixed in the things of God. Out of that come the issues of life. So the Bible says; Pro_4:23Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. The keeping of the heart can only be done by the word of God finding its rest more and more in good soil to establish itself. It has to be watered and nurtured in situations and circumstances by applying the word we receive. Precept upon precept, line upon line and slowly but surely the heart is edified and strengthened.
It has been a long journey for man to discover his heart. Many hardened criminals and desperate people including those in many wrong ways of life have found that it was their heart condition that caused them to become what they became. It was by some evil penetration of the heart through the enemies lies that caused them to believe a lie. Jer_17:5Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. Once each one of us come to the realisation of the truth, our hearts are released from all evil and we come to feel once again. The hard heart becomes a heart of flesh. Eze_11:19And 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:
Dear family in God, the promises in God through Christ are yeah and Amen. Do not be easily disturbed nor walk in despair over circumstances in life or what you hear. Even people close to you will hurt you one way or another. Yet, God loves you and will bring you to recognition of how to apply His love in all situations. Wisdom follows the heart that is settled on God. No man can remove you from His palm; only you can withdraw from this incredible love. He seeks you and wants your heart. Give Him your heart. It is safe to do so and He will heal you and protect you and wipe away all your tears.
Isa_26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Lots of love
Pastor Noble