28 May 2018

LET ME ASK YOU, HOW IS YOUR HEART?

By John Ollis

We sure know and have experienced a thousand times the reality that God had made us males very VISUAL, this is sure not necessarily wrong, as we need to be attracted to the opposite sex for example to help us choose a Life Partner, but visual attraction is not enough in itself, as we must discern what the person is like on the inside, sadly, too many let the external dominate their thinking and emotions and often end up with unhappy marriages and even divorces. God had to bring this fact of not judging by external appearance to Samuel’s attention when he had to choose a new king who would replace Saul, we read this in 1 Samuel 26:7 NKJV
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
But God told Samuel, “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.” MESSAGE
As Believers we need to be very conscious that GOD IS EVER LOOKING AT OUR HEARTS, and we need to let NEITHER  the external appearance or the internal fool us.
Jeremiah the Prophet reminds us in his prophecy 17:9-10 NKJV The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to His ways, according to the fruit of his doings.  
The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God search the heart, and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be. MESSAGE
The reality is, this a description of the heart of man PRE & POST CONVERSION. The sooner every Believer understands this, the quicker many Believers will begin to do some essential things if they are to “Grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ”
We should make King David’s prayer our DAILY PRAYER found in Psalm 139:23-24 NKJV Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. The MESSAGE says: Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I am about; see for Yourself whether I have done anything wrong.
I personally pray this prayer DAILY, as I am so aware that my depraved heart can deceive me, and that easily there can develop a  MIXTURE in my motives and attitudes.Solomon again reminds us in Proverbs 14:23 AMP Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.
The reality is we cannot relax for a moment, but like a soldier set a watch over our hearts and guard it constantly. I know I sure can’t do it on my own, I need all the help I can get, I thank God for the prayer support of others who are in my world, but I also realise, I must do as the Apostle John reminds us in 1 John 1:7 NKJV But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. As I walk in the light of the Word of God and my conscience, and live as God wants me to live, I have additional help, Paul tells us in Philippians 4:7 NKJV and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will GUARD your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  Thank God for His peace, that assists us in the guarding of our hearts.
So let me ask you today, How is your heart? are you guarding it, or are you letting it deceive you ?