A New Heart of Love

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a tender heart."

(Ezekiel 36:26)

This amazing New Covenant promise from God to all those who are His—born again by His Spirit—gives me so much joy in Christ, and promises me absolute hope, and God's never-ending peace for my life.

*Note: I have not taken Ezekiel 36:26 and used it here as a "proof text" to prove my point of view. On the contrary, I have been moved and inspired by the eternal truth of the precious New Covenant promise from God, in this verse in Ezekiel chapter 36 to give us a new spirit and a new heart. And then I sought out through the Bible, further confirmation of that promise. And what I have found, and continue to find, is that our hearts have been made new.

One of my most precious memories of my relationship with my mom, was her sharing with me how God had given her a new heart.

"Mark, there's one thing I know for sure, and that is, God changed my heart; and that was something I could not do for myself."

The new heart that God gave me, is so profoundly real to me today and I can rejoice, because I know it's not the old "me" - It's, "Christ in me." (Colossians 1:27)

I think back with sad regret on just how selfish, arrogant, cynical, and hard-hearted I was before Jesus drew me to Himself and saved me. Before He changed me, my heart was bitter, mean-spirited, and deceitful. I used to do "nice things" for my wife, but I always had a selfish agenda for doing so. 

I was incapable of loving anyone unconditionally.

But, because Jesus took the heart of stone out of me, and gave me a new tender heart, now I am free to love unconditionally.

Now, I am not saying that when we're born again that we're "perfect" just like God is perfect. But my new tender heart that God gave me—my new inward man—no longer wants to want to sin.  Before Christ was in me, my heart desired to sin continuously. But no longer. 

Now when sin rears it's ugly head in my life, it's not me that wants to sin, it's the old man/sin nature that dwells in me that wants to do evil. 

There's a big difference. 

Sadly, a number of Christians today believe that even after getting saved, our hearts are still wicked. The following passage of scripture is one that I believe is being wrongly applied to born again believers today and is causing problems in the Church:

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

Before we were saved and born again by God's grace through the gift of faith, yes; absolutely, our hearts were wicked and deceitful. But that was before God Himself came in to dwell in our hearts. That was before He took the heart of stone out of us and gave us a new tender heart and put His Spirit in us. 

But not everyone believes God's promises.

After Jesus was resurrected, He came upon two men walking along the road to a village called Emmaus. They were discussing the events of His crucifixion. As they walked along the road it says they talked and reasoned together of all these things which had happened and were sad. Jesus came alongside them, though they didn't recognize Him, and He asked them what they were talking about?

After one of them basically dismissed Him as someone who should have known what happened in Jerusalem over the last few days, they recapped the events of the crucifixion, the burial and the empty tomb, and how they had hoped that (He) was the one who was going to redeem Israel.

Jesus responded to them, and I believe He did so with love and warmth in His eyes and voice, saying:

“O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:25)

The point is, the Scriptures are full of promises of His coming, crucifixion, resurrection. But they were slow of heart to believe God's promises.

Why are we sometimes like that today? 

What is this "heart" that the Bible speaks of? Paul writes that we are the dwelling place of God—the temple of the Holy Spirit:

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16)

In the physical Temple in the Old Testament, God's presence dwelled in the innermost chamber, in the center of the Temple: The Holy of Holies.

Our heart is the deepest innermost part of our being—the holy of holies of our temple—if you will. And our heart—the dwelling place of God in us—has been made new.

I believe this promise from God's Word:

“That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19)

And this promise:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Jesus Christ—God Himself—dwells in my heart. In Him, I am rooted and grounded in love. In Him, I know the love of Christ which passes all knowledge. I don't believe that Jesus would come to indwell a heart that is still wicked.

I believe that Jesus came to heal our broken hearts—to make our hearts whole:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.” (Luke 4:18)

The naysayers continue to insist that our hearts are still wicked. However, I believe the solution and answer to this centuries-old debate rings loud and clear in a single word:

LOVE

If our hearts were still wicked, we couldn't love God with all of our heart, or love our neighbor as ourselves. We couldn't love our enemies and pray for those who curse us and spitefully use us. We couldn't have God's mercy or compassion on the lost or hurting. And we couldn't love sacrificially as Jesus did.

Jesus said:

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)

Jesus' Rivers of Living Water cannot flow out of a wicked heart. And the notion that our hearts are still  wicked is, in my opinion, a lie from Satan.

Think about it.

Who stands to gain anything by trying to get us to believe that God broke His promise to give us a new heart and a new spirit?  Satan.

Now, some of you will be saying, "Yeah, but I still have wicked thoughts or desires. So where does that junk come from!"

From your old flesh—not from your new heart. 

What is the "flesh?"

It's your old sin nature, also called "the old man." It's part of the fleshly body that we all still inhabit, with all of its impure appetites and evil desires. 

Paul writes:

“But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I don't want to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I don't wish to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wants (wills) to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.  But I see another law in my members (flesh), warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members (flesh).” (Romans 7:17-23)

Some key points Paul makes in this section of Romans 7:

1.  "But now (i.e. now that I'm born again), it is no longer "I" (the "I" Paul is talking about is the new man) who do it, but sin (the old man/sin nature) that dwells in me." - Paul says it twice: "It's no longer me, it's sin that dwells in me."

2.  "I delight in the Law of God according to the inward man."  The old man/sin nature does not delight in the Law of God, but the new/inward man does. Some people don't like the phrase "dual nature" saying it's unbiblical, and that we do not have a dual nature as Christians. But I believe Paul's teachings clearly show that we do. The old man and the new man.

3.  "With the mind (i.e. the mind of the new man/inward man) I serve the law of God. - But with the flesh (my old man/sin nature) (I serve) the law of sin."

When I read these verses it becomes clear to me that Paul is saying, 'There's this new spiritual "me" that delights in serving God in my (new) inward man."   - But there's this old man/sinful nature; i.e. my flesh that serves sin. And, when I do sin, it's no longer "the new Me" who does it, it's the old flesh-man who does it. 

This clearly illustrates a dual nature that lives in a man. One man; with two co-existing natures.

Pastor David Guzik said the following, in the "The Battle Between Two Selves" in his commentary on Romans 7:

“Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

a. I find then a law, that evil is present with me: Anyone who has tried to do good is aware of this struggle. We never know how hard it is to stop sinning until we try. “No man knows how bad he is until he has tried to be good.” (C.S. Lewis) 

b. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man: Paul knows that his real inward man has a delight in the law of God. He understands that the impulse to sin comes from another law in my members. Paul knows that the “real self” is the one who does delight in the law of God. 

i. The old man is not the real Paul; the old man is dead. The flesh is not the real Paul; the flesh is destined to pass away and be resurrected. The new man is the real Paul; now Paul’s challenge is to live like God has made him.”

I believe the old man (flesh) and the new man (spirit/heart/inward man) are present in each of us, and we have to decide daily, moment by moment, "Am I going to put on the new man? Or the old man?"

Your new nature - the "new man" is the Born Again, spiritual person God has now made you to be. But you still have that old fleshly body attached, with all of  it's sinful desires. And it is the weak, old sin nature that Satan tries to tempt.  

But your new heart—your new man—doesn't want anything to do with that filthy junk. The new man wants to submit to God, and resist the devil. The new man desires to draws near to God. The new man wants to love, praise and glorify God.

Do you see?

It's your flesh...your old sin nature that is bad. It's the old man; the flesh that sins. Paul made this very clear in Romans 7, "It is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me."

But the writer of Hebrews 10:22 speaks of the new heart, (the new man) and says, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience…”

We can draw near to God with a true heart in full assurance of faith because our hearts have been washed clean and made new by the Blood of the Lamb—Jesus Christ—"sprinkled from an evil conscience." 

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

  

Life More Abundantly

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

—Jesus  

What does that promise from Jesus of having "Life more abundantly" mean to you personally?

I've been having a great discussion with a close friend on what that means to each of us. Here is what it means to me.

When I read that passage in my morning devotion, the first thing that popped into my heart was: 

"Christ in me; the hope of glory."

Here's the entire passage:

“The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:26-27)

God Himself—Jesus Christ—lives in me. 

His peace is always with me, no matter what dire circumstances the world throws at me, or whatever fiery arrows the Enemy launches at me. Because Jesus Christ dwells in me, I know I am loved, and that I am His. I have Hope that cannot be quenched. And because I am in Christ, and He is in me, when the Father sees me, He doesn't see Mark the filthy, lying, sinner; He sees His Son. 

Because Christ lives in me, I am truly free—free indeed. I am no longer a prisoner of my sin. Jesus paid it all, covered my sin, took my death sentence and put it on Himself. I have been set free from the law of sin and death. I am free from my guilt and shame of all the horrific things I have done in this lifetime.  

For me, that reality of freedom is "life more abundantly."

Therefore, I am free to love. 

Free to give to others what I have freely received. Free to enjoy all things that God has given me. Free to enjoy a day on the river, fishing with a friend, because I don't have to jump through any religious hoops to gain my Father's approval. 

I am Free by the spirit of adoption, by which I can now cry out, "Abba Father!" And I have access to my Heavenly Father 24/7, because I am now a son of the Most High God. 

And whenever I stumble and fall, He picks me up, dusts me off, and sets me back on the right path.

Because I have Christ in me, the hope of glory, I am free to rest in His love, His promises and His plan for my life. He has fore-ordained my steps, and The Pressure Is Off because it's not up to me to finish the good work that He began in me. He said that HE will complete the good work that He began in me. HE is the Author and the Finisher of my faith. I don't have to perform like a cowering employee or a trained circus dog. I am now His son because Christ is in me.  

And Jesus said He came to heal my broken heart, and to make my heart whole.  

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed.” (Luke 4:18)

He also helps me to turn my focus off of myself, and my problems, and to seek first His Kingdom, and then the things that I need will be added unto me. He turns my focus onto others who need His love, mercy, compassion, and encouragement, and sometimes even His admonishment. 

He strengthens me to do whatever He calls me to do. 

And because He lives in me, He helps me to delight myself in Him. I know by His Word that He will give me the desires of my heart when I delight myself in the Lord.

Life more abundantly from Him also gives me the love, wisdom, strength, mercy, and compassion to reach out to others, such as through this little Love Never Fails blog. 

Life more abundantly from Him helps me to love my wife with His Agape love, rather than with my own conditional love. 

It's those Rivers of Living Water that Jesus promised us in John 7:38.

 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)

Life more abundantly from Him humbled me to talk with compassion, to a nice Mormon girl who just happened to show up at our church on Sunday night, and for me and my wife to encourage and pray for her and her new Christian friend who invited her there.

But after the gift of salvation and Christ living in me, perhaps the next greatest blessing of being a follower of Christ is having meaningful relationships with my eternal family now. 

Our close friends, with whom we have fellowship on a regular basis, and the godly men that Jesus has placed into my life, are priceless. 

If I did not have the small group of 'band of brothers' in my life, who are true friends who stick closer than a brother—friends who have my back, who pray for me, who come alongside me and encourage me—who are there with me in the foxhole of life—I don't think I could make it in this difficult life. 

I know that I am not in this battle alone.

Because Jesus lives in us, we can have amazing, beneath the surface, meaningful relationships with other like-minded people who love God, and who want to see His kingdom come, and His will be done.

Because Christ lives in me, I can rest in His faithfulness.

"Christ in me; the hope of glory."

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

—What does Jesus' promise of "Life more abundantly" mean to you personally?

The Battlefield is Your Mind

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

(2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

One of my favorite authors wrote, "You must fight for your life." 

No, not fight physically, though, it may one day come to that. But rather, to fight spiritually; in your thoughts. 

The prize your Enemy wants to capture is your heart—but the battlefield is your mind.

Your Enemy is an unseen enemy who is very good at what he does. He's had at least 6,000 years to perfect his schemes.  And he is an enemy who never sleeps, who constantly comes against us 24/7, with one goal: to steal, to kill and to destroy.

Most of us will never correctly discern what we are going through and what we see happening in the world, until we see it in the context of war—a war against our minds and our hearts. 

When really bad things happen in this world, or, closer to home, sometimes people can think some really horrible things about God. "A loving God would never allow that to happen!" 

But the truth is, we all have the ability to freely choose how we live.  And there are consequences for our choices.  We are accountable.  All of us.  Call it what you will; "Karma," or, "You reap what you sow," or, "What comes around goes around."

So, before you blame God for the evils you see people committing every day, remember that we all are free to choose our own path. We are not programmed robots.  Your conscience tells you that what you are doing or thinking, is either right, or wrong. 

Don't blame someone else for the poor choices you've made—or are still making.

For followers of Christ, we have been told in advance, "We who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."  That unseen enemy that many of us act like does not even exist, is out to persecute and attack us continuously.  When you walk by faith and seek to be obedient to whatever God calls you to do, you paint a big bulls eye on your back.  You are now a target for a barrage of fiery arrows from the dark side.  You can count on it. 

We are at war. 

Those fiery arrows—or darts, are aimed at our minds, sent to capture our hearts. And they most often come in the form of lies, division, bitterness, unforgiveness, jealousy, suspicion, or accusation against someone in your life.  They take other forms too; lust, envy, idolatry, hatred, or complaining.  When we complain about our life or circumstances, we are basically telling God, "I can't trust You to manage my life!"

Be careful.

Your unseen enemy’s number one objective is to get you to believe his lying accusations against God in your mind and thoughts.  He wants you to think that God is not really for you, but that He is actually against you.  He wants you to think that God does not keep His promise to, "Cause all things to work together for good to those who love Him, and are called according to His purpose."  He wants you to think that God didn't mean it when He said, "I will never leave you or forsake you."

Our Enemy was a liar from the beginning and he is the father of lies. He only comes to steal, kill and destroy.  He wants to kill your peace and your joy.  He wants to steal your hope.  He wants to destroy your heart and your faith.  He wants to isolate you and get you to think horrible things about God.  

Don't believe his lies.

Paul writes of how to win this epic battle in the sixth chapter of his letter to the church in Ephesus:

”Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not war against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."

Stay close to Jesus fellow soldier. 

Putting on the whole armor of God is to put on Christ.  Abide in Him. Draw close to Him.  Seek Him and ask Him in your times of prayer to draw you ever closer to Him, and to change your heart. Taking up the shield of faith is to place all of our trust in Christ for His strength, provision and protection.

The battle is for your heart, through your mind. Therefore, you have to change or renew  your thinking. And test every bad or wrong thought by the Word of God.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and prove what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)

The bottom line is: we must take captive every thought and make it obedient to the mind of Christ.

Therefore, have the mind of Christ, and surrender every space in your heart to God, that He may reign supreme there, always.

—As a close friend of mine often reminds me... "This is life or death!"

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

The Marriage Creed

"A new commandment I give to you: love one another—as I have loved you."

—Jesus

My wedding ring is a perfect picture of our marriage. 

After over twenty-six years, even though it has taken some hits, has some battle scars, and is missing a few gemstones; praise God—the circle remains unbroken.

This morning I was remembering a wedding gift that my parents gave us when we were first married.  It was a little plaque called "The Marriage Creed."  I have no idea what ever happened to it, but the message of the Marriage Creed has remained with us.  

I imagine in our frustration of trying to make a troubled marriage work, that the plaque probably got stuffed in a box somewhere and put away in the attic, because, no matter how hard we tried in our own strength and best intentions, we couldn't keep the 'ten commandments' of the marriage creed perfectly.

Without God's help and Him changing our hearts—we failed, and did so miserably.

Here are the timeless words that are inscribed on that little marriage plaque.

The Marriage Creed:

1.  Comfort Each Other

Provide a refuge and sanctuary for each other from the chill winds of the world. Your marriage is a hearth, from whence comes the peace, harmony and warmth of soul and spirit.

2.  Caress as You Would Be Caressed

Warm your loved one's body with your healing touch. Remember that as babies can die from a lack of touching, so can marriage wither from a lack of closeness.

3.  Be a Friend and a Partner

Friendship can be a peaceful island, separate and apart, in a world of turmoil and strife. Reflect upon the tranquility of the many future years you can share with a true friend and beware of becoming battling enemies under the same roof.

4.  Be Open With Each Other

Bind not yourselves in the secretness that causes suspicion and doubt. Trust and reveal yourselves to each other, even as the budding rose opens to reveal its fragrance and beauty.

5.  Listen To Each Other

And hear not only words, but also the non-language of tone, mood, and expression. Learn to listen to understand—rather than listening to argue.

6.  Respect Each Other

Remember that each is a person of flesh and blood, entitled to his or her own choices and mistakes. Each owns himself, and has the right to equality.

7.  Allow The Other To Be An Individual

Seek not to create for each other a new mold that can only fit with much discomfort and pain. Accept the other as they are, as you would have yourself accepted.

8.  Give Each Other Approval

Remember criticism divides, while compliments encourage confidence in the other. Hasten not to point out the other's mistakes, for each will soon discover his own.

9.  Cherish Your Union

Let no one come between your togetherness; not child, not friend, nor worldly goods. Yet maintain enough separateness to allow each other his—or her—own unique oneness.

10.  Love One Another

Love is your river of life—your eternal source of recreating yourselves. Above all else, love one another.

The heart of the message here is, unselfish love given sacrificially to one's spouse. "Prefer one another, and seek the good of each other over your own good."

For husbands, we are to lead in love.  Ephesians chapter 5:25-32 lines it out for us perfectly:

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church; for we are members of His body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery; but I am talking about Christ and the church."

So many husbands today are not giving themselves in love for their wives. 

Far too many men live as if their first "ministry" is their job.  This is so hurtful and destructive, and is not God's will.  Men, your first ministry before God is to sacrificially love and serve your wife.  Then your children come next (See # 9 in the Marriage Creed).  Everything else, including your job and/or any kind of "church ministry" comes after your wife and children.

Gentlemen; let the circle be unbroken. Let nothing come between you and your bride.

God gave you His own precious daughter—to be your wife to love and serve.  

And one day, we will all stand before Christ and give an account of how well we loved and served our wives with God's sacrificial love.

Lead courageously, lead compassionately, and lead in God's love.

Jesus said:

"A new commandment I give unto you:  Love one another—as I have loved you."

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

God's Precious Promises to you

"Which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." 

(2 Peter 1:4)

Many of God's people today are living in fear, or have been neutralized and rendered ineffective, because they have listened to the Enemy of our souls—the father of lies, and have bought into the false accusations that the devil has made against them.

I believe the reason that many people are not living victoriously in Christ, is because they either do not remember who they are in Christ, or because they have never been taught who they are.

First and foremost, when you give your heart to Jesus Christ and are Born Again by God's Spirit—you become a son or daughter of God Himself.

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God." (Romans 8:14-16)

As God's own children, to you He has made many, many true and precious promises.

When the lying Enemy is trying to tell you that you are not really a child of God, that you're not saved, or that you're not going to make it, you cannot listen to these wicked voices. You must read, memorize, meditate on, and proclaim aloud the Word of God that tells you who you really are in Christ, and what God has promised to you as one of His children.

I believe that most anxiety, despair and even depression could be relieved, if people would stop listening to the Enemy, and stop buying into his lies. And instead, go to God's Word and believe what He says about you—and what He says about Himself—as your Heavenly Father.

Here is a short list of just a few verses (there are many more in the Bible) that proclaim God's promises, protection and provision to us—His children. I've personalized a few of them to emphasize these are God's promises to you—not just to some people in the Bible two or three thousand years ago. 

When you read through these verses, read them aloud. Proclaim them in faith. Personalize them. 

Own them.

They're yours.

GOD’s Precious Promises to you.

 “NO weapon formed against me shall prosper, and every voice which rises against me in judgment God shall condemn.”  (Isaiah 54:17)

 “For God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

 “Do not be afraid of their faces, For I Am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 1:8)

 “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord is my God. He is the One who goes with me. He will not leave me nor forsake me.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

“They shall not prevail against me.”  (Jeremiah 1:19)

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)

“You have granted me life and favor, And Your care has preserved my spirit.” (Job 10:12)

 “The Lord is my strength, And He is the saving refuge of His anointed.´ (Psalm 28:8)

 “Trust in Him at all times; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.” (Psalm 62:8)

 “But my eyes are upon You, O' GOD the Lord; In You I take refuge.”  (Psalm 141:8)

 “You shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch you out of My hand.” (John 10:28)

 “God shall supply all my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

 “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.” (2 Sam 22:2-4)

 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27) 

This is God's Word.

Truth. 

Immutable. Unchanging. Rock-solid.

If you fill your heart and mind with God's Word, and His precious promises to you, there won't be room in your thoughts for the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Corruption, lust, immorality, perversion, wickedness—these things are all around us, every day, 24/7. But you don't have to fill your mind with these things. 

Mediate, chew on, digest, the Word of God.

And test every voice you hear, every teaching, and every man's opinion by the unchanging Word of God.

Then, when the lying voices of your Enemy come—and they will come—you will be equipped by the Word and by the Holy Spirit, to submit to God, and resist the devil. And God's Word promises that when you do this, the devil must flee.

—It's God's promise to you, and to me.

Believe it and receive it.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

  

What Are You Feeding Your Heart?

"All ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them—and that Rock was Christ."

(1 Corinthians 10:3-4)

The above passage speaks of the Israelites being led out of bondage by Moses in the wilderness. However, most of them complained against God and "lusted after evil things", and as the Bible says:

"With them God was not well pleased." 

Sadly, most of them were scattered in the wilderness—victims of their own hardened hearts, murmuring, and unbelief.

How's your heart today?

The condition of your heart is determined by what you are feeding it.

Last week we purchased some strawberries, blueberries, bananas, sunflower seeds, honey, and a huge jug of Rice Protein Powder. We've been talking about eating healthier for months. And I've really been wanting to start making myself a healthy smoothie again every morning, like I used to when I was in great shape. 

But you know how that goes. 

Sometimes it's so much easier to procrastinate and just continue to eat fast food.

Fast food.

It doesn't require any work on my part to sit there and eat fast food. You fill yourself and then just want to lay down and take a nap. Lethargic, sleepy, unmotivated, sluggish—these words can all describe a person who has gorged themselves on comforting, fast food.

"Just let me watch the football game!" you say to your spouse who asked you to take out the garbage.

When you eat fast food on a daily basis, you don't feel like working at all. You get fat. You get sick. Sometimes you get diseases. Your joints begin to hurt. It's extremely hard to be productive.

Now think about how it affects you when all you eat is spiritual fast food.

Spiritually, you get lethargic, sleepy, unmotivated, sluggish. You can get spiritually sick. You're unproductive. And it's hard to get anything done.

You have to feed your body healthy things just as you have to feed yourself healthy things spiritually.

What are you feeding your heart?

Making myself a fresh fruit smoothie every morning takes some work. 

I have to get up a bit earlier than usual. I have to wash the blender and its components. Then I have to get the fruit out of the fridge. Next; get out the protein powder and almond milk. I have to slice the bananas. Then I need to measure out two tablespoons of protein powder. I assemble this all in the blender, and then add some honey and cinnamon. And then, if my wife is still asleep, I need to take our super-noisy blender out to the garage to run it, so I don't wake her up.

It would have been so much easier to just have a bowl of Captain Crunch, or get an Egg McMuffin on my way to work.

But it has been my taking the lazy man's path of least resistance—eating fast and easy comfort food every day—that brought me to the place where I am now seriously overweight and out of shape. 

And that's precisely what my sin has been: the sin of laziness.

My physical body is now sick—lethargic, sleepy, unmotivated, sluggish. 

It's much harder now for me to be productive.

I know what I need to eat, and how much I need to exercise to be healthy and fit the way I used to be. So, I know what to do.

The problem is I'm just not doing it.

This year, I am resolute to never again make a "New Year's Resolution."

Making half-hearted resolutions on New Year's Day, which you know deep-down, you're probably not going to keep, is called a "faulty change method." 

*(See James MacDonald's study on change; "Week 1: Take Out The Garbage"): http://www.harvest5g.org/newsletterentry.aspx?entry_id=264747&site_id=10735

It's so easy to say, "I am going to change."

But actually making the change is a different story altogether.

The best book I read in 2012 is, "I Really Do Want To Change: So, Help Me, God." (James MacDonald, Harvest Bible Chapel).

After identifying the top seven faulty change methods, MacDonald prescribes the only two things that can help us to actually change:

1.  Confess and admit to God—your problem is a Heart Problem.

2.  Turn to God—acknowledging that only He can change your heart.

Both of these prescribed things require that you go to God personally.

You have to get alone with Him, in a quiet place, and confess and admit that you have a heart problem. And then cry out to Him in desperation that you know that only He can change your heart. And then ask Him to change you.

He will absolutely meet you in that place if you truly come to Him in brokenness, humility and sincerity.

Feed your heart with the Presence of God. 

The Bible says, "Times of refreshing will come from the presence of the Lord." (Acts 3:19)

As well as, "In Your presence is fullness of joy!" (Psalm 16:11)

The mistake that many people make in this instance, is to stop when they "don't feel anything."

You may feel something. Most often you may not.

It's not about feeling.  

It's about faith.

God promises in His Word—the Bible: "He is our very present help in time of need."

This is a Promise from our Father. It's not just text in an old book.

But remember, unbelief is what kept most of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness for 40 years before they finally died out there.

They refused to believe God.

Their hearts were hardened.

Remember, as it says in 1 Corinthians 10:3-4, our "Spiritual food and drink is Christ."

Our nourishment—our Life—is in Jesus Christ.

A personal relationship with Jesus is our only source of Life. He is your strength, your hope, your help, your joy, and your peace.

"And Jesus said to them: 'I Am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." (John 6:35)

But if you continue to feed your heart the same kind of evil stuff the wandering Israelites lusted after—fast, easy, worldly, spiritual junk food—you will only get fatter, lazier, more unproductive, and sicker. And you make yourself an easy target for the Enemy of your soul; who only comes to steal, kill and destroy you.

—What are you feeding your heart?

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

With All of Your Heart

"When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people—if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways—then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place."

(2 Chronicles 7:13-15) 

On the radio the other day I heard a guy say the average American "christian" can tell you who is currently in the lead on "Dancing with the Stars" and what football team is in first place on "Sports Center"—but most of us are asleep at the wheel when it comes to knowing the Word of God and discerning the spiritual times in which we live.

And I think he's absolutely correct—sad to say.

In the above passage from 2 Chronicles, most of the time people quote only verse 14: 

"If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray..."

And certainly, we all want God to hear our prayers, forgive our sins, and heal our messed up land.

But I've noticed that, for some reason, verse 13 (which gives the context for verse 14) is always left out when people quote this passage. 

"When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people."

This an extremely sobering reminder that it is God who His judgement on any nation ("Christian" or not), who continues to reject Him, and sins against Him.

And we need remember that God is speaking to His people in this passage. 

We must repent of any wicked ways that we are practicing, if we want God to hear our prayers and heal our land.

Since we men are supposed to be the spiritual leaders in our homes, I am going to call out Christian men here. 

If you, mister Christian businessman, are praying for God to "heal your nation" and restore it to its former "godly Christian nation" status, but you are secretly surfing porn on the Internet at night after your wife and children have gone to bed, don't you think for one moment that God is going to listen to your polluted prayers. He is not going to heal your land when you are the one who is soiling it with your sin.

• Is this how you love God with all of your heart?
• Is this how you love and honor your wife & children?
• Is this what it means to you to be a man of integrity?

If you continue, unrepentant, practicing your sin, what you can expect is to bring further judgement from God on this nation. You can expect further locusts devouring the land. You can expect further droughts. And you can expect further pestilence.

If you say that you love God, then humble yourself. Pray and seek His face. And then turn from (repent of) your wicked ways.

Then, and only then, will God heed your prayers.

Then, and only then, will God be open to healing your land.

Fortunately, for all of us sinners, God has made this promise:

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

If God has convicted you today through this message, then share it with a brother, or two. With anyone who calls themselves a "Christian" but who is practicing sin.

—Love the Lord your God with all of your heart.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.