But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”
I must express that this journey with Christ Jesus has been spirit-filled thus far, and I am certain the Lord Jesus Christ would have it no other way. I also recognize that we are all in a season of learning and testing.
A season of change and transition,
The Lord just keeps on revealing life lessons to me in this season, He is revealing things that I need to work on, I know that what I am going thru, that I am not the only one, we all share flaws and failures some different than others and we need encouragement and uplifting,
We are all a living testimony and God always gets the Glory out of it,
He only wants what's best for us, to develop and set us free,
He is a Merciful Father, and I would not change this journey with Him for anything else in this world.
This journey of faith is meant to educate us, nurture our growth, and foster a deeper connection with God Himself.
I am purely blessed merely by accepting what the Lord imparts in me and conveying His messages that He trusts me with to uplift His people.
There is a sense of hope which is in Christ Jesus.
He desires for us to embrace our true selves, as He has commissioned us to be.
I must start off saying that society in which we live in has molded us to meet its expectations, and more and more in these last days you see that,
Jesus Christ is excluded from many areas of life and replacing Him with secular desires and methods.
Consequently, we often make choices based solely on our own understanding and perspective, having the heart of the world, neglects the mere fact that we cannot live on bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, Matthew 4:4, which means instead of using our carnal minds, relying on our emotions and wants we should be aligning our minds and hearts with the word of God and be steadfast on pursuing Jesus Christ,
In my prayers I ask the Lord what I can do on this day? what would He have me to write about and the Spirit of the Lord said,
"The Condition of The Heart"
He also revealed to me the contrast between the state of my heart before and after I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior,
Transitioning from surrendering from my own desires to embracing His will. I must say I as well as many sometimes miss His Mark, but He is always there to put me back on track and move forward.
May He be Glorified!!!!!!
According to the Bible the heart is deceitful and wicked, Jeremiah 17:9, we have read the Biblical Stories from Genesis to Revelation on how the condition of the heart or if you will the heart posture towards God it would either bring victory or defeat to the situation.
God, however, has always been focused on the heart—our spiritual heart.
Physically the heart itself is an important muscle, an organ that we cannot live without, it pumps blood through our veins and arteries which carries oxygen through the rest of our organs, without it our organs will fail, and in some cases, we will be no longer amongst the living.
Just like the heart Jesus Christ is the center of our life, His very essence that runs through our veins, He is our lifeline, the pure source of our existence without Him we are no longer living we are dead.
John 15:5 declares,
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
God is Sovereign the Creator of all things; He has fashioned man to where the heart is essential both physically and spiritually internally and eternally
Our heart is comprised of the three elements of our soul: our mind, emotions, and will. The heart and mind are intertwined, meaning that our deepest feelings are filtered through our thoughts, leading to results that may be positive or negative.
Positive (Good Fruit) meaning life and abundance in Jesus Christ or Negative (Bad Fruit) meaning death and no substance.
This is why in Romans 12:2 Jesus says, 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 approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
The Condition of your heart determines the outcome in your life
Through the choices we make, we exercise our will.
God grants us free will, yet our choices carry consequences.
Whatever you think with your heart inwardly the outcome is what you produce outwardly.
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
“Eat and drink!” he says to you,
But his heart is not with you.
The Bible teaches us to guard our hearts because everything you do flows from it
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
The Parable of The Prodigal Son
Prodigal means spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant:
This parable came to mine it illustrates the state of the heart when we act against God's will, driven by pride to pursue what we believe is best for us.
Yet, the true joy lies in the knowledge that even when we stumble out of ignorance, God, in His grace and mercy, guides us back to Him.
When we return to our senses and repent with a contrite heart, our faith reassures us that His arms are always open to welcome us back into His favor.
Below is the story of the Parable of the Prodigal Son and this is How the Holy Spirit had me to explain the condition of our hearts through this parable:
The Prodigal Son
It starts off with a man that had two sons and the youngest of the two wanted his share of his father's estate
Condition of the Heart
- He had already set his heart on his share of the money and was contemplating what he would do with it.
Applied to us Today
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We already know what is right in our heart and wrong in our heart, instead of seeking God for guidance we follow our own will and plans.
The Prodigal Son
2. Luke 15:13,
After he received his money, he gathered all he had and left and set off to a distant country and squandered his money in wild living.
Condition of the Heart
- Aware that his decisions would not align with his father's best interests, he estranged himself from his father. The desires of his heart guided him to make irrational choices, ultimately causing him to spend everything he possessed.
Applied to us Today
- When our hearts are not aligned with the things of God, we may feel self-sufficient and act independently. This can lead us away from God's will, and as a result, sometimes being separated from Him in turn God may allow us to pursue those desires.
The Prodigal Son
3. Luke 15:14,
He is now in a severe famine that has swept the whole country, and he has nothing and is in need, he is starving.
Condition of the Heart
- The state of his heart has led to his poor decision-making, and now he is confronted with the unforeseen trials and tribulations due to the posture of his heart that he has chosen
The Bible says Pride goes before destruction
Applied To Us Today
- Frequently, we become the creators of our own issues, guided by our desires, we only perceive what we wish to see, not as God does. Consequently, we fail to anticipate the actual outcomes, as our vision is clouded by the reality of potential events that would come after.
The Prodigal Son
4. Luke 15:15,
He persuaded a farmer to hire him, and the farmer sent him to his farm to feed the pigs.
Condition of the Heart
- This is when I discern that the young man starting to think about what he has done, now he has to start making cognitive decisions, by finding solutions to his problem.
The Condition of his heart is changing, and he is now seeing the big picture of what he has done
Applied to Us Today
- God loves us and He has to teach us through our trials and tribulations, our decisions and in our weakest moments in life, we must stop and examine ourselves and turn back to God.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
The Prodigal Son
5. Luke 15:16,
The young man was so hungry that the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him, but no one would give him anything.
Condition of the Heart
- He found himself alone in his situation, no one to turn to or come to his aide, he couldn't find help from the outside world.
Applied to Us Today
- The consequences of your actions, the posture of your heart, will either make or break you.
When all is said and done, you will find yourself without anyone to turn to, God will go to great lengths to capture our attention. It is His way of shaping us into His children, teaching us life lessons, listening and obeying His commands, also to rely on Him solely.
The Prodigal Son
When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, at home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you,
Condition of the Heart
- Having endured turmoil and despair, he has deeply reflected on his actions and choices. His heart is now aligning with what is right and just, taking responsibility and acknowledging his past mistakes, understanding his experiences has led him to a state of repentance.
Applied to Us Today
- We have all had times when we acted out of disobedience, contrary to the teachings of God, in moments of self-reflection, we often recognize our errors and start to feel remorse having a contrite heart, which leads us to repent and seek forgiveness from God
The Prodigal Son
And I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’
“So, he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.
Condition of the Heart
- The young man recognized that he did not deserve his father's forgiveness, guilt and shame set in and he was prepared to become a servant, feeling not worthy even though it would not alter the truth that he was still his father's son.
Even though He felt this way he was remorseful with a heart of repentance, and when his father saw him a far off, he was so happy and joyful that his son had come back home.
Applied to Us Today
- This brings to mind my own experience of sinning against God through my actions and feeling unworthy of His forgiveness, hesitant to approach Him in prayer. It didn't, however, alter the reality that I was His child.
God already knows our hearts; He sees us from afar. When we realize our mistakes, and turn to Him with a repentant heart, He greets us with immense love and compassion, always faithful and just to forgive us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The Prodigal Son
But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So, the party began.
Condition of the Heart
- His father wasn't even worried about what he had done, he was just so happy that he came to his senses returned home.
The Scripture says he was lost and but now he is found.
Applied to Us Today
- When we approach Our Father with repentance and turn from our sinful ways,
He will accept us and is just to forgive us.
When we accept Jesus Christ as Our Lord and Savior, no matter how much we have sinned, our sins are forgiven, we have come to our senses and returned home.
We may sometimes lose our way and stumble in life, but we can be assured that the Father we serve will always be there to clean us and free us from all unrighteousness.
A compelling narrative that illustrates how the disposition of our hearts shapes our life's journey.
Choosing our path over the guidance of the Holy Spirit can lead to less-than-ideal decisions.
God has given us the Holy Spirit to direct and guide us into all truth
But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth [full and complete truth]. For He will not speak on His own initiative, but He will speak whatever He hears [from the Father—the message regarding the Son], and He will disclose to you what is to come [in the future].
Yet, God's love for us is so profound that, despite our flaws, mishaps and shortcomings
He seeks to guide us by turning those very flaws into lessons, emphasizing the importance of seeking, trusting, and obeying Him.
Indeed, the state of one's heart is vital in their relationship with the Lord.
Let us condition our hearts to answer the call and adhere to the teachings of Jesus Christ through obedience.
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love love this!