MATTERS OF THE HEART
Chapter 2
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall
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 will heal their
land.”
(II
Chronicles 7:14)
1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all
men; 2 For kings, and for all
that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3 For
this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our
Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the
truth. (I Timothy 2:1-2)
In 2007, as a part of an introduction
to this series called Matters of the Heart, I opened by stating that everybody
seems to have their own opinions and ideas about this country we call the
United States of America, land of the free, and home of the brave. In addition, I also stated that some of us, if
we would be honest, in our own minds feel that when it comes to running this
country and getting it back on track, you personally can show everyone a thing
or two. Well, as strange as it may seem, with the events that have occurred within
the past seven years to current, people are raising their hands all over the place.
Even people who do not have any political background at all. You see friends,
despite the arguments and debates, campaigning and elections to come, trying to
decide who belongs here and who doesn’t, really isn’t the issue. The real issue that everyone has to face has
absolutely nothing to do with current events, who gets elected, what’s the next
iPod, iPad, movie, athletic shoe, or Apple product to stand in line for, or
even who will win Super Bowl 50. The
facts are and the truth still remains, that even though all these things will
have an effect on mankind on earth, there still remains a crucial and more
devastating problem existing in the world. That’s right, sin. As long as sin exists
in the world, mankind will never be satisfied with the things the world has to
offer or its temporary solutions. You
see, sin is designed to hang out with you and appear to be your BFF, (best
friend forever), making right appear wrong and wrong appear right. Sin will set you up for a big payoff that
comes with a price that you simply cannot afford to pay. The consequences are preset and
non-negotiable. In fact, when it’s all
said and done, the fear is so intense, (False Evidence Appearing Real), it will
cause you to feel you have absolutely no hope.
When a person has no hope, that person becomes desperate, unpredictable,
and willing to do whatever seems right to ease the pain and hopelessness they
feel.
There are
times when the mind is dealt such a blow that it hides itself in insanity.
There are
times when reality is nothing but pain, and to escape that pain the
mind must
leave reality behind. - Patrick Rothfuss
Now I’m not sure who has been led
to read this chapter of my book. In other words, I do not know if you are a
born again believer or not. So
here is the first word of hope: If you are a part of the (my people
group) mentioned in the opening passage above, II Chronicles 7:14, then you have
nothing to fear. You already know what to do, it’s in the passage!
You see, whether you believe it
or not, know it or not, you have been thoroughly equipped with everything you
need for the battle that is at hand. The
battles that we face as believers are never ours, however, we do have to show
up and take our positions of being victorious in Christ Jesus. We have already overcome, because Christ has
overcome the world.
I have
told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have
many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the
world." John
16:33
In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. His commands are not burdensome; for
everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome
the world, even our faith. I John 5:3-4.
Whether “test” missiles keep
taking flight, drones targeting various areas, or even peace treaties being made,
that we know nothing about, this is not our permanent home. We are admonished in Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore I urge you, brethren,
by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable
to God, which is your spiritual
service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will
of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”(NASB) We do not need to arm
ourselves with material weapons inside our places of Worship as the world is
now suggesting. “For the weapons of our
warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of
strongholds.”(II Cor 10:4) When we leave this place, and how we leave, is
out of our hands, HOWEVER, where we
go when we leave is totally up to us!
Here’s the second word of hope:
If you are not a part of the (my people group) mentioned in the opening scripture,
you can be today, right now (see personal
note below). The decision is up to you. You can choose to either live
eternally with God or eternally without God. The choice is yours. Do not continue to let the troubles of the
world weigh you down. In the Bible, Chapter 1 of James verse 5 in the New
Testament tells us to ask God for His wisdom if we lack wisdom. The cool part
about this is that, we can ask God for His wisdom as many times as we want, and
He doesn’t get upset about it or hold it against us. Certainly during a time such as this, we need
God’s wisdom right. None of these things has caught God by surprise or off
guard. Doesn’t it just make sense to seek Him regarding such important and
crucial matters? Again, all of these
events are a time in history for us, but not for God. He does not operate by or is He limited by
time, but operates in Eternity. Always has, and always will. While we are
arguing and having our own private debates with each other about who’s right
and who’s wrong, God already decided in Eternity past. This is new for us, but not
new to Him who is Sovereign, simply put, meaning He is in control and has
ultimate power. He is never caught off guard or surprised about anything.
As born-again believers, we must
always find ourselves in a place of desiring God’s perfect will. Sure, we can get by with His permissive will,
but we miss the full benefit of God’s blessings when we insist on settling for
less than what God really has for us. Remember,
the earth, sun, moon, stars, fowl of the air, land animals and water creatures,
trees, mountains, seas, and oceans, all bear record. The testimonies of these have more experience
than man will ever have about world events and its history. It’s going to take
a lot more than man’s experience to get us through these tough times. It is quite obvious, that with all that is
going on in the world at this point and time in our history, the eminent return
of Christ is swiftly approaching. Being
fully confident and sure about where you will be spend eternity, is much more
important than anything that can happen down here. Let’s redeem the time that
we have, watch and pray, and be about our Father’s business, the “Great
Commission” as Christ was and is. Ask
Him to give us a heart of love and compassion towards one another, line our
will up along side His, and stand on the promises of His word. He promised that He would never leave us or
forsake us. Let’s delight ourselves in
the truth of God’s Word.
Ps
33:10-12
10The LORD
bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the
people of none effect. 11The counsel of the LORD standeth
for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. 12 Blessed is the
nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own
inheritance.
Ps
75:6-7
6 For promotion
cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. 7
But
God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.
- Let God fight for us, for
He is on our side
- Remain in position,
wearing the full armor of God
- Pray without ceasing
- Know and Believe that
Jesus is our Hope
Personal Note:
Perhaps you are wondering what
was the point of all this. You have probably said, “Whatever happens, happens,
I’ll just live with it. All of this
church stuff, God stuff, what does it all mean anyway? I mean truth be told, church folks resemble
the world at times, so why would I want to change anything.” Good questions and very valid points, however,
don’t remain undecided about your Eternal Security and let the poor behavior or
not so good example of what Christ-likeness
is ruin chance to obtain God’s best for you.
God proposed a perfect plan for your life in the only candidate that is
fully qualified to meet every need you have.
He is the only answer to the “sin” problem we have. The only one who was and is qualified to pay
the high debt of sin that consistently tries to set you up. His name is Jesus. You see, Jesus loves you
so much that He died, was buried, and on the third day, according to the
scriptures rose from the grave with all power of heaven and earth in his
hands. It was His shed blood that paid
the price for your sin and mine back on Calvary. The Bible says in the New Testament book
Hebrews Chapter 9 and verse 22, “In fact we can say that under the old agreement almost everything
was cleansed by sprinkling it with blood, and without the shedding of blood
there is no forgiveness of sins.”
It really doesn’t make a
difference how this world ends, whether by missile or drone, however, what does
make a difference is how you leave this earth. Your soul is very valuable to
God, so much so, that He gave His only begotten Son to die for you in your
place. In the New Testament book of John
Chapter 3 and verse 16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
If you leave this earth with
Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord, it will make all the difference
in the world and Eternity.
You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer
(Prayer is talking with God)
God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words
as He is with the attitude of your heart. If the following suggested prayer expresses
the desire of your heart, I invite you to pray this prayer right now, and Christ
will come into your life, as He promised.
Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross
for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord.
Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the
throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be. In Jesus Name,
Amen.
Welcome to God’s
Family!
If you have any
questions or would like additional information
about how to live a
Spirit-filled life and connect with a good Church home,
I invite you to visit: www.newdestiny.online
© 2016
“Strength
and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.”
