How About Your Heart?

How about your heart? The condition of our heart determines how the word of God can work in our life!  We purposefully need to be good soil.

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How About Your Heart?

Acts 15:8  "So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us,  9  "and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

The condition of a man’s heart determines his destiny not only for eternity but also for the quality of life here and now.  There is one way for the heart to be purified and that is by placing the object of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ!  The condition of your heart will reflect the condition of your life!

Luke 8:10  And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God , but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.'  11  "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.  12  "Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  13  "But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  14  "Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  15  "But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

Understanding this parable can unlock mysteries of the kingdom of God .   The condition of your heart determines the degree the word of God will affect your life.  The heart is the gateway for what we believe; what we believe determines what we will receive from God!  The seed is the word of God!  Our heart according to this great parable is the ground upon which the seed falls.  The kind of ground seed falls on determines if anything will be produced. There are four types of heart (ground) for the seed to land on.

Wayside soil; no life!

Rocky soil; perceived life!

Thorny soil; immature fruit!

Good soil; fruit bearing!

Many, many great lesson have been taught from this parable; however, I feel the Holy Spirit drawing me to discuss the good ground and what makes it.  See verse 15, the soil type depends upon the hearer of the word of God.  Good soil is soil that hears the word with a noble and good heart!  The condition of your heart determines how the word of God is able to affect your life.

Proverbs 4:20  My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.  21  Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart;  22  For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.  23  Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

The good ground is the ground that gives attention to the word of God.  Incline your ear to his word.  The word of God does not get in our heart by osmosis; we purposely have to give ear to the word of God.  Do not let the word depart from our eyes; keeping the word before our eyes is the beginning of meditation.  Purposefully think upon the word of God; it is the way to get the word in the midst of your heart.  This practice is life giving and brings health.  KEEP YOUR HEART WITH ALL DILIGENCE!  Your heart is the eye gate.  What you think upon and meditate upon will become the reflection of your life story.  As a man thinks in his heart so is he.  If one has no hunger for the word of God it  shows the condition of ones heart.

Proverbs 27:19  As in water face reflects face, So a man's heart reveals the man.

Much like looking in a mirror so a man’s heart reveals the man.

Luke 6:45  "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  You don’t have to hang out with someone to long before you know what they treasure.  If you can’t get a man to talk a lot you have not hit upon the treasure of his heart yet.  By reflection of your own heart, what is it you treasure?  Look and see what is coming out of your mouth.  Whatever is in a man’s heart it will come out!  It is why it is so important to give first place to God and His kingdom.  He will change and purify our hearts.

Luke 12:31  "But seek the kingdom of God , and all these things shall be added to you.  32  "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  33  "Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.  34  "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The burden of my heart is to see the body of Christ be partakers in the kingdom of God to the uttermost.  To see the Father glorified in the body of Christ is my desire.  The body of Christ walking with a noble heart is to put the kingdom of God first.  The Father has promised to provide the goods if we seek His kingdom first!  I love verse 32!  Do not fear, little flock, for it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Meditate on this truth for awhile.  The Father derives pleasure to give us the kingdom!  If we will trust in God, delight ourselves in God, commit our life and purpose to God, and feed on His faithfulness He will give us the desire of our hearts

Mark 16:14  Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.  15  And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

Mark 16 is a well know passage to many preaching the great commission of Christ.  However, let’s start a verse early from the commission.  Jesus rebuked his own disciples because of the hardness of their own heart.  The condition of our heart will determine how we react to the circumstances around us.  If we have a good and noble heart the spoken word of God will causes us to rise up in faith in spite of adversity.  If our heart is hard we will find our self complaining fearing and doubting.  Jesus spoke past the hardness of the hearts of the eleven and commissioned them to go to be world changers.

1 John 3:20  For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.  21  Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.

Is your heart condemning you?  God is greater than your heart!  You can trust God and His richness of love and grace toward us.  Bring your heart back in line with the Word of God and you will regain your confidence before God.  Remember God purifies your heart by faith in Him.

Proverbs 15:13  A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

One of satan’s schemes is to bring us to sorrow of heart.  “You will never get what you are believing God for” is one of his favorite lines.  If the lies of the enemy can keep you in sorrow he can break your spirit.  Our heart can be restored by hearing the word of God with a noble and good heart.  It will produce good fruit.

Hebrews 4:12  For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The word of God is living and powerful.  Submitting to the truths of His word is the  way for our heart to be changed and give us a confidence to come into the throne room of God boldly.

1 John 3:1  Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.  2  Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.  3  And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

Here is fodder for meditation, behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God.  Good ground for a believer is ground that is convinced that God the Father loves them.  The Father delights in giving His children the kingdom!  We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is!  To purify yourself you must bring your heart in line with the word of God.  God is greater than our heart!
So, how about your heart???