Tale of The Deceitful Heart
Would you believe that telling someone to follow their heart could be the worst advice you can give? Read on as I explain why our hearts can be the worse compass we can ever follow for direction in our lives,
First off, I would like to say that I love my time and communion with God. Sometimes taking breaks from social media can seem like a vacation! You realize just how much time you spend reading other peoples opinions and then it starts to get irritating. That is why I have mastered the art of a couple scrolls and I am done! lol. If you would like to know more about my thoughts on the subject click on the title "Shut it Down" to listen to my podcast episode!
Anyways let me get back to the subject.
I knew God was pulling me away to give me a message. As a matter of fact the first day I heard Him loud and clear. I had a dream that revealed a part of my heart in its current state. I woke up and couldn't believe what God had shown me. Without hesitation I went into prayer and into repentance. I then praised and thanked God for revealing to me that undesirable part of my heart. I immediately went to the Bible and pulled up the scripture from Jeremiah 17:9-10 and it reads in the NLT version:
“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?
But I, the Lord, search all hearts
and examine secret motives.
I give all people their due rewards,
according to what their actions deserve.”
Doesn't this sounds contrary to the advice people would give us? To follow our hearts and that we can never go wrong if we follow our hearts? According to this scripture no one knows what is in our hearts but God. The heart is desperately wicked and in the KJV version it states that it "is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." Deceitful by definition is:
having a tendency or disposition to deceive or give false impressions:
Desperately by definition is:
used to emphasize the extreme degree of something.
Even the thing that is a requirement for you to live can deceive you. We can be deceived by OUR own hearts! This means that a relationship with Jesus is vital! How can we operate in purpose, aka the work of the Lord, without God showing us what is in our hearts and purifying it. I am reminded of the prayer of King David in the Bible prayer when He asked God to create in him a clean heart, and renew in him a right spirit. It is God's job to perform maintenance on our heart BUT we have to allow Him to do so.
There may have been some of us that have asked God to reveal what is in our hearts. Are we truly ready to see and know what He finds?
God will only show you what you are ready to see.
And the thing is since God is the only one to know your heart, He knows when you are ready to see your imperfections. He is the only one that knows when you want to truly be better and have your heart cleansed. God will never intrude and do such an invasive procedure that we don't invite Him to do whole heartedly.
I thank God that He trusted me enough to show me my heart in its present state because HE KNEW my earnest desire is to please Him and to be what He wants me to be. Lip service just wont do in this season and it never was enough in past seasons. We can't deceive God with our Words because of the sovereign reign and authority He has of being Father in creation. Just think about it, How would a creator not know any part of what they create? Yes we may see in sci-fi movies on how the robots are created by man and then get out of control and take over, but again that was made my man. That will never be the case when it comes to an all knowing God.
In this season, the purification of the heart is vital. We are in a time where the world is topsy turvy and we don't have an end date of anything getting back to like it was. The world is changing and we have to as well. Not on the outward but in the inner workings of our soul. Some of us have been out here too long doing things with a deceitful heart. A heart that lies to us daily. A heart that is naturally made of flesh and blood. Its definitely CARNAL. It only naturally wants to survive by any means necessary. It cares nothing about the next man. But with the spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, the heart can be purified and positioned in the right direction but it takes submission. This season requires a submitted heart. Imagine handing over to God your heart and Him washing it clean. I can visualize it as clear as day.
So, the next time you go to God in prayer regarding your heart. Be prepared and also honored of what He shows you. This means that He sees your effort for change and better yet, He sees that you reverence Him the way that He created you for.
I pray that this blog has ignited you to begin the heart work.
God Bless!