periclete

The hard heart

"Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me"  Hebrews 3:7,8

Most of us don't want to think of ourselves as having a hard heart, but it is possible to look really great on the outside, be active in church and still have a hard heart.  This verse talks about hearing His voice.   Learning to hear the voice of God is part of maturing in the Christian life, and the softer our heart and the more we obey His voice, the better we will be able to hear His voice.  Does God really speak to the christian today?  I have never heard the voice of God out loud, but there are times that I have heard Him speak louder than at other times.  I have such a long way to go in the area of learning to hear His voice, but every time I am obedient, I am a step closer.  What does His voice sound like?   Initially it sounds like our conscience, but there are times that it is more specific.   

The other night, after "The Summit" on Saturday night I was pretty beat and got home around 9:00 pm.  All I wanted to do was sit in front of the TV and "veg" with the remote.   A "thought" came to my mind of turning off the TV knowing that I had Sunday School to work on.  I countered the thought with a great idea, "I could have the TV on and prepare for Sunday School!!"

Then I heard that "check" in my spirit.  It wasn't a voice, it was more than a thought, but it was clear to me that I was at the edge of not listening and developing a stubborn heart.  I knew that to be obedient to God at that moment I needed to turn off the TV.

There is a Soft Heart that responds quickly to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Then there is the Stuggling Heart that wants to respond but has difficulty.  The Stubborn Heart doesn't respond very quickly at all.  Obedience happens eventually but it seems only with an argument.   The Hard Heart has said to the Lord, "NO!"  More on this in another entry.

That night I did turn off the TV and had a wonderful time in the Word and was blessed by it.  I could have turned it off at the first "check" from the Holy Spirit, however I was truly blessed by my obedience even if it did take me at least a full minute to obey.  As I think over my Christian life, I have never been sorry that I have obeyed the Lord for in Him there is freedom, joy and peace.  There have been times that I just want to do what I want to do, but it never really satisifies.  I want to learn to listen to his voice and hear it more clearly.   

For Thou dost not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;  Thou art not pleased with burnt offering.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.  A broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise"   Psalms 51:16-17

Upon reading this Psalm, I thought I should know what a broken heart is.  We often think of a person who has broken up with someone that they love as having a broken heart.  Brokenness here, is a heart that is humbled by guilt and repentance.  One that is broken, is at the end of self-righteousness and self-effort.  He has realized that he cannot please God on his own effort.   He isn't making excuses, blaming others, or convincing himself that he is really a pretty good person. 

God may use brokenness to catch our attention, to change our direction, to remove what prevents us from experiencing Him more fully, or to remind us not to trust in our own efforts to please Him.

Brokenness may feel like being out of control, it might feel like failure, disillusionment or hurt, but God often uses brokenness to "Tame our Souls". 

Brokenness is not the same as suffering, for many suffer but are as proud and self sufficient as ever.

Brokenness is not the same as being wounded.  Many a proud heart is wounded and is still "others centered".   Those who are wounded and remain proud are often bitter and angry blaming their friend, their spouse, or even God for their hurt. I read an author somewhere that referred to this as "broken in the wrong places".  Instead of the focus being on what they can learn from the experience or what they did wrong, and how to draw close to the Lord again, they hold on to the hurt letting it fester deeper and deeper.  They may even pray about it to remind God how hurt they are, but then when they are done praying, they take it into their heart again and remain unchanged.  Those that are wounded can allow the hurt to build deep love, forgiveness, endurance, patience and other character qualities instead of allow it to fester into bitterness. 

The person who is truly broken and contrite turns to the Lord in humility and submission and it results in progress toward maturity.

Is there hope for the one who is broken?   Yes, it is a good place to be for a season if it is the work of God.  It becomes the hallway to move us from one room to another, but we are not to live in the hallway.  There are some who are continually "beating themselves" up for no reason and it can be very unhealthy.  Brokenness, that is the work of God, may be difficult, but joy comes as we receive his forgiveness and restitution.  "Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning".  Psalms 30:5b  Also see James 4:8-10

Joy comes with the knowledge that all of our sins are cast on Him and that he has "cleansed us from all unrighteousness". 

The heart of Jehoshaphat

The record of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, happened a long time ago, but what it reveals about his heart is a lesson for us today.  Before Jehoshaphat is introduced there it a great verse that gives insight into what God is looking for.

II Chron 16:9  "for the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His".  I am noticing that this verse doesn't say that God is looking for those who are busy for Him, or who are gifted with certain abilities.  The focus is the heart. 

II Chron 17:6 "And he (Jehoshaphat) took great pride in the ways of the LORD".  Literally, "His heart was high in the ways of the Lord".  Another translation says, "He was fully devoted...".  What does  this kind of heart look like.  We see that as a result of his heart, he tore down the high places and the Asherim.  (These were associated with pagan worship).  The "high heart" is willing to risk to make sure that there is no compromise.  When Gideon tore down the pagan worship centers, the locals wanted to kill him.  When Jehoshaphat tore down the high places, he was risking people criticizing him or questioning his leadership.  The people trusted in the pagan God's for security and blessing and to tear down the high places, they believed, threatened their very survival.   

The heart that is "completely His" is unwilling to compromise and is seeking holiness. If one toys with the possibility of sin, or only worries about what others know about, then we know that there is some problem with the heart.  The fully devoted heart cares about the "smile from God" and not just the "smile from men".

This heart of Jehoshaphat also influenced others.  We see that he motivated others to walk with God (vs 7-8) and they in turn taught others.   I have been in the presence of those who have a contageous heart.  There is something about their love for God that gets me motivated and inspired to grow deeper.  I want to be that kind of person to others, but I know that it starts with my own heart.  I cannot impart what I do not possess. 

What started in the heart, led to "no compromise".  It influenced others and then God gave blessings.  Blessings come in many forms but the blessing are not always material blessings.  Look at the blessings that God gave to Jehoshaphat.   The Philistines, that cost other kings so much effort and money, were now giving money to Judah.  The Arabians that stole food during Gideon's days were now giving food (vs 11).  God was even using the pagan nations to bless His people.

Jehoshaphat did not start seeking the blessings, but started with seeking God.  I wonder how many pastors and christian leaders desire the blessings first.  They want a successful church (Usually meaning budget and numbers).  Sure they pray and want to see God glorified, but what is the heart behind the desire for success.  Do they want the big budget so they can have security with their own pay check?  Do they want a lot of people to come to church so they look like a successful pastor?  Does he want to see the church grow so other pastors and their own congregation with think that he is a wonderful pastor?

Compare Jehoshaphat's heart with the heart of Ahab.  Ahab is the king of the northern tribes, Israel.  He wants Jehoshaphat to join him in battle against the Syrian city of Ramoth-gilead.  Why?  Is it because he wants to have the riches that he sees that Jehoshaphat has?  (When one conquored a city, he got to keep the weath of the city) Does he want security by defeating this city?  Does he want others to remember him as the king who defeated the Syrians? 

Instead of starting with a heart for God, Ahab started with a desire for the blessings and then instead of striving for holiness, he schemes to figure out how to get the blessings.  At the end, he asks God's blessing, but goes to the prophets who will tell him what he wants to hear.  Is this heart any different than the christian leader who wants to receive the blessings (success, praise, security) and then schemes and plans how to make it happen, then ask God's blessings on his own plans. 

We must start with the heart for God, because the "eyes of the LORD move to and tro throughout the earth that He may strongly support hose whose heart is completely His".  I wonder if we need to look to our own hearts to see what really motivates our ministry.  Is it our love for God, or our desire to meet the "idols of our own heart"...pride, fear of man, love of pleasure, self rule.

Why get involved in any ministry at church?  Is it so that people will think you are wonderful?  Is it to receive praise from others?   Some men and women will start with a love and devotion for God and then will get started in a project or goal to make a difference for Him.  After time the project or goal is their passion and their passion for God becomes second place to the goal.   Every day we have a chance to check our heart, to renew our devotion and love for God, to make sure that we don't compromise.  The result of the focus on the heart is the "strong support" from God what ever that looks like to our situation.