Biblical Heart Check

 Biblical Heart Check

I truly believe this is one of the scariest prayers a human being can pray to God.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” Pslam 139:23-24

Why is this scary? Because if you are being honest, God will show you the truth. Most likely you will have some serious changes to make. Deep serious changes. Real changes. Life-altering changes. You may be believing in God, however, you may still be living for you. This prayer and this series may point out some things in your walk with God that you will need to change immediately. Are you ready to do so?

The world says to follow your heart. In some cases, some churches falsely teach this as well. “See, God is all about love. Love comes from the heart. Love one another without judging, no matter what, or you are not loving. Follow your heart and desires in business, life, and all things. You will be healthy, wealthy, and wise. Forget about that old concept of sin and hell. A loving God is not going to send you to hell. Do as you will. Follow your heart and you will be a good person and a loving person, full of compassion and love.”

This is a lie straight from hell itself. It is the worst thing any child of God can do. Why?

“The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9

God saw this before the flood and He said this.

“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis 6:5

Following the flood, God said this.

“The Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.” Genesis 8:21

The flood did not fix us. The flood did not heal our hearts. You are still born into evil, and we are still evil, and “every intent of the thoughts of our hearts is still only evil continually.” This is just a fact. If you do not have God, you are evil. Following your heart will lead you down evil paths. You will do evil things. This is what we will be talking about in this series, “Biblical Heart Check.” If you dare, join us for the next few weeks, and we will do just that. Here is what is coming up.

What distractions or desires tend to take root in your heart? Here are a few:

Love of money and possessions: The Bible warns against the dangers of materialism and the temptation to prioritize wealth over God. For example, Matthew 6:24 says

"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

Pride: Pride, or an inflated sense of self-importance, can blind us to our faults and lead us away from God. Proverbs 16:18 says

"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."

Idolatry: This refers to worshipping anything other than God, including created things or even ourselves. It can manifest in a desire for power, status, or pleasure that supersedes our devotion to God.

Worldly desires: The Bible speaks of the world's allurements and how they can distract us from following God's will. 1 John 2:15-16 says

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—does not come from the Father but from the world."

How can you be more intentional about guarding your heart with God's word and prayer?

Are there any areas of unforgiveness, bitterness, or pride that may be hindering your spiritual growth?

What practical steps can you take to live a life that is more aligned with God's will?

I am warning you that this is not going to be one of those feel-good, “God Loves you” sermon series. “God wants you to be rich” sermon series. This is going to be an in-depth, possibly painful to some, hopefully, ground-shaking, heart-melting, God-molding, life-changing, series.

I pray that God will lead us through this. God will speak to us through His Word and His will and His way will be known to us. That we, as children of God, will be changed for the better. I say this a lot, but in series like this one, I mean it more than I can say. Please, do not take anything I say as absolute truth. Do not simply follow me and share whatever I say because I say it. PICK THIS US {Holding the Bible} READ IT! Look it up yourself. If you come across something in here {Holding up the Bible} that offends you, you are wrong. It is you that needs to pause and look in a mirror. You need to pray about it and ask God “Why am I so offended by this?”

Why am I seemingly wasting an entire Sunday for this coming right-up message? Because I want you to get ready. I want to get prepared. I want you to pray about it. We are going to pray here in a second, but I want you to pray about it yourself. Prepare yourself to hear God’s Word and feel the convictions if they come. Prepare yourself to be ready to make some possible life-changing choices and grow closer to God. Let us pray.

“First of all, all the praise and glory be to you, God. We come before you to pray as your word declares, for eyes to see, ears to hear, and most importantly, a heart to receive your Truth, your Word, and your Righteousness.

We understand that your ways are higher than our ways. We know that your thoughts are higher than our thoughts and that we don't know anything unless you reveal them to us through the Holy Spirit and your Word.

We have an image of ourselves, and our lives that may or may not be in line with you and your Will and plans for us and our lives. As we go through this sermon series, I pray that you speak to us and to whomever you choose to directly and deeply into our spirit so that we do not miss what you have for us. Even if it is something that you know will offend us, tell us, show us, guide us, and help us to understand.

We love you God, and we yearn to be closer to you. Please be with us, in your precious and Holy Name, Amen.”

We have a new home base, coming to you live from NY. New beginning, new season, same God. Same Truth. Same Yeshua. Nothing has nor will change until the end of time as we know it here on Earth. Nothing will change by geography, time, or the will of man. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever more. What was sin, is sin, and will mostly kill you quicker today than ever, and the result of living a life outside of God and His Will is death. Are you ready to fully have God examine your heart? Are you ready to truly pray,

“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”

Are you honestly ready to hear God’s answer?

May the comfort of the Holy Ghost, and the peace of our Lord Jesus, be with you all. May God bless and be with you, always.

Until next time, be blessed, be a blessing, and Jesus is Lord!