Biblical Heart Check, On Guard

 Guarding your heart.

We are talking about the prayer to God, for Him to examine our hearts.

“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 yourself. This prayer and this series may have pointed out some things you must change in your walk with God immediately. Are you ready to do so?

We talked about these distractions of the heart.

Love of Money
Idolatry
Worldly Desires
Pride

How can you be more intentional about guarding your heart? This may sound somewhat simplistic to some, but the answer is with God's Word and prayer.

A great place to start is to examine your own heart. One of the biggest issues a lot of people have is unforgiveness.

“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15

Jesus tells us this

“And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” Mark 11:25

Now I understand this can be hard. I have struggled with this one. I know it can be extremely hard to forgive someone who has intentionally used and abused you. Someone who has intentionally tried to hurt you or your family. It can be both fellow children of God or the unsaved, in which case you should not be surprised at all.

Let's start with the obvious. The unsaved. Those we have already talked about are the property of Satan himself. Those that live in and for the flesh. Of course, they hate you. Of course, they use and abuse you. Of course, they want nothing to do with you and your Bible-thumping self.

 
Jesus, or Yeshua, warned us about these. He told us this.

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” John 15:18-19

Of course, those living in and feeding their sins are going to hate you telling them they are wrong. Of course, those who do not believe in God or the Bible, will not listen to you. Jesus tells us that they cannot even hear God’s Word, for the sole reason, they are not of God.

In His famous “Sermon on the Mount,” our Lord said this.

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:10-12

These are children who never grew up. They do not even understand. However, here is something else for you to think about when dealing with those who are lost. They are already lost. They are on their way to Hell. What in this world, what within your power, can you possibly do to them that is worthy to be compared to the Hell that awaits them?

It is Human Nature to hold grudges. It just is. We think and I hear people say things like this. “You have no idea how I was wronged.” “You do not understand what they did to me.” “ I just can't forgive them for this.” “I trusted them.” ”I did nothing wrong.” “They used me, abused me, and mistreated me.” “How do I forgive them for that?” My answer is simple to hear but may be hard to accept for some.

1- Your Father says so.
2- When you do, you allow God to justify forgiving you.
3- You give them over to God.

Think about that last one. Someone wrongs you. You hold anger in your heart. It festers. You come to hate that person. You play the event over and over in your mind. You are losing sleep. You are having a hard time with the whole situation. Them? They are just fine. They do not care. They are going on with their lives. You are the one who is still suffering. Let it go, and let it be in God’s Hands.

“Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written,

“Vengeance [is] mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”

Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:17-21

When you fully understand it. When you claim it, you will live a more peaceful life. You will truly pray for, and mean it, for those who wrong you. You will fully get, and pray, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." You see, when someone wrongs you, you have the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, The Creator of all that ever was, is, or will be, God Himself, your Daddy, to turn to.

Those that wronged you? They got nothing. They have nowhere to turn. They have nothing they can do. When God turns His wrath upon someone or something, there is nowhere left to turn. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. There is NOTHING. Instead of being angry with them, or hate them, you should pity them. They are about to be devastated in ways only God can do.

What about your brother? What about your sister? Those fellow children of God? What about if one of them wrongs you?

“Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Matthew 18:21-22

Jesus gives us a whole process of dealing with this situation.

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” Matthew 18:15-17

If this happens, you are forgiven. You did your part. You let it go out of your hands and put the person in God’s.

However, there is yet one more type of unforgiveness that some, more than you think, have in their heart. Self unforgiveness. Some people feel that they are so far gone, that they have done such evil things, that a loving God could never forgive them.

I’ve got good news for you, you are the type of person that Jesus came to die for. You are right. You are that far gone. You have done the unforgivable. You are evil. You are worthy of an eternity in hell. Yet while you were in the middle of your sin, Christ died for you.

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person, one would dare even to die, but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8

You are right. There is nothing you can do. You can never make yourself good enough to even approach the Holy God. That is the whole reason Yesuah came. The whole reason that Christ died on the cross. The whole reason He rose again. There is no other way.

What happens when you do accept this? What happens when you do ask for forgiveness?

“As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12

Look here.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

I love this passage in Micah. Turn to Micah 7 and read this with me. Remember. There is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, once you are adopted into the family of God, you ARE His remnant. You ARE His child. “and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.” Romans 8:17

“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:18-19

This is why it is so important to deepen your connection through prayer: Prayer is a powerful tool for communication with God. Regularly talking to God, expressing your gratitude, and seeking guidance can open you up to understanding His will.

Study scripture. Do not just read it. The Bible is God's living Word. Dedicating time to reading and reflecting on scripture can provide insights and direction for your life.

Find a local church that teaches the truth. Seek a spiritual community. Surround yourself with people who share your faith. Discussing scripture, praying together, and participating in church services can provide support and encouragement on your journey.

Slow down, stop even. Reflect on your actions: Consider how your choices align with your faith's values before making decisions. This can help you make choices that honor God.

Practice self-reflection. Regularly examine your thoughts and motivations. Ask yourself if your desires align with your faith's principles.

Remember, this is a lifelong process. There will be times when you need more clarification or make mistakes. The important thing is to keep striving to grow your faith and live a life that honors God.

Have you been adopted? If not, say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be. Say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will hear you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us Pray.

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Yesuah's sacrifice for me. I believed He rose from the dead. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Yeshua, Amen!"

That's it. It is that simple. Now tell someone what you have just done. "That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, You shall be saved." Romans 10:9. You need to find a Church that God leads you to and be Baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A New Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him."Colossians 3:10

The email, if you wish to contact me, is truthbygod1@gmail.com

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

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