How's Your Heart

HOWS YOUR HEART?

About Five years ago I found myself in the Modbury Hospital High dependency ward with a ? heart attack.

I should have been in distress but the whole time I was in peace because I knew my heart was right before the Lord.

The Bible says

Isaiah 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.

I knew that the Lord had a plan for my life and I knew He would bring it to pass provided I kept my mind on Him.

Last week I spoke on attitude-- Charles R. Swindoll made this statement about Attitude

"This may shock you, but I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude is that `single string’ that keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there’s no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me."

This morning I want to speak to you from 2 Chron. 16:9 and ask you the question

HOWS YOUR HEART?

2 Chron. 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars."

The NIV says "to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him."

1. THE FIRST THING I SEE IN THIS PASSAGE IS RELATIONSHIP

HOWS YOUR HEART IN RELATIONSHIPS?

We have a loving Father who longs to have a good relationship with us.

In this verse we see that God is longing to have a strong relationship with those whose heart is committed & loyal to Him.

Sadly I speak to many people who do not have a good relationship with an earthly father and so this concept of a father who wants a good relationship with them does not relate to their experience.

It is seems to me that we are living in a world that sadly lacks in Godly relationships.

The concept that we are to Love God and love our neighbour as ourselves is certainly not the way of the world.

The way of the world is, I am number one and I am going to look out for me, everyone else can look out for themselves. As for God and His ways well if it is convenient I will fit Him into my schedule. After all God helps those who help themselves.

Well that’s a false statement because God helps those who can’t help themselves but repent and cry out to Him for help.

Psalm 34:17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.

We come into right relationship with God when we believe in and trust in Jesus and His finished work on the cross.

Our own works are but filthy rags to the Lord

You see if we go back one verse we see that

Psalm 34:16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

God longs for that right relationship with us, but we must be prepared to be fully committed to him.

The same goes for our earthly relationships it requires commitment and loyalty for them to work.

How do you shape up are you fully committed to a right relationship with God Father Son and Holy Spirit and are you fully committed to a right relationship with those around you, your neighbours.

You see anything else is rebellion and that leads me to my next point out of our passage of Scripture

2. DO YOU HAVE A HEART OF REBELLION?

Asa had a heart of rebellion he did not want to listen to the Word of God through Hanani the seer (prophet)

2 Chron. 16:9-10 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars." [10] Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.

Asa had defeated the Ethiopians in open battle. But his confidence in God had slipped, and now he sought only a human solution to his problem. When confronted by the prophet Hanani, Asa threw him in prison, revealing the true condition of his heart.