How is Your Heart?

Warriors Arise: June 10th, 2020

"Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself." Luke 24:25-27

Jesus tells the two disciples they are slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!...". When leading someone to the Lord you may have heard someone say, "Speak to God from your heart" or "Confess what is in your heart". After one confesses their sin and receives forgiveness from God for their sin, we might say, "Now, Jesus is in your heart". In all actuality Jesus is in heaven preparing a place for us and sitting at the right hand of the Father. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be our helper, counselor, and guide. The Bible tells us we are the temple of the Holy Spirit in 1Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19.

Why does Jesus tell these two disciples they are "slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken"? Jesus knows what is in the heart of every person. It is why people look at your actions but God looks at a person's heart. The heart reveals our motivation to action. If someone can pull your heart strings you will respond to their request.

Your thoughts can be persuaded but your heart must be won over. You may agree with something in thought but it doesn't mean you are sold on it until you put action to the thought. If your heart is not convinced, you are not motivated to action. Let me give you an easy example.

You have known someone who has dated someone you knew they shouldn't be dating. We maybe even have tried to help them get out of the relationship, but they wouldn't listen. When the break up finally happened we were glad, maybe even relieved and didn't understand why our friend was so distraught. We might have tried to set them up with someone better or encourage them to look for someone better. Our friend might even agree with us that the person they were dating was not good for them. But their heart is not convinced. Their heart still is connect to the one that dumped them. Even though they openly admit that person was not good to them, nor right for them they can't move on. The heart keeps bringing up the memories they had with that person. The heart is overruling the common sense of the mind.

It is why we need the right things in our heart. The wrong things in our heart can lead us into evil. In Genesis 6:5 (NKJV) "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Both mind and heart were connected in doing evil continually.

Our whole heart has to be the Lord's. He doesn't just get a corner of our heart. A corner isn't enough. To keep from evil and operate in the power Jesus gave those who believed, He has to have all of our heart.

Read this from a person who has given His whole heart to the Lord, declaring the goodness of the Lord and remembering all the Lord has done. He is making sure every part of his mind understands what his heart knows.

Psalms 111 (NKJV) Praise the Lord! I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation. 2 The works of the Lord are great, Studied by all who have pleasure in them. 3 His work is honorable and glorious, And His righteousness endures forever. 4 He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. 5 He has given food to those who fear Him; He will ever be mindful of His covenant. 6 He has declared to His people the power of His works, In giving them the heritage of the nations. 7 The works of His hands are verity and justice; All His precepts are sure. 8 They stand fast forever and ever, And are done in truth and uprightness. 9 He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: Holy and awesome is His name. 10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.

Look at all the things this person was remembering about God. He declared His ways and all His works. He renewed His mind so it would not tempt His heart. His heart was not full of God but it was overflowing and every part of his being was going to recognize God for Who He is. There are times we need to do this for ourselves. We need to make sure our whole heart is the Lord's. Can you wholeheartedly declare Psalm 111? When my mind is entertaining a lie I like to read Scriptures like Psalm 111 out loud, declaring who God is to me.

People want to test God like they did when Jesus walked the earth. They want some way where they get to make an excuse for why they have not fully given their whole heart to God. Giving your whole heart to God means you recognize He will lead you the right way every time, trust His timing, and know He has a purpose for everything you go through. Even though you may not like what He allows you to go through, you know it will work out in your favor, if you will believe with your whole heart.

Matthew 22:34-40 (NKJV) But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

You cannot love your neighbor as yourself if you do not love God will all your heart, with all you soul, and with all your mind. If you can't love your neighbors, can you really say you love God? I find it interesting that Jesus uses "all" when describing heart, soul, and mind. Jesus wants all because He wants you to demonstrate His love to others. Unless you have given God all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind you can't love others in the way that demonstrates God's love.

I saw in a news report a young lady and young man who were joining the peaceful protests but when they saw the looters head for a building they would stand in front of the building and tell them, "Don't ruin the protest. Remember why you are here. Remember what we are doing." They were thrown out of the way and continued to take their destruction to the door of the business. The young woman got back up and put herself in front of the business doors. She did not work there. She had no reason to put her life on the line for that business. No one in that building knew her. She demonstrated God's love by helping those men remember why the peaceful protests were taking place. Did they loot later? I don't know but by her actions they didn't get into that business nor the next few down the street. They kept walking. The young lady and man remind me of James 5:19-20 (NKJV) "Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins."

What if believers lined the route of the protests, standing in front of every business before, during, and a while after the protest march praying and reminding the protestors what they are there to do? Not to be flippant about life, but what do we have to fear? When we stand, we stand with God. If we should die, we are in heaven. If our actions turn one from sin we get a reward.

Are believers today slow of heart? My concern, if believers do not step in then this will only get worse. I hope this is not true. I saw Sunday the Minneapolis City Council announced they were disbanding the Minneapolis Police Force and the people are going to keep law and order. Do you see where this is going? The people will not be able to keep order. The military will have to step in and we handed over our freedom for a communist regime. If there is no one to keep order, then we become a nation of survival of the fittest. Welcoming back t the Godfathers, gangs, and evil of the past. No one will be safe.

My heart cries for believers. We cannot be slow of heart to believe Jesus is the Christ. We are to follow His lead. What is it that Jesus would have us do? Why are we not crying out to God to intervene? At this point there is more to be afraid of than the coronavirus. Choose to pray together with other believers and take the time to pray the word of God for all that is going on in our world today. Yes, this is a call for you to engage in prayer and share this with other believers.

Psalms 115:16 (NKJV) The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's; But the earth He has given to the children of men.

God has given the earth to us and Jesus has demonstrated how to use the authority God given. We must use the authority we have been given for our children and grandchildren. This is not the world we want to leave them. I am asking with my whole heart for God to intervene. We cannot sit idly by. We cannot hide in our houses because of fear. We must seek God with our whole heart and listen to what He is telling us to do.

Father, I declare we will not give up our freedom to worship because of fear. We will not allow the enemy to destroy our nation. We will not ignore what is going on in the world, as we try to get back to normal. We will not sit here while the enemy steals our freedom to worship You, vote, go to college, or choose our future. We will not turn our back on what is going on and let the enemy kill the dreams we have of success, strong families, a healthy economy, and the checks and balances in our government. We will call to You and be strengthened by Your love, directed by Your word, and empowered by the authority Jesus has given us. We will not allow the enemy to take the ground we have gained. I praise You for less babies are being murdered by abortions. I praise You prayer is back in schools in some states. I praise You for our President and Vice President who bless our nation and seek You for wisdom. I pray for our President and Vice President to see through those who are operating against our republic. I pray they would not hear a word the enemy is saying. I pray they would be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. I ask for you to call believers to join together in advancing Your kingdom. You are the only God who can do the miraculous; Your love NEVER fails! I am asking with my whole heart: come and do the miraculous. This is beyond what any one person can resolve. Step in and remove the enemy from our land in Jesus' name amen.

A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,

Veridee Joy

My hope is for believers in Jesus Christ to join together each day to pray, to push back the enemy as we release God’s power here on earth against the coronavirus. The prayers will be listed each day as Warriors Arise. I will put a date with it so we can keep them straight. If you have any questions please feel free to make a comment or private message me. If you would like this to come to your email directly please go to verideehand.com and subscribe.