I've been reading about hearts, our hearts. Like how deceitful they can be. I found very many interesting passages on our hearts, too.
Lets start out on a good note about our hearts, and what God requires of us. In 1st Chronicles it says to worship God with a perfect heart. But how can that be when our hearts are NOT perfect? Lets dig deeper. In Psalm 51:10 King David (a man after God's own heart) says: "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Then the Lord says in Ezekiel 36:26 that "A new heart also will I give you...and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh." Our natural desire is to sin, so we must ask God to change our desires and thoughts to ones that honor Him.
Our hearts are very dear to God, I believe, and we must guard them with the upmost care. In Proverbs 4 it says to keep your heart with all diligence, because out of it are the issues of life. Obviously we ought to guard our hearts because what we think in our heart is what becomes us.
We ought to pray to God often about our heart, to make them pure, and upright and holy so that we worship God in ways He ought to be worshipped.
We ought to keep our heart straight ahead, set for the goal(s) we are after, and pursue them wholeheartedly. Yet if our heart is wicked, how do we know our goal(s) is worthwhile? Seek God, and listen to hear His voice. We can be sidetracted so easily; we need to stay focused on God, and open to what He says to us. And make sure we're not sidetracted by sin. Or that our goals are wrong. They must be honoring to God.
Now some other verses on our heart...
Jeremiah 17:9 says this: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Our hearts have been inclined to sin from the time we're born, and it is so easy to fall into the routine of forgetting and forsaking God. Yet we have a choice to continue in our sin, or yield to God. I pray we'll yield, and let God use us for what he wants to accomplish here on earth. How amazing would it be to be used to fulfil God's plan?
We harden our hearts against God, and become less sensitive to His voice. How it must hurt Him when we do! Each time we sin it becomes easier to do, and before you know it, God seems like a distant memory, Somebody you cannot call on. But you can stop that from happening. Psalm 26 says: "Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart." Let God examine yoru heart, and be ready to hear what He has to say. Then change what He asks of you.
Jesus even asked why do we think evil in our hearts? Why do we? Because it's our sinful nature, but we should surrender our lives to Him, and let Him make our hearts pure. Make us without blemish so that we can come to Him.
Jesus sees right into our hearts, and knows our motives, desires and thoughts when we go to Him in prayer. When we pray, are we doing it for the right reasons? or because we want something? or because things are bumpy? We should worship God anytime, and talk to Him, not just because we need something, or because suddenly your life is falling apart.
Take tithing...we are to give 10\% of our money to God, yet are we doing it to get something in return? Is our motive to give to God from our heart, or to give because we want God to give it back to us? If you tithe, do it from the heart, do it because God requires it. Don't do it because you think you'll get anything in return.
Our hearts are deceitful, and desperately wicked, yet you hear people saying "follow your heart". Should not we be following God? Following HIS heart? Yes, we should.
I want God to soften my heart, to make it soft, so that I may be truly repentant when I sin. So that I may help others, and see them through His eyes. And how can I do that unless my heart is soft towards God?