I Feel So Unworthy

Do you ever feel like others get blessed while you feel like nothing great is happening to you? It seems like God is blessing them and they testify of His Goodness and how He answered their prayers but you just plod along, loving the Lord but not making a difference?

We make a lot of excuses to the Lord sometimes. For example, when a new job opportunity comes but you are afraid to apply because you feel unworthy, under-qualified, lacking skills, unequipped...the list goes on. OR, God is telling you to let go or mend a certain relationship but you feel like you cannot bridge the gap between both of you. OR, it could be your relationships at work and you feel like you cannot make an impact or change because you're just the 'cleaner' or you're 'just the postman'.

YOU are not alone. A lot of people in the Bible felt the same. They felt under-qualified and that they lacked skills.

Let's read the Story of Moses. We all know this story because we read it as kids and there is even a movie about it.

Exodus 3

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within the bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire, it did not burn up. So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight - why does the bush not burn up?"

Clearly Moses was inquisitive.

When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!"

And Moses said, "Here I am."

"Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

The Lord said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey - the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them....

STOP THERE!!! - I can actually imagine Moses saying, Amen, Lord. Ooh, yes. Thank You Lord for answering our prayers and for hearing our cries. Thank You!

...So now, go. I am sending you to Pharoah to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."

I am guessing on here Moses was like, "Hold up, Lord...just wait a MINUTE...me?"

Then the excuses began.

Self Doubt:

But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharoah and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
Moses felt unworthy, he doubted himself and the ability that he had to do it. He felt that he had no skills

Fear of Rejection

Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, "The Lord did not appear to you."

Moses was afraid of rejection. Well, who isn't afraid of failure. It's hard to stand up in front of people and try something risky when you wonder if you are even really up for it. When faced with that sort of pressure, Moses had to tell God he couldn't do it. But God had a clear message for Moses and for us. God doesn't care about our excuses. He knows our capabilities, and if he does not think we could do it then he would have asked somebody else. Even the fact that he used 'what ifs' made him sound like he was belittling himself. Do you find  yourself doing that? You're scared. But God has not given you the spirit of fear, but of POWER, of LOVE and of a SOUND MIND. A sound mind means one of peace, not of worry or anxiety. And if you are anxious, then pray about it and the peace of God which transcends all human understanding will guard your heart and your mind.

Under-qualified
But Moses said, "Pardon your servant Lord, but please send somebody else."
Moses realised he would not win and he had run out of excuses so in the end, he settled for begging.
I really don't blame him. Imagine having to be hated by the Israelites, and then you have a speech impediment, you stutter, you are shy and then having to talk to PHARAOH and convince him to let God's people go? I would be scared too.

The funny thing is, the Lord told Moses to just use the staff he had in his hand.

The Staff

Then the Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?"
"A staff," he replied
The Lord said, "Throw it to the ground."
Moses threw it to the ground and it became a snake and he ran from it.

You're probably thinking, what is the point of this? Well, after complaining about how he was unworthy, the Lord asked him what he had and all Moses had in his hand was a staff. He probably thought, 'Lord, I am going up against Pharaoh here and you're telling me I should use a measly old STAFF to fight against him?'

The whole point is, God will use the weak to bring about  victory - 1 Corinthians 1:27 - "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong."

Guess what? It is the same with you! You can compare yourself to others but comparison is the thief of all joy.

The Message

• Go with what you've got and God will give you what you need
• Wait on God
• Comparisons will make you feel like you aren't blessed as much as others are.
• Pray intentionally
• When God sees you he does not see the limitations you set for yourself.

One root of envy is ingratitude. We must begin to give thanks for everything that we have received. Let us give thanks to God for the gifts that OTHERS have received. 

God used many others in the Bible.

Abraham and Sarah - God promises Abraham and his wife Sarah that they would one day be parents, even though they were old and barren. They had nothing but God told them their children would be as the number of stars at night. So many that they would not be able to count them.

Jeremiah - At the time that this prophet was born, the people of God were not living according to His Word. So, God called Jeremiah to change the people through him. In fact, he planned this out before Jeremiah was born. Jeremiah was scared, of course, like Moses but his excuse was that he was  too young. He did not think he could speak out against the wickedness, he was only about 20 years of age. God touched Jeremiah's mouth and he spoke boldly against the sin in the land. 

Gideon - After Joshua died, the people of Israel disobeyed God (again).God wanted Gideon to lead the people of Israel against the Midianites but of course, Gideon was afraid. He had an army of 32,000 men but God cut that down to 320 men. Hello? Why would God do that? He used the little that Gideon had to prove that He was God.

So, whatever it is that's bothering you or making you feel unworthy or under-appreciated, just remember how God used all these people. Despite their lack of confidence, God turned them into great prophets. God can do great things in and through you too!

Enjoy the last month of the year.

God bless.

The Private War of a Saint

Do you have those moments of despair, moments where you feel like God is not near you. Everything was going well. You read your Bible every day, you were growing with God, doors were opening and then all of a sudden you just don't FEEL Him. 

Or, you feel like God no longer loves you and you get tired and worn down by those voices that condemn you. Or that you've hurt God more than enough times and you just don't want to any more. 

Everyone who walks closely with the Lord has gone through seasons of having a heavy heart. Some of us have gone through financial issues, issues with our families, health problems, etc. David (I know I use him a lot), he had great faith, but he grew weary at times due to the burdens that he faced. 

Have you ever been through seasons where nobody, not even a service, a message, a counsellor, can lift your burden. You try to pray, which helps, sometimes, but it does not seem to get you anywhere. It feels like God has abandoned you?

When we are saved, we are made righteous in Christ - Romans 3:22 and even as Christians and as those who seek Christ, we will be tempted and we will go through seasons of heaviness of sin, private issues, pain, problems...possibly everything. All of us as Christians, as the CHURCH, are in a spiritual 'warfare'. You have heard this before. For example, if you look to the Middle East, Christians are persecuted for their faith. In fact, we had the Barnabas Fund talk at our Church about the persecution of Christians in Iraq, Kenya and other places. Places where people are KILLED and made to choose between their faith and their life.

Pastor David Wilkerson, who I truly, deeply love, quite a while ago, he was an American preacher, preached on the persecution of Christians. He said if we truly obey the true mission of Christ to a lost world, we will be marked. He said you will find enemies everywhere. We, as Christians, have a mission and that mission is to tell men who have spent a lifetime believing that they are doing good and that they are achieving something and tell them that it's all filthy rags. 

We know that the one who walks in the Spirit and walks with God will be tempted and will be persecuted. The more spiritual you become the more intense your battles. The Spirit of God will lead you into the wilderness BUT the devil will do the tempting.

Every Christian on earth has probably faced or will face their own private war. The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:8 - "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven. A time of war and a time of peace."

I know one Godly Man who suffered his own private war. He was a very charitable man and served God faithfully for years. He worshipped God, he was honest, he loved God's Word so much and even those who hated him knew how righteous he was. But one night, because of lust, he made another woman pregnant. Because he panicked and wanted to cover up his sin, he arranged a hit man to kill the woman's husband. He was later exposed. All his friends forsook him, he cried out because his burden became intolerable. He was ashamed and his guilt became unbearable. His soul was flooded with bitter tears and grief. Day after day, he cried out to God. You know who I am talking about, right? King David. A man after God's own heart suffered his own private war.

Paul told us that there would be a spirit of lust upon the world. We would be enticed. We cannot even think that the holier we are, the more immune we are to falling into the lusts of the flesh. Even if we are faithful to God and pray and study his Word, we will be temped. Look at David, who loved the Lord more than anybody, he was tempted fiercely and he gave in to his lust. 

But some of us have lost a battle against lust and we are in the midst of this private war. We face guilt, fear and confusion every single day. But remember, even in the midst of the war, Jesus is your Victor.

How Do We Overcome the Private War?

Psalm 18:34 - "He trains my hands for batter; he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow."

There is no step by step plan to this. God works in mysterious ways.

1. David Cried Out To The Lord

Psalm 70 - 'Please God, rescue me! Come quickly, Lord and help me. May those who try to kill me be humiliated and put to shame...'

All of us will face burdens and times of heaviness because, I know you don't want to hear this, this will teach us wisdom as soldiers of God's army. He needs us in this war. You are an example to those around you. You are the one who God will use to drive back the enemy. You are the one he wants to teach how to fight.He will use you as an example to strengthen those who are weak in their faith.

    2.   Live or die I will magnify the Lord

We need to set our hearts to magnify the Lord in the midst of our war. That doesn't mean smiling and pretending to be happy, but to glorify Him regardless of what we are going through. It means to stand still in the midst of the storm and to firmly declare in our hearts, 'Lord, I believe in You.'

   3. Cast Yourself On The Mercy of God

If you look at David's testimony, David learned that God would never have allowed his distress to overcome him. By His grace, His problems would not take him down. In every struggle, God is always full of tender mercy to those who are repentant - 'The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide, neither will he keep his anger forever...'

Please make this your testimony. Look at all your fears,  your distresses, your anxieties and your temptations, and say by faith, "By God's grace, I am not going down. I will not be overwhelmed by these things.'

His grace is sufficient for you!

In every private war you face, keep your eyes and your thoughts fixed on God's mercy and loving kindness which will never fail.

Amen

Pastor Wilkerson teaching on 'The Private War of a Saint'

Purity In A Wicked World

Since it's Halloween, I thought it was fitting to post this today. We see Christians celebrating it. For some people, it's just a day, a fun day. Then they encourage their children to dress up in different outfits, witches, wizards etc. They entertain it. Should Christians entertain it? It made me question, is it possible for we, as Christians, to stay holy and pure in a world that's turning more and more wicked? A world that's accepting to practices that were considered immoral a long time ago? Is it possible? In a world that has become filled with murder, immorality and corruption?

When I ask those questions, I am reminded of Sodom and Gomorrah. In case you don't know...maybe you do, but for those who don't...Sodom and Gomorrah were two Cities that God destroyed due to the sin that was very grievous. So, you may be thinking, 'I thought God was a merciful God, why would He do that?'. Well, it seems to me that these two Cities were so grievous, so evil, that the people's hearts grew cold. It was filled with...well, probably what we see in the world today. Nobody in the City was righteous...except Lot and his family. It was SO bad that...when the Angels of the Lord came to get Lot and spent the night at his house, ALL the men from EVERY PART OF THE CITY OF SODOM, both YOUNG AND OLD surrounded Lot's house, demanding to have sex with the Angels. Do you see how wicked it was? Sodom was filled with drunkards, adultery, sex and murder. Do you ever wonder what made their hearts grow cold against God? I can imagine they did not even want to hear the Word of God. They did not want to be corrected for their wrongdoings. They had no fear of God in them. So, today...do people KNOW the truth behind Halloween? A holiday that promotes FEAR. Didn't GOD Himself tell us that He has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, of love and of a sound MIND? So, if Halloween promotes fear...then why do we indulge in it? We shouldn't be afraid of the devil...we have power over him.

In this day and age, do you ever wonder if you're the same? If you're accepting the practices of the world. I can imagine if Lot and his family had accepted those practices, they would not have been saved. How did they stay away from those practices? How did their hearts stay pure, their thoughts and actions? Isn't that hard to do when everything around you encourages you to do JUST the opposite? Nonetheless, in Phillipians 4:8, the Apostle Paul tells us that we should focus on 'whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God is peace will be with you.' 
Again, is Halloween right, is it pure, is it lovely, is it admirable? Does God praise Halloween? Did you see the Prophets celebrating Halloween? People need to read on things before partaking in them.

So, from this story, the one of Sodom and Gomorrah, I can see that it IS possible to stay pure in a wicked world, a wicked generation. It must be if Jesus commanded us to do so. It sounds easy, doesn't it? I remember when reading this story of Sodom and Gomorrah, thinking...I would not follow the crowd, I would be saved like Lot. I was so confident. But now...I'm thinking, oh, it's so easy to fall. It's easy to fall when you're surrounded by things such as magazines, promoting sex, fornication and discontentment. Magazines promoting greed and pride. TV shows that promote lust, profanity, nudity and violence. Adultery, which just makes it hard to trust your spouse. Gossip, which is glorified (...I watch The Wendy Williams Show, so I know), sexual promiscuity among other things. I've just recently started watching this Talk Show called 'The Real' with Adrienne Bailon, Tamar Braxon, Tamera Mowry, Loni Love and Jeannie Mai. Loni, who I love and I think she's hilarious, constantly talks about her affairs with men, her love for sex and how she loves alcohol. I find myself laughing and clapping then end up stopping myself thinking, 'Wow, did I just laugh at that? What would Jesus do?'. Not just that, she constantly berates and makes fun of Tamera for her faith. If not, it sure looks like it. So, TV is just junk nowadays, hence why I do not watch it as often.

So, listening to this sermon (which I will post down below) made me think and ask myself, 'Am I compromising my moral values for this world? Am I developing a thirst for the world? I remember watching 'The Truth Behind Hip Hop' by G Craige Lewis and his ministry called 'EX Ministries'. I was so convicted after that, I threw away all my Hip Hop CDs, all my music of Beyonce, Jay Z, Rihanna (that's not to say I have fallen a few times and listened to them again), but the whole point is, I did it. I learnt that music has drastically changed over the years. You do not have to be a Christian to know that. It has become more sexual, sensual, dark and demonic. I feel so guilty for listening to it sometimes that at some point, I stopped completely. Nonetheless, I think we have grown lukewarm and just blind to our spiritual condition. People say 'It's just music, there's nothing there.' Or, 'They are just words and I like the beat...there's nothing to it'.
With regards to Halloween, what makes Christians compromise their beliefs to celebrate it? When it has a history of sorcery, witchcraft, evil, demons...why are we okay with it? The Bible sets a foundation as to what we should NOT do. In Deuteronomy 18:10-12 - 'Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord, because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive our these names before you.'


So, what corrupts us? Why are we spiritually dry and empty? Why do we all say it's so hard to be a Christian, it's hard to stay pure? How did Noah stay pure when he lived in such an evil generation? Noah's generation was so bad that the Bible says that EVERY INCLINATION OF THE THOUGHT OF THEIR HUMAN HEART WAS EVIL...ALL the TIME. All they did was think about evil. Do you ever feel surrounded by opportunities to do the wrong thing? For example, having friends that want you to join in their gossip? Or teachers tell you that you should live in reality and the Bible is just a bunch of stories? Noah was surrounded by evil but the Bible says he walked righteously and faithfully with God.

It seems like a wicked generation has always been there. Even in Hosea's generation and you can read about it here (Hosea). But, in Hosea 7-9, Hosea tells his generation, 'You have forgotten God. You claim to know Him yet you fail to consult Him. You are so busy pursuing things of this life but you have become empty. You do not bear any fruit...'

Even the Prophet Isaiah cried out against his generation - Isaiah 1:4, Isaiah cried out, 'Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.'

In the New Testament, Peter cried out against HIS generation soon after Jesus was crucified. 2 Peter 2:14-15, "With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning, they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed - an accursed brood! They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness.'

So, THEN and even more so, NOW, people had forsaken God and rebelled. I talked about the consequences of that in 'A Hard Heart' post. All these sins - drunkenness, harlots, murders, divorce, fornication...yet God always had people that stayed pure, who stayed on the path of purity. They continued in God's presence with pure hearts. They rejected the world and all it's pleasures.

What about OUR generation? We have become vile and wicked because we have lost the fear of GOD. There is no fear of God in US. In Proverbs 16:6, it says that 'By the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil.' We have lost the fear of God.

In Psalm 36, David says, 'I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked. There is no fear of God before their eyes.' The fear of God comes by making a CONSCIOUS decision to follow God. It begins by reading the Word of God and hearing it. If this is how we get faith, and the Word is neglected,  then we have no faith.

We cannot blame the devil, movies, alcohol, computers, pornography, we can only blame ourselves and our lack of prayer and bible study. We are ignorant of how God works. We all know we should pray but we just don't. We have time for a lot of things, time to watch TV, time to hang out with friends, time to chill, time to be lazy...but we do not find time to pray.

The Word of God cannot change you if you are not praying. The World can change you if your Spirit is cold or lukewarm and your soul is dry and empty. If you heart is fixed on the Lord, on prayer and praise, nothing can touch you. No demons from HELL can influence you. No ungodly CROWD can draw you from Him.

God wants us to become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation...and we do that by holding FIRMLY to the Word of Life. Phillipians 2:14.

1 Peter 2:11 - 22 gives us some guidance on how to live godly lives in a pagan society - we should abstain from sinful desires, and live good lives among the pagans. We should submit ourselves for the Lord's sake to every human authority. We should do good to others.

Here is the message 'Purity In A Wicked Age' by David Wilkerson

What Seeds Are You Planting?

Luke 8:4-15 - The Parable of the Sower
Jesus told a story in the form of a parable to a large crowd that had gathered from many towns to hear him. 'A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on and the birds ate it. Other seeds fell among the rocks. It began to grow but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture. Other seed fell among the thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants. Still, other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted'. When Jesus said all this, he told them, "Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand."

Clearly - they did not understand, because his disciples asked him what this parable meant and he told them. "You are allowed to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables to teach the others so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled: 'When they look, they won't really see. When they hear, they won't understand'. This is the meaning of the parable. The Seed is the Word of God (Bible). The seeds falling on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved. The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message  and receive it with great joy. But, since they do not have deep roots, they only believe for a while but fall away when faced with temptation.  The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly, the message is crowded out by cares and riches and the pleasures of this life, so they do not mature. The seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God's word, cling to it and are patient.

When I was younger, my parents gave me a bible. I remember reading this Parable and I did not get it. But since listening to sermons, praying for understanding, I get it. As David Wilkerson said himself, this Parable is about patience as well as the condition of a believer's heart. I will explain why and you will be like 'ohhhh'...because that's what I did too.



So, we know that the seed represents the Word of God, which is the Holy Book...the Bible if you haven't gotten it yet. The farmer (it doesn't say this in the Bible) to ME represents God Himself or the Shepherds on earth that teach you the Words of the Bible.

The Footpath

So, Jesus already explained the meaning. But, let's delve deeper into it. The first kind of seed fell on the footpath. Jesus describes this person as someone who hears the Word of God, they didn't mock it or anything. In fact, this person is very interested in the Word of God. They nod in agreement with everything that is written in the Word. The Word of God is planted in their heart.
BUT...and it's a big but...
The devil (Satan) takes it away from their hearts...well, unless they believe and are saved. I'm just trying to imagine what sort of person would be like this. I think it would be someone with a hard heart. They must be hardened with sin, because they hear the Word but they do not understand it and Satan plucks that message away from them, so the Word of God cannot make an impression on them. They reject the message they hear and by doing that, they are refusing to be saved. They are probably corrected for what they are doing but they continue to ignore the gospel.

This is probably the most impatient person because, on hearing the Word, they don't want to deal with their sin. They would rather indulge themselves in pleasure (sex, drugs etc.). They do not want to be tested or tried. They do not want to wait on God. They hate preaching on disobedience, holiness or repentance. They want entertainment, to go to church and come back feeling happy. They do not want the Holy Spirit to prod them and correct them. For this person, maybe going to church is enough, they feel satisfied. They do not have that personal relationship with God. Maybe...just maybe, they want to go straight to heaven without having that test here on earth. I mean, isn't that what faith is all about?

Remember the Tower of (Genesis 11) - at that point, the whole world had one language and the people wanted to build a tower so they could reach Heave. For me, I took that to mean, they wanted to be like God. They wanted to reach Heaven and go straight there without being tested and tried. Because of that, God confused them and made them speak different languages, so they couldn't communicate.

The Rocky Path

Jesus described this person as someone who is happy and full of joy. They are vibrant, they go around testifying God's work. They are repentant and they live in the joy of who God is. They receive His Word with joy and gladness. They worship and praise Him but in the hour of temptation, they fall.

They have a sin that is controlling their life. This person is impatient with God. They want to be free from that sin and old desires, yet when temptation comes, they are impatient. You have to have time to grow your roots. Simply, go back, pray, dig in and ask the Lord for the roots. Ask God for patience until they come. God tests us to see if we are patiently waiting for Him to deliver us. God knows our impatience is destructive. I mean, look what happened with Israel.

• Memory Tour - remember when Moses went up to the mountain and God delayed him up there. After FORTY days, the people lost patience. They started dancing, carousing in drunken orgies and even made a golden calf to worship.

Then think about Saul.

• Samuel told Saul to wait for him at Gilgal before fighting with the Philistines. Samuel, let's call him Sam, told Saul, 'you know what, this journey may be long. I may take 6 to 8 days but do not worry, I will BE there.' But, as Saul waited, the Israelites grew impatient and began leaving. On the 7th day, Saul became impatient. But, I think God just wanted to know what was on Saul's heart, if he would have more faith, whilst everything looked bad. Saul, instead, took everything in his own hands. 1 Samuel 13:10.

The Thorny Path

This is a person who does not fall or go back to the world. They have stopped all communication and flirtation with sin, they just do not bear the fruit. I can imagine this person as someone who attends church regularly, listens to sermons, reads their bible, hangs out with God's people BUT they just do not have that fruit. He may make promises to God but he does not fulfil them. He hears God's Word but does on with his life. He prays a little bit, witnesses to people but he is preoccupied and busy. He cannot FULLY embrace that self-denial. They desire wealth and riches. They want to be rich and in the end, that richness and pleasure chokes out the love for Jesus. Remember, the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. Even in 1 Timothy 6:9, Paul tells us that those who want to get rich will fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.

The Good Soiled Path

The Lord describes this person as the ideal saved person. This person has a good and honest heart. They have their heart set on loving God and they are convinced that God will always deliver. This produces long lasting fruit. 

They endure a lot of difficulties, trials and tests, sometimes seduced by the flesh and unholy thoughts, but this person's heart is in God and he patiently waits on Him. I cannot help but think of Psalms 15 (which by the way, I'm trying to vicariously live by).

Psalm 15 describes a person who can dwell and live in God's Holy Mountain. This is a person whose walk is blameless, they are sincere in their walk, they are righteous, they speak the truth from their heart, they do not lie, they hate sin, they honour God, they keep PROMISES even when it hurts. When these people do that, their faith will not be shaken and they will stand firm.

So, what seed are you planting and on what path?

Do You Have A Hard Heart?

A hardened heart. What does that mean? Let's see, Ephesians 4:18 says, "They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart."

Isaiah 6:9-10, "You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I will heal them."

Proverbs 29:1, "He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his heck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing."

Reprove means 'correction'. Proverbs 29:1 tells us that hardening our hearts is a result of rejecting repeated warnings - pushing aside all truth. As a result of our constant rejection, our hearts become hard and then they become impossible to cure. Obviously, this is to the Church and it's people. It cannot be to the world because the world has not accepted Him. Christians are the ones who sit in the Church each WEEK or possibly everyday listening to sermons of reproof but continue to ignore it. Such people, this verse says, refuse to allow God to correct them and as a result, the hardness begins to set in and in the end, they cannot be cured.

So, a hard heart is one that resists the word of God or resists obeying the Word of God. Then it becomes impossible to convict them against the warns of the Holy Spirit.


The TEST
Are YOU developing a hard heart?

1. How many times have you heard and read messages about the neglection of daily prayer and bible reading?
I am so guilty of this because life gets so busy but you listen to a message on the importance of daily prayer and bible study BUT you find it so hard to pick up the bible and spend 5 minutes speaking to God. If you neglect the closet at home, if you think praying once a week will take care of your needs, then you will never survive the troubled days ahead. If you have ignored the call of the Holy Spirit to draw  you to the secret closet for intimacy, then you have taken the first step towards the hardness of heart. You should be able to have a personal relationship with Him - that's the only way to prepare for what is coming.

Prayer is important! I think I need to take this on too. Gah!

2. How many times have you been warned about gossip?
Sometimes, we listen to a message on gossiping, then we go out into the world and continue gossiping again. Remember how the gossiping and murmuring cost Israel everything. They were continuously warned about the dangers of gossip but they continuously disobeyed the Lord. Continuing to gossip despite the messages you have heard leads to a hard heart.


3. How many warnings have you heard against harbouring a secret sin?
What about that secret sin you battle with. When a preacher preaches against a certain sin such as cursing, lust, sexual immorality, but continue to live in such...isn't that a hard heart? When you do not allow the conviction to sink IN. That leads to a hard heart. The Lord both endues us with overcoming power through His Spirit, and puts a will in our hearts to do right.

Hebrews 3:7, "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, 'their hearts are always going astray and they have not known my ways'. So I declared on oath in my anger 'they shall never enter my rest'."

So, the hardness of hearts comes from those who HEAR God's voice but ignore it. Everyone is in danger of becoming hard hearted. Because we go on to worship God, praise Him but we do not mature. We gossip, we sin but we love to listen to God's word, we just do not obey it. We are hard hearted.

Israel listened to the Prophet Isaiah, BUT they continuously justified their sin. That's why God said in Isaiah 6:9-10, "You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I will heal them."
God KNEW the Israelites were not willing to lay down their sin. They loved their fleshly pleasures too much. In the end, the Lord just told Isaiah that, 'You know what, these people are not going to change their hearts. I won't speak a word to them.'

In Psalm 15, which I just read and it convicted me, David asks the Lord, "Lord, who can reside in Your presence? Who can come to before You? Who can come to Heaven?"

He lists down a few things about how we should act, how we should speak. He says, we should be sincere in our ways, righteous in our walk, we should do the right thing. We should speak the truth, not gossip about others, our friends, we must stay faithful to them. If we make a promise, we should be able to keep that promise. We should hate and despise sin, not hate sinners, but pity them. We should not look with approval on anything that is vile before God. If we do all this, we will stand firm in Him. 

For those who are Christians, do you remember what first brought you to God? What first brought you to repentance? When your heart gets cold...hard, you have no feeling. You cannot be moved, you cannot be broken. Remember when Pharaoh's heart grew hard, even with the afflictions he faced, death was on his door, sickness had befallen Egypt, but all he said was, "Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice? I will not bow my neck, neither will I do his will. I am my own master and I will have my own pleasure and my own way. I will not yield to God."

May the Lord melt your heart and mine. 

I hope this message blessed someone...I know it blessed me.



When The Holy Spirit Depart - Pastor David Wilkerson