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Take It To Heart
In this message, we discussed taking it to heart. It is an opportunity for us to give ourselves a spiritual check-up. In the Bible, the heart is where your mind meets your spirit. Here’s the critical question: Are you a drifter or are you a person of purpose?
In 2 Corinthians 13:5, you are told to “examine yourselves “as to whether you are in the faith.” You examine yourself to determine if you are in faith not. You are not in faith just because you say that you are in faith. You have to test yourself and pass the test.
If you are born again, then Christ is in you. The question is: Do you know that? If you do, then you are called to live by faith not by your five senses, not by what you perceive and not by what comes through your mind. In other words, you live by God’s Word and by your relationship with Him. That’s what “are [you] in the faith” means. If you are in Christ, there should be fruit in your life that reflects that you are in Christ.
You have to examine yourself to determine whether you are in Christ because the risk is that you will be “disqualified” (2 Corinthians 13:5). God doesn’t disqualify us. You must test yourself to determine if you are disqualified. This is something that God leaves to us on the honor system.
Some people have the attitude that once they work everything out in their lives then they will serve God. God doesn’t work that way. If you are doing everything you know to do and things still aren’t working out, that’s not right. That’s not God’s way. God works with those who obey Him. It’s false religion to expect God to do everything for us. When you are walking in the will of God, things are supposed to work out. You can’t always blame the enemy for things going wrong. That’s why it’s important for you to “consider your ways.” (Haggai 1:5-7) “Consider your ways” literally means lay your heart on this or consider what you are doing. This is where your mind meets your spirit. Putting off the work of God in order to take care of you will lead to poverty and lack. You are not intended to take care of yourself. You are intended to depend on God because God, the Father, takes care of His children.
How do you check or test yourself? How do you know if you are drifting or staying on course? For this test, you have to look at yourself in the mirror, and the mirror you are looking into is God, through His Word (James 1:22-25). The “perfect law of liberty” is another word for mirror or the Word. If you stay with God, look in the mirror He has made and continue in His Word, then you will do some work. The only person you can deceive is yourself, which is why you have to look in the mirror. Being a hearer of the Word and not a doer means you are deceiving yourself. If you are doer of the Word, you will be blessed. What you do is spiritual. If something is truly spiritual, then the natural cannot contain it. It’s impossible because the spirit is more real than the natural. Every problem that a person has comes from him/her slipping into thinking that the natural is more real than the spiritual. That’s why it is so important for you to test yourself to see if you are doing the work God gave us through His Word. If you become a doer, there will be no more frustration and you will be blessed.
The parable told in Luke 15:11-32 is commonly called “The Prodigal Son.” As you will see, it is more appropriately called “The Prodigal Father.” Prodigal means lavish or not stingy – that’s what the father is. In this story, you are either one of the two sons and the father is God.
The younger son saw blessings as something owed to him (Luke 15:11-12). He didn’t want to wait for his father to die to receive his inheritance. The younger son demanded his inheritance and his father complied by dividing it between his two sons. The younger son had a sense of entitlement, he wanted immediate gratification and he thought blessing were due to him. Do you think that blessings are due you? The younger son didn’t want anything to interfere with his plan. In other words, he didn’t want home in his house (Luke 15:13). He wanted to be his own master (God). This is called idolatry. He did not want his father to look at him doing what he was about to do.
You can leave far from Jesus with your heart (Matthew 15:8). The only thing the younger son wanted was immediate gratification. He was coveting. He wanted the seen over the unseen, and he gave no thought to the future. He wasted his inheritance by loose living. You cannot reap what you eat (Luke 15:14). Because of his greed, the younger son gave no thought to the future and he suffered for it. God expects for you to sow out of what He has blessed you with because tomorrow is coming. The younger son became a slave by enslaving himself (Luke 15:15-16).
In the midst of his dire situation, the younger son considered his ways (Luke 15:17-18), meaning he took it to heart. He went back to the mirror. He said that he sinned against “heaven” (God) and his father. In other words, he repented. This is where you want to be. You want to hear God call you “son,” not servant. A son implies an inheritance. Religion keeps people out of their inheritance. The younger son humbled himself. He “rose.” (Luke 15:20) In other words, he was a doer of the Word. He repented, turned around and changed his actions. The younger son had his mind on eternity (Luke 15:21). It is God’s goodness that causes us to repent. The younger son received the best robe, a ring and sandals for his feet. He was clothed in the garments of righteousness (Luke 15:22). The fatted calf was an offering for his sin (Luke 15:23).
Separation from God is death. The younger son got his heart’s desire. The Father will not chase people in rebellion. Both sons had everything as long as they were with their father. Neither of them loved their father. They didn’t take it to heart. Are you foolish in the face of God’s love? Obedience only happens when it comes from the heart. When we totally trust ourselves to God, He is totally responsible for us (Luke 15:24).
In 2 Corinthians 13:5, you are told to “examine yourselves “as to whether you are in the faith.” You examine yourself to determine if you are in faith not. You are not in faith just because you say that you are in faith. You have to test yourself and pass the test.
If you are born again, then Christ is in you. The question is: Do you know that? If you do, then you are called to live by faith not by your five senses, not by what you perceive and not by what comes through your mind. In other words, you live by God’s Word and by your relationship with Him. That’s what “are [you] in the faith” means. If you are in Christ, there should be fruit in your life that reflects that you are in Christ.
You have to examine yourself to determine whether you are in Christ because the risk is that you will be “disqualified” (2 Corinthians 13:5). God doesn’t disqualify us. You must test yourself to determine if you are disqualified. This is something that God leaves to us on the honor system.
Some people have the attitude that once they work everything out in their lives then they will serve God. God doesn’t work that way. If you are doing everything you know to do and things still aren’t working out, that’s not right. That’s not God’s way. God works with those who obey Him. It’s false religion to expect God to do everything for us. When you are walking in the will of God, things are supposed to work out. You can’t always blame the enemy for things going wrong. That’s why it’s important for you to “consider your ways.” (Haggai 1:5-7) “Consider your ways” literally means lay your heart on this or consider what you are doing. This is where your mind meets your spirit. Putting off the work of God in order to take care of you will lead to poverty and lack. You are not intended to take care of yourself. You are intended to depend on God because God, the Father, takes care of His children.
How do you check or test yourself? How do you know if you are drifting or staying on course? For this test, you have to look at yourself in the mirror, and the mirror you are looking into is God, through His Word (James 1:22-25). The “perfect law of liberty” is another word for mirror or the Word. If you stay with God, look in the mirror He has made and continue in His Word, then you will do some work. The only person you can deceive is yourself, which is why you have to look in the mirror. Being a hearer of the Word and not a doer means you are deceiving yourself. If you are doer of the Word, you will be blessed. What you do is spiritual. If something is truly spiritual, then the natural cannot contain it. It’s impossible because the spirit is more real than the natural. Every problem that a person has comes from him/her slipping into thinking that the natural is more real than the spiritual. That’s why it is so important for you to test yourself to see if you are doing the work God gave us through His Word. If you become a doer, there will be no more frustration and you will be blessed.
The parable told in Luke 15:11-32 is commonly called “The Prodigal Son.” As you will see, it is more appropriately called “The Prodigal Father.” Prodigal means lavish or not stingy – that’s what the father is. In this story, you are either one of the two sons and the father is God.
The younger son saw blessings as something owed to him (Luke 15:11-12). He didn’t want to wait for his father to die to receive his inheritance. The younger son demanded his inheritance and his father complied by dividing it between his two sons. The younger son had a sense of entitlement, he wanted immediate gratification and he thought blessing were due to him. Do you think that blessings are due you? The younger son didn’t want anything to interfere with his plan. In other words, he didn’t want home in his house (Luke 15:13). He wanted to be his own master (God). This is called idolatry. He did not want his father to look at him doing what he was about to do.
You can leave far from Jesus with your heart (Matthew 15:8). The only thing the younger son wanted was immediate gratification. He was coveting. He wanted the seen over the unseen, and he gave no thought to the future. He wasted his inheritance by loose living. You cannot reap what you eat (Luke 15:14). Because of his greed, the younger son gave no thought to the future and he suffered for it. God expects for you to sow out of what He has blessed you with because tomorrow is coming. The younger son became a slave by enslaving himself (Luke 15:15-16).
In the midst of his dire situation, the younger son considered his ways (Luke 15:17-18), meaning he took it to heart. He went back to the mirror. He said that he sinned against “heaven” (God) and his father. In other words, he repented. This is where you want to be. You want to hear God call you “son,” not servant. A son implies an inheritance. Religion keeps people out of their inheritance. The younger son humbled himself. He “rose.” (Luke 15:20) In other words, he was a doer of the Word. He repented, turned around and changed his actions. The younger son had his mind on eternity (Luke 15:21). It is God’s goodness that causes us to repent. The younger son received the best robe, a ring and sandals for his feet. He was clothed in the garments of righteousness (Luke 15:22). The fatted calf was an offering for his sin (Luke 15:23).
Separation from God is death. The younger son got his heart’s desire. The Father will not chase people in rebellion. Both sons had everything as long as they were with their father. Neither of them loved their father. They didn’t take it to heart. Are you foolish in the face of God’s love? Obedience only happens when it comes from the heart. When we totally trust ourselves to God, He is totally responsible for us (Luke 15:24).
posted by Berith. Making life better! at
10:26 AM
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