Following on from my message Troubles of heart and mind, there will be some who might be asking questions, and so I shall draw some perspective around the subject today.
My heading will be, 'Unite my heart to fear thy name', from David's Psalm 86
The very statement exposes a heart that is divided and needs to be brought together. It shall be acceptable then to say that there is a problem with the heart that needs a remedy. David cried, 'Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.' He knew all that he should be, and appealed to God for assistance and intervention.
I said that Paul the apostle experienced the same conflict in his Christian life, but I recognise that some commentators and preachers feel that he was referring to the time before he was converted after that amazing meeting with Jesus on the road.
However, along with Matthew Henry (one of our finest commentators who wrote his outstanding Complete Commentary on the Bible, of which Spurgeon said, 'If you do not have one, sell your coat and buy a copy!'), I believe that Paul was speaking of something that all of us can identify with, if we can but be honest with ourselves for a moment.
Of course, the current trend in the popular conferences and the teaching of the 'mega stars' of our cheapened, doctrineless, mega-churches, is to believe that now you are 'saved', you do not sin anymore. They claim that you are holy and never need to repent again; and they further state that you are now God yourself and have no need to be sorry or fear the Lord.
Well, that is a heresy and the lies of a devil-driven fantasy that will take millions to hell, no matter how much money they send to the dancing prophets.
The man or woman who walks with God is the one who is of a humble and contrite heart, and who acknowledges their infirmities and failings, but draws on the grace and mercy of their Saviour each and every day. They know their weaknesses, but find grace to help in time of need. They confess their sins, and find the blood of Jesus ready to cleanse and renew: for if anyone says that they have no sin, they are liars, and do not walk in truth or light. (1 John chapter 1)
You can follow the teachings of the great and glamorous sweet-talking televangelists on their gold-plated platforms, or you can search for yourself what God says in his most holy word.
'What is the chaff to the wheat? Is not God's word like a fire, and as a hammer that will smash the rocks of defiance and pride into pieces?' (Jeremiah23:28-31)
The citadels of all the New World Order unified church, along with all the so-called 'prophets and prophetesses' of prosperity, who have sold their souls to the Pope and spat in the face of all the righteous and godly martyrs burned alive at the stake by that same institution, will fall on the heads of all who are deceived by their teachings. So let those who are deluded stay deluded, if that is what makes them happy. Let those who want to be tickled and have a good laugh as the false prophet wanders through the congregation like some demi-god, stay laughing. They have got what they want, and are happy with their own feelings of righteousness.
However, to the honest heart, the reality of their own temptations and personal struggles seems far removed from what the slick preacher on the platform knows anything about. They want with all their hearts to be better, to be more Christ-like, to live the perfect Christian life, but have yet to find the secret for that to happen. They find themselves in a spiritual dilemma. How can they deal with the seeming contradictions of their own heart?
I remember reading a book titled, 'How to live the Victorious Christian Life, by an Unknown Author'. He got to be so humble that he would not even put his name on the cover. I was impressed with that, but then, after struggling to achieve what he had apparently achieved, I just came back to dependency upon the Bible and my personal time with God each day.
Now, coming to the text at the top of the page, 'Unite my heart'.
I spoke of the struggles of the true believer, the pilgrim who walks through this age of sin and temptation, its hatred and despising of all who are good, and its violent refusal to hear what God is saying. In these days of fear and oppression where you can seem to be walking a very lonely path at times, and where even the church-goers have nothing spiritual about them that bears any relevance to the deep thoughts of your heart, it is easy to just compromise or just give up on trying.
That is exactly what the devil wants you to do. He is not afraid of a million church people, nor thousands of preachers, prophets, or so-called 'apostles'. They can talk all the talk they want, use all the words of the Bible, and shout, scream, dance and jive, but they have no power and no authority in the kingdom of light.
God never sent them, yet they talk as though they had a special audience with him every other minute. (Have a good read of Jeremiah 23. It is right on target).
The devil is afraid of any soul that trembles at God's word and has knowledge of the Holy One of Israel. They are not perfect people, but they have perfect hearts. They are not taken up with the things of this world, but are consumed with a passion to be of some use to the Lord whilst they have breath in their bodies.
Such individuals, those who are called and chosen, are the greatest threat to the devil's kingdom so long as they live; and should they die in battle, they will become more powerful than ever, standing and reigning by the throne of God.
They fall and fail, but God upholds them (For a just man falls seven times, and rises up again (Proverbs 24:16). They get knocked and beaten, especially by the religious mob, but they rise again to stand in humble triumph over all their enemies.
Temptations and troubles assail them at times, but they appear to live in the miraculous, walking on water (as it were) over all the accusations of their bleating and hate-driven adversaries.
They are despised and rejected just as their Saviour was, cast down and killed by the hateful words of those who deride them and mock them (both in the camp and outside); but they rise from the fabricated graves of those who sought to bury them under self-righteous judgments and the slander of the religious gossips. (2Corinthians 4:8-10)
They reign in life. They reign, even though not perfect, for they are made perfect in Christ. And who shall lay any charge or accusation against those whom God has justified? (Romans 8:33) They are made righteous by faith, washed in the blood, held up by grace, and are never forsaken by Christ. The prayers of those who want them judged and damned have no power or effect against them. They abide under the shadow of the Almighty, even when at times they do not feel or sense it.
They find great comfort in the words of the prophet Micah when he says, 'Rejoice not against me, O my enemy: when I fall, I shall arise: when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me. I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause and executes his righteous decision for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.' (Micah 7:9-10)
He does not say, 'if' I fall, but, 'when' I fall.
The book of Hebrews speaks of the chastisement and correction that all children need, and likewise all believers need from time to time. We can therefore happily deduce from this that none of us have attained sinless perfection, but all have the tendency to sin, even after we have been born again. (Hebrews 12:5-15)
Matthew Henry describes it as the 'bias' in a bowl. He is referring to the game of bowls that mostly older people play. If ever you have watched the game, you will have noticed that no matter how the bowl may have been rolled down the green, it always veers off to one side after going along in a straight line. It is called the bias in the bowl.
There are lead weights inside the bowl that cause it to go off its natural course. You think that it is headed in one direction, then see it bend off and go another way. This is just the same with us (as Paul described in Romans 7). The bias of sin within us surprises us by its strength and we find ourselves in conflict with ourselves. We aim straight, but then find ourselves veering off.
David prayed, LORD, unite my heart to fear thy name. Take the strength of that which would do wrong, and convert it to the strength of that which is right. Unite the different strengths of my heart for good, so that I might overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21)
We need to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, for the mind can become the creative source of that which is holy and wholesome, or it can become the devil's playground where evil thoughts triumph over good intentions. (Romans 12:2)
So, let us come to the practical application. How do I get to live how God wants me to live when I am fully aware of the personal inclinations that I face in temptation, and my habit of running down the wrong path?
It may seem elementary, but nonetheless it is true. The words of an old hymn said,
'The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.' (Psalm 19)
'The 'Quiet Time' was something that all Christians and their families knew about many years ago. It was that essential start to the day where nothing happened until we had read our Bibles and spent time with God. If you did not get that quiet time, then the day would not run well, and time did not seem to be sufficient to get everything done that needed to be done.
Of course, more than that, it was the way the believers back then lived on a better and higher level than most do today. They revered the Word of God, and feared the Lord in godly reverence. They were more noble and upright than the majority of this 21st century breed.
'These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, to see whether those things were so.' (Acts 17:11)
