OH, MY HEART
Posture is an attitude of the heart and people ultimately do what is in their heart to do. Whatever is happening internally is transferred externally. If injury and pain are present, particularly if it’s chronic then your outward posture will be affected. I have seen many times the deflated heart that can come from the feeling of being defeated by injury.
Essentially good posture means a position in which the body functions ‘properly’, and as you draw closer to God in worship, your posture can shift as your heart gets caught up in the experience of the moment. This then causes the body to respond outwardly through postural movements. We do this because God wants all of us. He expects us to worship Him as an expression of our heart posture.
We want our hearts to be good ground so that we can bear Spiritual fruit, which reveals itself in time and according to Galatians 5:22-23, this Spiritual fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
So as we grow together this week - here are 3 questions to ask yourself as we do a Spiritual heart check-up. For those wondering, these questions arise from the Parable of the Sower Jesus tells us in Matthew 13:1-23.
1. Is my daily relationship with God priority in my life?
With this first heart condition, Jesus taught that there are people who just don’t care about Godly things. They can hear God’s word but not understand it. The enemy then comes and snatches away the word sown in their hearts (see Matthew 13:18-19). This condition refers to people of the world largely because they do not have God’s Spirit within them. So God’s word sounds like foolishness to them. This condition can also come when the Spirit is elevated over Christ. Without unity in the Godhead - there will be weakness in the structure of our spiritual foundation.
However as believers in Jesus, we have the capacity to understand God’s word because His Spirit lives in us.
But we must apply our hearts to understanding. We can ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate the word that we are hearing and reading so that we understand it. Once we understand God’s word, we can live it out. This may happen overnight - and this may be a process and require explaining different translations of the word of God. My personal favorite: The Message (MSG), New Living Translation (NLT), and The Passion Translation (TPT).
Our Heart Confession: “I value my relationship with God above everything in my life. I apply my heart to understanding and living His word daily. Any place where there is a lack of understanding - Holy Spirit please come in an illuminate the darkness with your power. You are the main thing and I am coming back to you.
2. Am I willing to endure hardship for Christ’s sake?
With the second heart condition, Jesus taught that there are people who receive His word with gladness at first. But when trouble comes, they stumble immediately (see Matthew 13:20-21).
Why? Because they are only interested in God at the surface level. With shallow roots, you can become uprooted with the slightest tug! Jesus asks His disciples to count the cost of following Him (see Luke 14:27-33).
You may feel uncomfortable at times in your journey with Jesus. Others might disapprove or even ridicule you. You will even have to battle your own flesh at times when it wars against what your Spirit wants to do.
But you are not going through anything that Jesus didn’t suffer already. Take comfort that you have a Savior who has set the ultimate example of living a life pleasing to the Father, in spite of hardship. He endured. So can you with His help!
Our Heart Confession: “I am willing to endure hardship … when things are not going my way - will I endure?Lord, create in me a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me so that I stand strong until the end.” Give me a backbone of steel and the sensitivity of your spirit. I am trusting you to complete the work that you have started.
3. Do I submit my goals and cares to God daily?
With the third heart condition, Jesus warns us to be mindful of our daily focus. He said that it is possible for this world’s cares and deceitfulness of riches to choke God’s word and make it unfruitful in us. While it is okay to have goals, we need to keep them in the right perspective. After all, everything in this world is passing away.
There is a story from a sermon - where once a pastor challenged his congregation to visit the local garbage dump. He said, “When you visit the dump, you are going to see refrigerators, televisions, perhaps clothes and shoes. At some point in the past, someone worked really hard to get money for these things. They valued them highly. But now, there they are…at the garbage dump, thrown away as useless.”
Think about the things for which you are aspiring. The only thing that will last is our relationship with the Lord. He is the only Being who possesses eternal life. We are called to be like him - not like what we think he should be, but bearing the mark of his covenant in our lives. We must live sober, watchful lives. The Lord calls us to do good works to glorify Him and expand His kingdom. These good works are elevated through the fruits of his spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Our Heart Confession: “Lord, I cast my cares on You because you care for me. I am a Kingdom citizen and set my mind on Kingdom matters.” Let me see what you see and let me see through your eyes. Open my eyes to understanding and close my mouth to that which is working against your kingdom. I want to be fully in line with you and the work you are doing in the earth.
I hope all was well in your Spiritual heart check-up. However, if you found some issues, then our Great Physician can help you with that - I already see area for growth on my end!
Friends, delight yourself in the Lord daily and He will change your heart desires to line up with His and remember: People ultimately do what is in their heart to do.