…What is the condition of my heart?
“But the LORD said to Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.“—1 Samuel 16:7
Something can seem “good” on the surface, or even “true”… but I’m learning that the question to ask is,
“What kind of place did it originate from in the (my) heart?”
Did my action/ response come from a place of love, a place of selflessness, a place of pure devotion to God?
Or did I react out of a place of pride, a place of wanting to be seen a certain way, a place of insecurity, a place of jealousy, a place of fear, a place of judgement?
Why do we do the things we do?
It comes from our hearts. ❤️
God looks at the condition of our hearts—there is nothing that can be hidden from His sight. ☀️
“You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.“—Deuteronomy 8:2
But He so lovingly lets us know about these impure places in our hearts, sin and wounds that are festering in our hearts that we’ve not taken to Him… that He might cleanse and purify our hearts, that He might keep us on the path alongside Him—and He will redeem our lives.
Why does it matter that we have purified hearts? So that what we speak and what we do will not be contaminated because of what originates from our own hearts.
The Holy Spirit reveals the truth that protects us from being deceived by our own hearts, and from the hearts of others.
“Father, what is the condition of my heart? Help me to see it through Your eyes…”
26 If someone believes they have a relationship with God but fails to guard his words then his heart is drifting away and his religion is shallow and empty.
27 True spirituality that is pure in the eyes of our Father God is to make a difference in the lives of the orphans, and widows in their troubles, and to refuse to be corrupted by the world’s values.” —James 1:26-27 TPT
Have you ever said or done something, and you thought it seemed to be a good thing, and then the Holy Spirit convicted you about that thing that you did…. and it hit you that you didn’t do that thing out of a pure heart? I have…
Maybe I did it to seem a certain way, or maybe I did it because it was the thing to do. Maybe I did it for my own gain… for the sake of my own “image”…
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.“—James 4:8 NKJV
If we ever think we’re “immune”…. ? …if we ever assume…this can be a dangerous place to be. We must check our hearts…
But how He is faithful to show us! ? How He is faithful to teach us! How He is faithful to warn and to protect and redeem us!
Oh Father, forgive me for the times I’ve allowed my actions or my words to originate from an impure heart! Lord, purify my heart, that what would come from my heart would come from a purified place—that Your heart might be seen, felt, and heard clearly—without any contamination from the things I’ve allowed in my heart —will You cleanse all of that away and do the work that only You can do? Thank You, Lord for being so faithful to reveal these kinds of things to us, and You do it because You love us, and because You do not want us to be deceived…let us not be deceived.
-Heather ?