Heart

DESPERATELY WICKED HEARTS

Without a life yielded to the Holy Spirit, we are apt to do anything.

1 John 4:4, Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

In 2 Samuel 13, we have one of David’s sons that is filled with lust for his sister. He listened to advice from an ungodly friend; leading to the rape of his sister Tamar. Amnon, just like each of us had a choice when it came to the temptation he faced. Unfortunately, he let lust linger, it caught Him looking, and cost him his life.

Christian friend, the temptation you are facing right now will define the rest of your life. Will you make the choice to follow the Lord or will you follow your desperately wicked heart? You will end up with some severed relationships, an ended marriage, or maybe, as Amnon, even dead! Sin will cost you! What are you willing to pay for it?

HUMBLE HEART

Going to church doesn't make you a Christian anymore than going to a garage makes you an automobile. –Sunday

2 Peter 1:1, “Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:”

Religion will send you straight to hell. A personal relationship through faith in the Lord Jesus will bring a life of peace and a place in Heaven! What are your troubles in life? What is it that keeps you from giving your life to the one who can repair/ fix it? What is it about your troubles that you enjoy living with them? A song goes, “Troublesome times are here filling men’s hearts with fear, freedoms we hold dear is now at stake, Humble your heart to God save from the chastening rod, Seek the way pilgrims trod, Christians awake”

Are we willing to humble our heart to God? That’s all that it takes!

SORRY, NO ROOM HERE!

Let him in or lose out forever!

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7

As the Inn Keeper stood there that first Christmas Day, he told Mary and Joseph there was no room in the inn. Here we are two-thousand years later and much of mankind still says, THERE’S NO ROOM HERE! Only thing is, we are not any better! As a matter of fact, we are much worse!

If you haven’t, It would do you good to say, “Move out devil, Jesus is coming in and He is here to stay!” Don’t know what to say or how to say it? GET UP, GET READY, and HEAD ON OUT TO A BIBLE BELIEVING CHURCH! Someone will be glad to share the Good News of the Gospel with you, leading you to the Saviour!

WHERE DO YOU KEEP YOUR MONEY?

One said to a minister who preached a sermon, after which there was to be a collection, "You should preach to our hearts, and then you would get some money."  The minister replied, "Yes, I think that is very likely, for that is where you keep your money." –Spurgeon

No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Luke 16:13

Money has been a problem for many a people for generations. The thought of getting more has split more homes than I care to talk about. More house, more clothes, more toys, more trips has added more debt into homes that become unsustainable and with those financial problems comes empty tables, absentee parents, eventually ending in divorce. All because someone’s money was their master instead of them mastering their money!

Keep money where it ought to be, under Biblical control. Just a quick reminder, He has entrusted it to us to use for His honor and glory, so use it such a way that happens!

I NEED TO GIVE HOW?

            The problem with our giving is that we give the widow's mite, but not with the widow's spirit. –Anonymous

            And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: Mark 12:42-43

            I have been hooking up some sound equipment at our church over the past few days. I needed some wires so I call the sound shop where we get most of our equipment and asked him for a certain wire. The next day one of the ladies at church went and picked up the stuff I had asked the guy to get. I went today to finish up and the wire I had asked for was wrong. So I got back in the car and took it back. I got to the store and said, “You gave me the wrong cord.” With a bewildered look on his face He said, “You asked for a female cord.” I looked at it and said, “That’s not a female cord.” Needless to say I was wrong because I didn’t know the terminology of sound equipment.

            Such is our giving to the Lord. We don’t understand how we are to give. We are not to give out of abundance but out of faith. We need to give like the widow did with her whole heart. So won’t you GET UP, GET READY, and GOT TO CHURCH this morning ready to learn how to give?

Forgive you say?

There is no father on earth who has as much love in his heart as God has for you.  You may be sinful as hell; yet God stands ready and willing to receive you to His bosom and to forgive you freely. - D.L. Moody

And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. Mark 11:25-26

I was once asked, “How can you forgive such a person.” My response came from somewhere deep inside me. So deep that I don’t think I was the one doing the speaking. I believe it was the Lord speaking through me. My response was, “Well ma’am, you may not understand but I figured if the Lord has forgiven me for all that I have done to Him, why should I not forgive the one that abused me?” She said, “But sir, I do understand with a smile on her face. “

Child of God, whoever has hurt you the most, has cause the most turmoil in your life, has put you down, kicked you, rolled you up and sent you packing—forgive such a one! And Yes, I said forgive!

What does Jesus mean to you?

Jesus Christ is light to the eye, honey to the taste, music to the ear, joy to the heart. –Spurgeon

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

When Christ comes into focus by the Holy Spirit we are able to see like we have never seen before. He shows us how sweet He is. He shows us the music of Heaven. When He does, there is a joy that passes all understanding.

Think about what He means to you this morning.

I Love to Tell the Story of Jesus and His Glory

The things that are closest to our hearts are the things we talk about, and if God is close to your heart, you will talk about Him. –Tozer

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 1 Peter 3:15

Just ask me….what are you waiting on? Go ahead…ask me about my chittlins. You see I’m always prepared to tell you about them. You see, I love them! And because I do I have a story ready to share about when they were growing up. Some funny and some not so funny.

Such it is when someone asks me about my Saviour. I am ready to give my testimony. About how Jesus saved me and set me on the Solid Rock! I am ready to give an answer to every man that asketh…amen! Are you ready?

How bad do I look?

In his life, Christ is an example showing us how to live; in His death, He is a sacrifice satisfying for our sins; in His resurrection, a conqueror; in His ascension, a king; in His intercession, a high priest. --Martin Luther

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 1 Peter 2:21

So often we look to our Pastor, an Evangelist, a Sunday School Teacher, or every another church member comparing our Christian walk with theirs. It is easy to pick out the bad habits others have and boost ourselves up, never really growing in the grace of God.

What should I do preacher? Look to Christ! Compare yourself to His sacrifice, His holiness, His honesty, His giving, His mercy, His grace, and so on. When comparing ourselves to Him…how bad do we look then? Our hearts are black as can be when compared to Jesus. Can we boost ourselves up at all? Consider with me Colossians 2:6, As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

Give up and let God work it out!

Blessings come down as the prayers go up!

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalm 37:4

So many try to fight against what God wants for their life. When they do, it’s like trying to swim upstream of a water fall! We are not fish people! If you are a Christian, when you fight against God’s will you, like Jonah, may end up in the belly of a whale! But if you follow in His will for your life… things fall into place time and time again!