God wants sincerity with us. Anything less than honesty with God is basically worthless. He already knows the state of our hearts, the secret places of our minds, our basic intentions with every single choice we make. Over and over and over again, God reminds us in His Word that our entire hearts must be in our relationship with Him. It saddens me to see the state of "Christianity" today. So many people remain lukewarm in their faith and yet they believe that God is truly pleased with them because they "mention" Him in their daily lives yet they refuse His life changing power and redemption to set them free from the bondage of their sin they choose to live with daily. All because they simply refuse to give Him their whole hearts in surrender. Loving God isn't half hearted... it's really either all or nothing. God is not okay with lukewarm followers who sort of love Him in this area but refuse to love Him in others. God doesn't work that way. We must have hearts that are wholly surrendered to Him at all times. We need Him daily, not to forgive us for the sins that we commit on a daily basis but we need Him to help us live righteously and turn away from sin on a daily basis. The topic of sin is very important because it is the one thing that separates us from God. We cannot seek Him with all our heart if part of our hearts are devoted to our own will.
Habits can be hard to break and the struggle to choose spirit over flesh at times can be very real and very frustrating BUT I've found that talking through the struggle the very minute you are going through it with the Holy Spirit is a great way to keep sincerity and honesty with the Lord in check.
It's harder to sin when you're talking to God in the middle of it. He always provides a way out if we take it!!! Connecting with God is very much contingent upon the state of our hearts.
Remember, He doesn't have to do anything for us... but He chooses to listen to those who love Him truthfully. Sometimes we can feel entitled as Believers, that all of God's promises are ours for the grabbing anytime we feel like it, we also may feel like anytime we ask God He listens to us and answers us....BUT.... according to Scripture and the Nature of God... we MUST be in accordance with His will, living according to how He has commanded us, and have a heart that sincerely loves Him...AND THEN we reap the promises, AND THEN HE AKNOWLEDGES US (He always hears us, but He never promises us to act on our prayers "just because we cry out to Him") I know that sounds harsh… but pick up your Bible and read all the promises of God to us, and read all the scriptures that reference Him answering our prayers. He will always fulfill the promises that are about His character because He is faithful in who He is...but when it comes down to fulfilling things that have to do with us...those are ALWAYS contingent upon the state of our hearts. Wow...what an important realization for every Believer who claims Jesus as our Lord and Savior... the only continual theme in the ENTIRETY of His Word, His Love Letter to Us... is HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO HIM....THAT WE CHOOSE TO LOVE HIM WITH OUR WHOLE HEART. Amazing.
1 Peter 3:12 "For the eyes of the Lord are on the RIGHTEOUS and His ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."
1 John 5:14 " This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, He hears us."
1 John 5:15 "And IF we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have what we asked of Him."
Proverbs 15:8 "The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the UPRIGHT pleases Him."
Psalms 145:18 "The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in TRUTH."
Proverbs 15:29 "The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayers of the RIGHTEOUS."
James 4:3 "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with WRONG MOTIVES, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."
Questions:
1. What is the state of my whole heart with God?
2. Is He pleased with EVERY area of my life TODAY?
3. What do I need to lay at His feet in surrender in order to better love Him with my whole heart?
4. What is God speaking to me through these passages?
5. In all honesty.... How do I want my Heavenly Father to see me? How do I really want to love Him with my life?
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