NEWS The Right Heart
Last week I posted a blog that discussed what the heart and mind are from a spiritual perspective (see: 'The Heart and the Mind: What Are They?'). The definitions of heart and mind are from Watchman Nee's book, 'The Renewing of the Mind.'
Just to review briefly, Nee defines the heart as 'the conscience in man's spirit plus the mind in his soul.' The spirit, says Nee, is the organ for communicating with God, for being intimate with God, for understanding the will of God, and for knowing God. The heart is the administrator of the spirit; it expresses everything that is in the spirit. Everything the spirit has is expressed by our heart.
Nee goes on to say that the heart is the point of mutual interaction for the spirit and the soul, the contiguous place and the place of intersection. It is like the central exchange of the telephone company where all the lines intersect and all the calls pass through. Anything that wants to enter the spirit must pass through the heart before it can enter. Anything that is expressed from the spirit must also come out through the heart, because the heart is the place of mutual interaction, the point of contact, and the place of mutual reception. The spirit reaches the soul through the heart.
It is clear that the heart has great importance in our relationship with the Lord.
Toward the end of his book, Nee points out that most of our troubles and illness originate in the heart. It is difficult to overemphasize this truth. If the heart is not right, our relationship with God will not be right. It is as simple as that.
Here is how Nee puts it in his book:
'Brothers and sisters, the cause of all diseases lies in the heart. I have often told the co-workers that it is not the head of a person that is improper, but the heart that is improper. People always think that man's head is improper, but I say no, it is the heart that is improper. If a man wants to be proper in his conduct, his heart must first be proper. '
Psalm 14:1 says: 'The fool has said in his heart, there is no God.'
Nee points out that you cannot reach an atheist and convince him/her that God exists by way of rational argument. They will not believe, says Nee, because they have said in their heart that there is no God. Their hearts are wrong.
Nee observes that we can give some people who do not believe in God many reasons for the existence of God. They may respond by saying that this sounds very reasonable. We can then tell them the reason that the Lord is the Savior. Again, they respond by saying that this sounds very reasonable. But this is not enough, says Nee, to make them believe.
Paul told the Romans:
'If you...believe in your heart...you will be saved' (Rom. 10:9).
And Jesus said:
'Whoever...does not doubt in his heart....believe that you have received them, and you will have them' (Mark 11:23-24).
As Nee points out in his book, the head is not the problem; it is not the issue. The heart is all that is needed to believe. The heart is our true "I," our person. This is why the Bible speaks of "an evil heart of unbelief" (Heb. 3:12), instead of "an evil head of unbelief." The heart, not the head, has been corrupted. This is why men will not believe and be saved. The heart has become improper.
I have grown fond over the years of telling my friends that everything starts with a change of heart. Until the heart changes, no amount of good works or talk will amount to anything with the Lord. The Lord requires that our hearts are right. It is impossible to walk the narrow path with Him until our hearts are right.
Look inside your heart. Take out a piece of paper and write down what you see in your heart. A heart of Christ is filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control, and faithfulness. The heart of the Lord is the heart of God. They are one and the same.
True spiritual enlightenment is having the heart of God. Jesus had it. He showed us the way. Love is the key. Love is not an emotion - it is a condition of the heart. A loving heart is filled with joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control and faithfulness. Love (1 Corinthians 13) and Spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-23) go hand in hand.
Getting right with God requires straightening out our hearts. We must do whatever it takes to get our hearts right with the Lord. If going to church does that for you, great! If being around children or doing some other activity (e.g., being alone with God everyday) transforms your heart, wonderful! Do whatever it takes to get your heart right with God.
When God spoke through the prophets, the main message could always be boiled down to one simple sentence:
People of Israel - your heart is not right!
Jesus judges people by the condition of their hearts, not by how many times they go to church or how many good works they do or whether they are doing this thing or that thing. The Pharisees did many things, but the Lord told them their hearts were not right. The religious leaders of the day were so focused on keeping the law that they allowed their hearts to fill with darkness. And in the process, they disconnected from God and could not see Him.
Jesus wants to see a heart filled with God's love and Spiritual fruit and nothing more. We should all pray mightily to be reduced to love and Spiritual fruit.
Our treasure, said the Lord, lies in our hearts. A heart filled with God's love and Spiritual fruit is a heart that is right with God.
May your heart be right with God.
Agape,
Steve
Just to review briefly, Nee defines the heart as 'the conscience in man's spirit plus the mind in his soul.' The spirit, says Nee, is the organ for communicating with God, for being intimate with God, for understanding the will of God, and for knowing God. The heart is the administrator of the spirit; it expresses everything that is in the spirit. Everything the spirit has is expressed by our heart.
Nee goes on to say that the heart is the point of mutual interaction for the spirit and the soul, the contiguous place and the place of intersection. It is like the central exchange of the telephone company where all the lines intersect and all the calls pass through. Anything that wants to enter the spirit must pass through the heart before it can enter. Anything that is expressed from the spirit must also come out through the heart, because the heart is the place of mutual interaction, the point of contact, and the place of mutual reception. The spirit reaches the soul through the heart.
It is clear that the heart has great importance in our relationship with the Lord.
Toward the end of his book, Nee points out that most of our troubles and illness originate in the heart. It is difficult to overemphasize this truth. If the heart is not right, our relationship with God will not be right. It is as simple as that.
Here is how Nee puts it in his book:
'Brothers and sisters, the cause of all diseases lies in the heart. I have often told the co-workers that it is not the head of a person that is improper, but the heart that is improper. People always think that man's head is improper, but I say no, it is the heart that is improper. If a man wants to be proper in his conduct, his heart must first be proper. '
Psalm 14:1 says: 'The fool has said in his heart, there is no God.'
Nee points out that you cannot reach an atheist and convince him/her that God exists by way of rational argument. They will not believe, says Nee, because they have said in their heart that there is no God. Their hearts are wrong.
Nee observes that we can give some people who do not believe in God many reasons for the existence of God. They may respond by saying that this sounds very reasonable. We can then tell them the reason that the Lord is the Savior. Again, they respond by saying that this sounds very reasonable. But this is not enough, says Nee, to make them believe.
Paul told the Romans:
'If you...believe in your heart...you will be saved' (Rom. 10:9).
And Jesus said:
'Whoever...does not doubt in his heart....believe that you have received them, and you will have them' (Mark 11:23-24).
As Nee points out in his book, the head is not the problem; it is not the issue. The heart is all that is needed to believe. The heart is our true "I," our person. This is why the Bible speaks of "an evil heart of unbelief" (Heb. 3:12), instead of "an evil head of unbelief." The heart, not the head, has been corrupted. This is why men will not believe and be saved. The heart has become improper.
I have grown fond over the years of telling my friends that everything starts with a change of heart. Until the heart changes, no amount of good works or talk will amount to anything with the Lord. The Lord requires that our hearts are right. It is impossible to walk the narrow path with Him until our hearts are right.
Look inside your heart. Take out a piece of paper and write down what you see in your heart. A heart of Christ is filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control, and faithfulness. The heart of the Lord is the heart of God. They are one and the same.
True spiritual enlightenment is having the heart of God. Jesus had it. He showed us the way. Love is the key. Love is not an emotion - it is a condition of the heart. A loving heart is filled with joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control and faithfulness. Love (1 Corinthians 13) and Spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-23) go hand in hand.
Getting right with God requires straightening out our hearts. We must do whatever it takes to get our hearts right with the Lord. If going to church does that for you, great! If being around children or doing some other activity (e.g., being alone with God everyday) transforms your heart, wonderful! Do whatever it takes to get your heart right with God.
When God spoke through the prophets, the main message could always be boiled down to one simple sentence:
People of Israel - your heart is not right!
Jesus judges people by the condition of their hearts, not by how many times they go to church or how many good works they do or whether they are doing this thing or that thing. The Pharisees did many things, but the Lord told them their hearts were not right. The religious leaders of the day were so focused on keeping the law that they allowed their hearts to fill with darkness. And in the process, they disconnected from God and could not see Him.
Jesus wants to see a heart filled with God's love and Spiritual fruit and nothing more. We should all pray mightily to be reduced to love and Spiritual fruit.
Our treasure, said the Lord, lies in our hearts. A heart filled with God's love and Spiritual fruit is a heart that is right with God.
May your heart be right with God.
Agape,
Steve
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