The Lord Knows My Heart

Disclaimer :  If this is for no one else, it is for me.  I speak to myself before I share with others.

I greet you in the name of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus the Christ.  I pray your day has been a blessed one, and know that it has if you are able to read this blog.  I just wanted to examine a familiar phrase that has been passed from generation to generation both outside and inside of the church.  The phrase usually serves as justification as to why someone does/doesn't perform a certain action and sounds like this :  "The Lord knows my heart."

I want to let you know that whomever speaks this phrase is speaking more Truth than even THEY are aware of speaking.  God indeed Knows Their Heart!!  Let's take a look at a few examples so I can explain.

Example A:  (Phrase user will be referred to as P1)

P1 faithfully attends church, sings in the choir, ushers, and helps whenever he/she is asked to do so.  What a child of God, right?  P1 also gets drunk every now and again, uses profane language when hanging with the non-believers, smokes weed every now and then, and has a  tendency to serve and count that as his/her tithe.   They justify the use of alcohol and weed by classifying them as stress relievers, and say it's just every now and then.  When called out by the non-believers for being a hypocrite (because even the non-believers know that what you claim to believe doesn't include being able to do these things), P1 simply states, "God knows my heart."

Example B: (Phrase user referred to as P2)

P2 is a believer who is active in his/her local church.  They teach, serve, and build up other believers daily.  P2 believes that God is pleased with him/her, but P2 spends very little time with his/her children.  P2 couldn't tell you the last time he/she just sat down and talked with their children, held them, played a game with them, or asked them what was going on with them.  An issue arises with one of their children, and the issue could have been avoided with a little more attention from P2.  When asked about their absence from their child's life, they tell how they were doing something for the church, and that they know the Lord will take care of their children.  They also state that there are no perfect parents, and they may not be the best parent.  Then the phrase appears,"but the Lord knows my heart". 

Finally, we have Example C: 
(Phrase user referred to as P3)

P3 goes to church "when they can", and genuinely loves God.  P3 deals with that cycle of coming close to a breakthrough,  and then suffering the same setback.  P3 can't understand why it keeps happening to them.  Sure they might turn up every now and then, but it's all innocent fun.  They still know God, talk to God, and praise God.  Why can't they just get ahead?  Well, they do realize that they party a little more and pray a little less when money isn't tight, but who doesn't do that?  Anyway, God knows I still love Him, and "He knows my heart".

Let's check these scenarios and attitudes against the Word:

Proverbs 16 : 2 KJV
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.

Proverbs 16: 2 NLT
People may be pure in their own eyes, but the lord examines their motives.

The Word is uncompromising and true!  In short, you can fool man with your show of holiness and self-righteous justification of your actions or lack thereof,  but God sees through it all.  While you can sneak a drink, smoke, one night stand, or gluttonous moment where man will not be the wiser, God sees all and knows all!  He indeed knows your heart, and sees through any vain actions which can fool man.

I leave you with this thought:

If you haven't received your breakthrough,  maybe it IS because God Knows Your Heart, and He does NOT approve!!

With that being said, God's Grace and Mercy are renewed towards us with the dawn of a new day.  He gives us another opportunity to repent of our sins, and to get in line with the plans He has for our lives.  To love someone is to support and encourage them to reach their full potential.  It is not to allow and assist them in finding ways to stay in a comfort zone that is beneath where you both know God wants them to go.

I submit this to you with a rake in my hand as I stand in my own front yard, lol!!

Yours in Love,

Deacon Sanders

The Choice Is Yours

I greet you the name of our Lord and Savior,  Jesus the Christ.  It has been quite a while since I have posted to this blog, but my education in the things of God have continued on.  The lessons I have learned are best summed up in Romans 12.  Within this chapter of Scripture lies the keys to a more fulfilling Christian life inside and outside of the church.
  In the time since my last post, I have gone from being a member of a vibrant, effective, and living ministry to being a member of my home ministry due to the absence of the presence of the Holy Spirit in certain religious houses.  Now, I am serving in a greater capacity in a Ministry lead by God and directed by the Holy Spirit, and can truly say that I know what true ministry is supposed to feel like.
  I have learned that being obedient to God is more important than staying in the good graces of man.  God is constant, consistent, and cares for you.  The religious Man can be inconsistent, envious, and concerned about his own welfare and status within the social structure of the church.  I denote this person as "religious" because they are more loyal to traditions than doing the will of God.  They find comfort in the traditions because these things are setup to be comfortable for them, even if uncomfortable for others or totally contradictory to the will of God.  I have learned this person to have a religious spirit which actually can kill the church.

The religious spirit sets up a roadblock that :
1) will not let the Holy Spirit have its way during Praise and Worship.

2) tries to imprison or cage the God-given talents, creativity, and expressions of worship of the congregation and even ministers.

3) tries to make God fit inside man's outlined and timed program.

4) turns away those in need of love and acceptance because they do not agree with or subscribe to man-made customs.

This spirit is pompous and extremely haughty, which is contrary to the word of God!! For the word of God states, "not to think of himself more highly than he ought to.." for we all have been saved by His grace, and not by our own doing.  This spirit is the reason I chose to keep my family at home for a season, and began to build up our home ministry until such time as we were led by the Holy Spirit to join another church.  Now, we still visited churches in the interim, and not every church was the same.  We visited some churches that were Holy Spirit-filled but I was not led to join.  I am thankful to God for a patient family.  They were eager to join a church, but understood that I was waiting to be released by God.  I had to remain prayerful, patient, and obedient during this time of home ministry.  In God's timing, my family was led to the ministry we are a part of now, and is active instead of just present.

The lesson learned is this :

Don't confuse being a part of a ministry with just being present or being around familiar people.  As a part of a ministry, you have an obligation to God to be working with the ministry to spread the Good News!!  If your attempts to work with the ministry as God leads you (with confirmation) are blocked by man, you have to do what is best for your soul NOT your social network or family allegiances.

I pray God blesses you and that this is received in Love until next I post,

Deacon Sanders