REND YOUR HEART
MORNING DEVOTION - Rend your heart
By Honni Cassel
“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster" Joel 2:13.
Encountering God happens through the heart. The heart is key to engaging with God. A heart of love expressed through worshiping in song and dance, scripture reading, prayer, fellowship with the family of Christ, and spiritual discipline toward holiness. You can't conjure up God, but you can prepare your heart, so you are ready. You can make sure you are living in Holy places.
I had been mediating one day, for a few hours, Jesus had knocked 3 times and called out hello each time over the course of about 10 mins. I had gotten up and answered the door, even looking around outside, but no-body was there. On the third time, my hand went to the door nob, and I suddenly felt the room behind me fill up with what I can only describe as 'tangible love'. I was aware Jesus was standing in the middle of the room. I couldn't see Him, but I knew exactly where He was standing. I immediately sat on the lounge and said. "speak LORD I am listening", not something I would usually say at that point, it was Holy Spirit leading me. The LORD then said to me, through download, "People ask why I don't just show up, if I am real, they want to know why I don't just show myself, but I am always here. Today, you just walked in".
In the presence of the King tears always flow. You are struck with awe, you are still and quiet and you listen. He is indeed magnificent. But that day, my beloved had bought me awareness, not only of His magnificent grace, but also that the unseen realm that exists along side the physical realm, is so thin. I had walked through the vale into the spiritual realm through mediating on how He made the universe just for me. I tell you this story because I want to focus on the heart. I was doing invoices that day at a computer, yet my heart was meditating on God, and I could feel the reality of the spiritual world.
How Jesus decides to interact with us, is of course up to Him. But I had prepared my heart. What I want to focus on is the importance of our heart, and preparing our heart for heavenly places. I had meditated on His beauty and love. I was in a sweet conversation with Him, acknowledging Him in all His ways. So can we live in that place always, yes! But some things have to go, and other things have to be a constant way of life. And don't get me wrong, we do nothing but obeying Him, which the bible says is how we love Him, it is God who chooses our encounters and when and where.
Today let's look at pride, oh how it blocks the heart and turns it hard toward our beloved. The LORD showed me about pride fairly early on in my walk with Him. Not saying it doesn't rise up regularly, but I am aware of it's danger, and how it will quickly block me from receiving the presence of my beloved. I hold my time with Him higher than my own pride now, due only to the the revelation of my Jesus. Proverbs 16:18 says that a haughty spirit precedes a fall, hmm just like Satan James 4:6 notes that God shows favor to the humble while opposing the proud. Proverbs 11:2 Associates pride with disgrace and humility with wisdom. The picture for this blog shows many actions taking place, but the actions in and of themself are not humility, Humility flows from the heart, but sometimes, when your heart can't feel or hear God, it is necessary to break the pride causing that hardness.
So what are the things that break that pride, and brings our heart to an atmosphere ready to encounter God? Well they all relate to obedience to the word, love for God and relationship.
Repentance is key, but to get to a place where your heart is ready to repent, we must look and acknowledge the goodness of God. The bibles says it is God's goodness that brings us to repentance. “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4, NKJV). The bible also says: Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
So, we see that repentance is key, and that comes through thanking God and acknowledging His goodness. The bible also tells us that faith pleases God. So we know that these next few steps to break this hard heart, that can't hear God, are going to need faith. In Hebrews 11, the bible says that 'faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen', and that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. So first, let's start declaring the word, believing in these incredible promises of God. We are having faith in God's promises for a soft heart before Him. It may not 'feel' like it's very soft to start with, but thanking Him for His goodness, and coming to repentance for that hard heart, will bring you into a joyful praise and worship time.
People often say, there is no need to declare the word loudly, or shout when we rebuke the enemy. Well, I believe that depends on where your heart is at. Sure, when your heart is soft, and you can hear the LORD speaking and His manifest presence is in the room, and you are close, and can hear His whispers... no need to shout. In fact you will just be concentrating on bowing before His might and majesty in the room. But to start with, your actions will just feel like actions. Like kneeling without feeling led, just kneeling because you believe what the bible says; that Jesus is King of Kings, and that He is indeed with you in the room. So you bring your body in subjection. Pride says, I don't have to do these things, don't have to say thank you, don't have to acknowledge His goodness, don't have to repent. Yes, sometimes you just have to yell a few promises out loud, so that every being in the room, including your own soul, understands completely, that you are here to bow before the living God, and you mean business.
Love is paramount in all things. And if you want to love God, you need to obey Him. The Bible says, in John 14:15-17
15 “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.
And seeking Him, with ALL your heart is also paramount. ALL....not just a half hearted effort, but an... "I am here and I want the whole of eternity to hear me when I say, "I love the King of Kings and LORD of LORDs, and His name is Jesus'! Is He your beloved, and are you His? Then behave like that. Are you in, or are you just wandering around in the front yard, kicking the ground?
Constant reading and reflecting on the Bible allows people to hear God’s character and align their lives with His word. It increases our faith, it transforms us through our Precious Holy Spirit. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2 Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. So when we go to our secret place, it's a confident relationship with The One True God you know and love. The more you do this, the more your soul learns to live in the heavenly realms, you are being transformed and not conforming to this world and you are answering every attack of the enemy, every accusation of The Accuser, with a stern rebuke in your beloved's name.
But again, I leave you with the key when speaking to God and everyone, it is love. Love is the conduit for all things God. Our heart tells a big tale. When we come to God, our hearts’ agenda matters. Why are you reading, are you with Holy Spirit and engaging with Him? Why are you worshiping God, because He is worthy or because you want something? Why are you praying? For someone else or for yourself again? The will of God saved us through His son Jesus, so.....His will be done! You want pride to rule your heart and turn it hard, the first thing to do is what YOU want!
EVENING TIME WITH JESUS
Go to your secret place. You can do that anywhere, but a quiet place on your own, if you can, is great. Now rend your heart. Sing about His goodness to you, acknowledge Him in all His ways, declare His word, pray His word, ask Holy Spirit to convict you of your sin, repent with ALL your heart. Now as your heart softens, love on Jesus. Tell Him who He is to you. Close your eyes and lay your head on Fathers shoulder, and just speak with Him. He really does love you. And listen....He may have someone for you to pray for or something He wants you to do for Him. Be His ever loving servant. How wonderful it is to serve our beloved God.