Dwight Fletcher | The heart solution

Last week, we ended with a reminder that entry into the Kingdom is by faith in Jesus Christ and our continued walk in the Kingdom is by the same faith. By faith we obey God. We cannot buy God’s favour or gifts, neither with our money nor through our works. It’s all free. As we close out the series this week, we will look at the solution to this matter of the heart which we have been discussing from Acts chapter 8. We discussed that Simon was wrong on two counts – his motive (why he wanted the anointing of God) and his method (how he went about trying to acquire/access it).

The solution for Simon (and for all of us) is given in in the text. Peter tells him:

“Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.” Acts 8:22. Simon needed to turn away from his sin, turn back to God and submit to the rule of His kingdom. This means humbling one’s self to meet God’s requirements. The state of his heart disqualified Simon from receiving what should have been his in God’s Kingdom. Many of us are in the same state. We have things in our heart like unforgiveness, bitterness, pride and other sins and they are coming between us and our communion with God. The horrible thing is that some of us are in that state and we know it but we continue to harbour these inward sins because we do not take God seriously or do not want to change. It is time to come clean with God and sometimes this involves also coming clean with man. I am reminded of the story of David when Samuel was considering the sons of Jesse trying to determine which one the Lord had chosen. Samuel looked on the outside of the man, at his appearance, “But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance or on the height of his stature… for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7.

Some of us therefore need to do some soul searching according to Psalm 139:23- 24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” In other words, God sees our hearts and we must check ourselves under the light of the Holy Spirit and repent if we find anything contrary to what God requires. After repenting, we need to continue to maintain a pure heart and we do this by:

• Being honest and open before God about where we’re at and always being open to his redemption.

• Reprogramming our hearts daily. The Word tells us that “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23. The Word also instructs us to hide God’s word in our hearts so that we do not sin against Him, in Psalm 119:11.

When we’re not experiencing the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we need to search our hearts. God wants to do amazing things in and through us, but He will not give His glory to anyone else. If we’re rightly aligned with Him and our motives and methods are right, the Holy Spirit will manifest His power through us and in our lives.