Condemned By Thine Own Heart

From the moment that we exit the womb, we’re on a journey. A journey to discover who we were configured to be, or who we would choose to become.

A journey that is first motivated by the aspirations of the soul. Having only two perspectives. Happy and sad. Content and discontent.

In the beginning, these are all we know, the self-serving ways of our emotions. What we like and what we dislike. And the elevation of darkness or light are rapidly put into the motion of motivating the heart as to which path it will embrace.

And once elevated, the heart will dictate over every aspiration of the soul, because that’s where it gained its empowerment. The heart of stone spoken of in Ezekiel 36 26 is now born. Always embracing the endeavors of self. It is able to disavow and disregard any and all levels of truth that contradicts its own insight.

This is the natural path of man. This is why Psalm 51:5 told us, behold, I was shaping an iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me. But the indwelling of his Holy Spirit empowers us to rise above the works of the flesh, provided that we choose the pathway out of the endeavors of the self-serving heart.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 says that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? When we look back in Samuel 11, King David was a man that was proclaimed to have a heart after God. But yet, he sent Yuriah to the front line to die so that he could have his wife. This was the works of a wicked heart.

In February of 1987, Oral Roberts, a man that was known for his contribution to the spiritual society after being found with a prostitute, came back to the church to tell the people that God said as punishment for his sin, he  had to raise eight million dollars or he was going to take him home. Once again, the endeavors of a wicked heart.

T.D. Jakes, a man that built an empire on the power of preaching. But something meant more to him than the love of God. Money maybe? Who knows? But that’s between him and God. And this is about us.

I remember a dear friend of my wife and I. She said to them, what is God telling you in this issue, in this matter? And the response that they gave her was, I know what God is saying, but that’s not what I want to do.

Someone that was dear to me had committed a gossiping travesty against me; and at the mouths of a multitude of people, it was professed that they were wrong about what they had said. Two years later, I went to him and told him, you know, you never apologize. And they said to me, if I was wrong, I’m sorry, but only the Lord knows. They love God, but the works of a wicked heart was not acknowledged

Another individual looked me in the face and lied to me about something that I knew the answer the day before they came to me. And I looked at him and said, I know the truth. Are you sure that’s what you want to tell me? And they fought to hold on to what it was that they had claimed.

A wicked heart. You see, just because we say Lord, Lord does not mean that we know the Lord of glory. The compromised heart will compel you to step out on a journey, a journey that clearly has a destination of physical, emotional, or mental failure, even though our mind compels us with the truth of the matter.

Our emotions reassure the heart that it’s all right to take that leap into oblivion. The journeys that I’m speaking of can range from the urge to tell a spontaneous lie that will inevitably be uncovered to the choice or the choice to ignore the characteristics that you see in someone that you desperately want a relationship with.

Every direction that we set our foot forward into is the start of a journey that more often than not reveals the potential outcome in the beginning. We clearly see what’s ahead of us. Then when we fail to recognize the potential of the wickedness in our heart, it has the power to be the author of many of our decisions, mentally and physically.

Jeremiah 17:10 goes on to say, I, the Lord, search the heart. I tried the reins even to give every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings. So what are you doing? According to the fruit of your doing, do you realize how many of us say one thing and we do another?

The scriptures say to confess Christ Jesus and believe in your heart. Most have never manifested the second step. There’s two types of fruit, the fruits of the spirit and those most manifested through the works of the flesh.

Verse 10 says that he will give to every man according to his ways and the fruits of his doing. The scary part is that a lot of our doings manifest more in the spirit realm than in the physical. Even though every action is motivated by a spirit, the manifestation of an action empowers the elements of the spirit all in accordance to the intent of the heart.

Hence, if we entertain spirits of darkness, we increase the darkness within our heart. If we manifest spirits of truth and righteousness, we increase holiness and righteousness. We all feel that we desire the love of God, but the promises written in verse 10 could have you feeling like something’s missing.

There’s nothing missing. God will not go back on his word. The problem is that you haven’t been displaying the things that are necessary for you to see the manifestation of what you expect. The solution isn’t hard at all. The hard part is accepting where you are within the perspectives of your own heart. The solution begins with you understanding that having a map in your hand means nothing if you don’t know which direction you’re pointing.

Galatians 5.16-24 says,

¹⁶ This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

¹⁷ For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

¹⁸ But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

²⁰ Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

²¹ Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

²³ Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

²⁴ And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Let me give you a clear understanding of how the heart can be the foundational element of failure in the scriptures found in Mark 12.30. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. This is the first commandment.

When we learn to do this, the spirit becomes a guide in all things pertaining to the will of God. But if you bear wicked heart, you could never make it to this place, because the flesh is first and foremost in your life.

Romans 8:5-8 says, For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the spirit, the things of the spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace, because the carnal mind is enmity against God. For it is not subject to the law of God, therefore indeed can be, neither can be. So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

The heart is the principal decision maker in the triad of man, and when I say the triad of man, I mean spirit man, soul man, and flesh man. It first decides to block out directives of the spirit, then dictates over the power of decision in the soul and the flesh. This is why the scriptures begin with the heart when it tells us how to love God.

The soul man is the essence of a man, your emotions, desires, and all the aspirations of life. This is why the soul will be judged in the end, because it is the essence of everything that you chose to be in this life. This is why it is so important to turn our emotions over to God, that your emotions will no longer reign in your decision making.

Our mind is where we process all of life’s perspectives and logic over a situation. Too often, its logic doesn’t have a chance in the presence of the diversity of the heart and the compromise of the soul. Last but not least, it says to love him with all your strength. The physical man stands ready to carry out whatever manifestation deemed necessary through the heart and the motivation that is given to it through the soul and the mind.

God not only knows the nature of the heart of man, but he even made concessions for this particular need for change. The problem is, we could never accept that concession if we can’t understand where we are.

David said in Psalms 51:10, create in me, O God, a clean heart and renew a right spirit in me.

Ezekiel 36:26 says, a new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh.

From the day that we were born, our hearts have been configured into stone. A heart that knows nothing but our own configuration, our own patterns, our own desires. There’s so much going on in the professed body of Christ today and so many of us can look into the face of these things and know that something’s wrong.

The scriptures say these are they who have exercised even their senses to discern good from evil. We may not be listening to our spirit, but even our senses have been exercised to discern good from evil and when we look into the face of evil, we deny what we see.

II Timothy 2:15 says, study to show yourself approved unto God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

We don’t want to divide the word of truth because rightly dividing the word of truth would cause us to be at enmity against what we believe to be our brethren. But the word said, if one among you that is called a brother is a liar, a railer or an adulterer, have no dealing with him, no, not even to eat. But we ignore that scripture because it’s division. But the Lord said, I come not to bring unity, but I come to bring a sword.

Do you want to be divided from the things that are not of God, the things that cause a schism in your ability to develop a relationship with him? Do you want to be separate from the things that kept you from ever knowing him? Do you want to be separate from the things that somehow contradict everything that he said that drew you?

Because he will never go back on his word. Whatever he said shall continue. I’m not going to point a finger in any particular direction. I’m going to tell you all, look within your heart, find the place within it where God cannot abide because it does not see him.

It does not focus on him, As a matter of fact, it rejects him. It casts him down that it might uphold all that you desire.

Father, in the name of Jesus, we stand before you this day and we ask that you receive our words as we receive from your Holy Spirit. For you said that we do not know what to pray, but that the spirit will give us utterance. I do not pray for the world, Lord God, but I pray for those who have opened their mouth to profess you, but have failed to surrender the heart.

Failed to make themselves available to everything that would usher them into the kingdom, a kingdom of joy, peace and righteousness, even in this life. I stand against every demonic entity that has taken the mind, the heart and soul of your people, and I call them out into your presence that they may know your will in fullness, that they may manifest the fullness of your directive in the world around them, that the world may come to know the glory that is you.

We stand this day and declare that we are short, Lord God, but we desire to stand in the fullness of the stature of Christ. This day, Lord God, we surrender our emotions that they may no longer support the wickedness of our heart. We surrender the works of our hands that we may no longer receive gifts that are lacking because of the works that we’ve done in the negative fruits that we’ve manifested.

We glorify you this day. We declare your name, your power, your majesty, your might, and all that we are able to do in submission to your name. This we pray in the name of Jesus.

Amen.