"Create in me a new heart"
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Anonymous User
"Create in me a new heart" May 22, 2007 08:19AM |
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Blessings,
This was originally written back in September '06 but I am led to repost it as we are living in a time when the Lord desires that we 'be holy as He is holy.' We cannot do this on our own. While we are cleansed by the blood of the Lamb there is still a work that needs to be done in our hearts and in our minds, that we would become one with Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit is speaking loudly in our day bringing conviction and encouragement to let go of our worldly ways and to become transformed into His image. I pray you are blessed by the following and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you as He desires to do. God bless!
“Create in Me a Clean Heart”
September 14, 2006
Dear Saints,
For sometime it has been my prayer, like David, for God to create in me a clean heart, a heart that is pure before Him and brings Him honor, joy and glory. Having been so greatly touched by God's love towards me and all mankind, an endless love that was willing to sacrifice the greatest sacrifice, that of His Son upon the cross, it has become my greatest desire to return my love to Him and to our Beloved Jesus. It is something I want to do, not have to do. And, thus, I desire a clean heart, the same heart that reflects the love and life of our Lord, Jesus Christ and a desire to project that heart towards a lost and dying world.
With that said, I would have to say that this past year has been one of finding how unclean my heart is. It has been the testing of the fires of God's cleansing brought about through the trials of life. It is not to say I have an evil heart or do the things that are clearly sin. Rather, it is the deep cleansing, the deep revealing of things such as criticism, selfishness, pride, etc., that lie hidden in layers of hurt, rejection, mistrust, disappointment. The list goes on. But it is these layers that act as does dirt in the oil of an engine, or cataracts to the eyes, preventing us to see or know the things of God in the spirit realm, having them "clogged up" or "veiled" to His Truth and His love. It distorts how we respond to Him and to others.
I believe we are in a time when God is wanting to "clean our hearts" so that the fullness of God's glory can touch the earth. Might I add here, that God is not looking for us to be perfected before He sends His glory. He is only asking for us to be aware of our great need for Him. He is looking for humble hearts who recognize their lack but are sure of His strength, those proclaiming "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)He is looking for those who know its not about them, their ministry, their success but it is all about sharing Christ Jesus and the One who sent Him. It is about seeing God's love towards all mankind and knowing that without Jesus Christ they are doomed to eternal damnation. It is about seeing the works of the enemy upon the earth, the fruit of which has been wars, sickness, hunger, depravity, lust, greed, well, you get the picture, and saying "no more." The earth is the Lord's and the fullness of it, all that is in it is His, amen? It's time for taking our stand as the sons and daughters of the most high God, standing our ground and taking that which He calls us to take. Not for our gain or glory but for His.
It's about obedience. There are many good things we can do for the His kingdom but we each need to know what it is that He has called us to. Again, it is not about our own strength or capabilities but it is about our availability to Him, allowing Him to work through us, to touch the world through His Son that abides in us. Jesus is the hope of glory upon this earth. And we must be yielded vessels before Him, His hands and feet, His voice upon the earth displaying the love and goodness before mankind. The time is now and the opportunity is before us. It comes at a sacrifice in which we must declare "not my will but your will be done" in Jesus' name. It comes with tears and sweat, it comes with dying to self. We must go through this if we hope to obtain His glory working through us. About two years ago I was at a conference in which Che Ahn prophetically gave me a word. It is Philippians 3:10. I believe it is not only for me but for all His children who love the coming of the Lord and who want to be His servants, fulfilling that which He called us to do before His return. This Scripture reads: "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death;" "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death." Those are very powerful words and as I claimed them for myself I underwent, and am still undergoing, that rebirth within me so that it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. Glory to God!!! That is my desire, that there is less of me and more of Jesus until that glorious day it is not me who lives but Christ who is seen by the world when they see me. I desire to glorify the Father through the Son because without Him I recognize that anything I do or say has no lasting value. It is a humbling realization and it is true.
Interesting enough, the book that Che Ahn signed was his book entitled "Into The Fire." Many can attest that they have felt the heat of God's fire touching the earth and it will intensify in the coming days. If we have the Lord with us, we will be safe, as were Shadrack, Meshack. and Abednego when they went through the fire. If we do not have Christ Jesus with us we will be like the guards who were consumed by the fire, and they were only standing outside the furnace.
There is a solemnest about the times we are living in. If we truly want to be used as His vessels we must be willing to undergo that cleansing fire, that purifying of the heart. While it can be very intense, it is more than worth it. For too long there have been those who have cleaned the outside of the rim of the cup but the Lord is desiring that the inside of the cup be made clean because He wants to pour His Spirit in us and from us. Just as a little leaven spoils the whole loaf. Again, that does not mean that we have to be perfect. It does mean that we have to have hearts that are softened, yielded to His and His will. Glory to God! More and more we will learn that it is a honor and privilege to be so! It will become a goal that is ours, one that we are willing to pursue at any cost. The disciples reached this place even though they were not perfect. Many men and women down through the ages have learned this as well. My prayer is that I will be one of them. How about you?
We must count the cost and know the true meaning of what Jesus spoke in John 10:10, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." What life was He talking about here? He was talking about eternal life. How did we get so caught up in the selfish desires of our own hearts that we did not see that Jesus was talking about an eternal abundance and not about earthly gain upon this earth of which the enemy has a stronghold? That is not to say that the Lord does not bless us here and now, for surely He does, but it is all meant to be for His glory, not for our selfish gain. It is for furthering the kingdom of God and not to adorn ourselves. Jesus gave us a great commission. ""All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20) I don't say anything here about storing up gain for self. I don't see "seek ye first the riches of the world". Rather, we are told to "seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you." Matthew 6:33. We have allowed our own selfish desires and worldly thinking to cloud what our Lord is requiring of us. When Jesus taught the disciples to pray it was not about earthly things or self gain. He taught them to worship God first then to ask for His kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. Do we see that in our own lives. Are we praising God, are we worshipping Him as we ought? Are we longing for His kingdom to be brought to the earth, for His will to be done and honored as it is in heaven? This is what was foremost to Jesus in prayer. Should it not be so for ourselves?
Oh, there is a chastening taking place towards His children. Will we be like rebellious teenagers wanting to do things our way? Or will we submit to His Spirit and His will? Will our hearts be open to receive His correction? Or will we be found outside the gate of Christ' sheepfold, hearing Jesus say, "depart from Me for I knew you not." Let us not tarry in drawing close to Him. The time to do so is now for time is short.
Humbled before Him,
Joan
This was originally written back in September '06 but I am led to repost it as we are living in a time when the Lord desires that we 'be holy as He is holy.' We cannot do this on our own. While we are cleansed by the blood of the Lamb there is still a work that needs to be done in our hearts and in our minds, that we would become one with Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit is speaking loudly in our day bringing conviction and encouragement to let go of our worldly ways and to become transformed into His image. I pray you are blessed by the following and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you as He desires to do. God bless!
“Create in Me a Clean Heart”
September 14, 2006
Dear Saints,
For sometime it has been my prayer, like David, for God to create in me a clean heart, a heart that is pure before Him and brings Him honor, joy and glory. Having been so greatly touched by God's love towards me and all mankind, an endless love that was willing to sacrifice the greatest sacrifice, that of His Son upon the cross, it has become my greatest desire to return my love to Him and to our Beloved Jesus. It is something I want to do, not have to do. And, thus, I desire a clean heart, the same heart that reflects the love and life of our Lord, Jesus Christ and a desire to project that heart towards a lost and dying world.
With that said, I would have to say that this past year has been one of finding how unclean my heart is. It has been the testing of the fires of God's cleansing brought about through the trials of life. It is not to say I have an evil heart or do the things that are clearly sin. Rather, it is the deep cleansing, the deep revealing of things such as criticism, selfishness, pride, etc., that lie hidden in layers of hurt, rejection, mistrust, disappointment. The list goes on. But it is these layers that act as does dirt in the oil of an engine, or cataracts to the eyes, preventing us to see or know the things of God in the spirit realm, having them "clogged up" or "veiled" to His Truth and His love. It distorts how we respond to Him and to others.
I believe we are in a time when God is wanting to "clean our hearts" so that the fullness of God's glory can touch the earth. Might I add here, that God is not looking for us to be perfected before He sends His glory. He is only asking for us to be aware of our great need for Him. He is looking for humble hearts who recognize their lack but are sure of His strength, those proclaiming "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)He is looking for those who know its not about them, their ministry, their success but it is all about sharing Christ Jesus and the One who sent Him. It is about seeing God's love towards all mankind and knowing that without Jesus Christ they are doomed to eternal damnation. It is about seeing the works of the enemy upon the earth, the fruit of which has been wars, sickness, hunger, depravity, lust, greed, well, you get the picture, and saying "no more." The earth is the Lord's and the fullness of it, all that is in it is His, amen? It's time for taking our stand as the sons and daughters of the most high God, standing our ground and taking that which He calls us to take. Not for our gain or glory but for His.
It's about obedience. There are many good things we can do for the His kingdom but we each need to know what it is that He has called us to. Again, it is not about our own strength or capabilities but it is about our availability to Him, allowing Him to work through us, to touch the world through His Son that abides in us. Jesus is the hope of glory upon this earth. And we must be yielded vessels before Him, His hands and feet, His voice upon the earth displaying the love and goodness before mankind. The time is now and the opportunity is before us. It comes at a sacrifice in which we must declare "not my will but your will be done" in Jesus' name. It comes with tears and sweat, it comes with dying to self. We must go through this if we hope to obtain His glory working through us. About two years ago I was at a conference in which Che Ahn prophetically gave me a word. It is Philippians 3:10. I believe it is not only for me but for all His children who love the coming of the Lord and who want to be His servants, fulfilling that which He called us to do before His return. This Scripture reads: "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death;" "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death." Those are very powerful words and as I claimed them for myself I underwent, and am still undergoing, that rebirth within me so that it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. Glory to God!!! That is my desire, that there is less of me and more of Jesus until that glorious day it is not me who lives but Christ who is seen by the world when they see me. I desire to glorify the Father through the Son because without Him I recognize that anything I do or say has no lasting value. It is a humbling realization and it is true.
Interesting enough, the book that Che Ahn signed was his book entitled "Into The Fire." Many can attest that they have felt the heat of God's fire touching the earth and it will intensify in the coming days. If we have the Lord with us, we will be safe, as were Shadrack, Meshack. and Abednego when they went through the fire. If we do not have Christ Jesus with us we will be like the guards who were consumed by the fire, and they were only standing outside the furnace.
There is a solemnest about the times we are living in. If we truly want to be used as His vessels we must be willing to undergo that cleansing fire, that purifying of the heart. While it can be very intense, it is more than worth it. For too long there have been those who have cleaned the outside of the rim of the cup but the Lord is desiring that the inside of the cup be made clean because He wants to pour His Spirit in us and from us. Just as a little leaven spoils the whole loaf. Again, that does not mean that we have to be perfect. It does mean that we have to have hearts that are softened, yielded to His and His will. Glory to God! More and more we will learn that it is a honor and privilege to be so! It will become a goal that is ours, one that we are willing to pursue at any cost. The disciples reached this place even though they were not perfect. Many men and women down through the ages have learned this as well. My prayer is that I will be one of them. How about you?
We must count the cost and know the true meaning of what Jesus spoke in John 10:10, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." What life was He talking about here? He was talking about eternal life. How did we get so caught up in the selfish desires of our own hearts that we did not see that Jesus was talking about an eternal abundance and not about earthly gain upon this earth of which the enemy has a stronghold? That is not to say that the Lord does not bless us here and now, for surely He does, but it is all meant to be for His glory, not for our selfish gain. It is for furthering the kingdom of God and not to adorn ourselves. Jesus gave us a great commission. ""All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20) I don't say anything here about storing up gain for self. I don't see "seek ye first the riches of the world". Rather, we are told to "seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you." Matthew 6:33. We have allowed our own selfish desires and worldly thinking to cloud what our Lord is requiring of us. When Jesus taught the disciples to pray it was not about earthly things or self gain. He taught them to worship God first then to ask for His kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. Do we see that in our own lives. Are we praising God, are we worshipping Him as we ought? Are we longing for His kingdom to be brought to the earth, for His will to be done and honored as it is in heaven? This is what was foremost to Jesus in prayer. Should it not be so for ourselves?
Oh, there is a chastening taking place towards His children. Will we be like rebellious teenagers wanting to do things our way? Or will we submit to His Spirit and His will? Will our hearts be open to receive His correction? Or will we be found outside the gate of Christ' sheepfold, hearing Jesus say, "depart from Me for I knew you not." Let us not tarry in drawing close to Him. The time to do so is now for time is short.
Humbled before Him,
Joan
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