Your heart is the key

I was leading a prayer meeting when the Lord spoke this to His people, “Turn your heart to Me! Turn your heart to Me, you will feel what I feel. Turn your heart to Me, you will think what I think. Turn your heart to Me, you will see what I see. Turn your heart to Me!”

You see, even back in the days of Jeremiah, God had expressed His heart desire for a people who would have heart to heart relationship with Him. God willed to forgive their transgressions so that their sins would not be the hindrance to their relationship with Him. In the book of Hebrews chapter 8, Jeremiah 31:33-34 were quoted and it was concluded that the Old Covenant of Law through Moses had been substituted by the New Covenant of Grace through Christ’s finished work on the cross (see also Hebrews 9:15). But does this Covenant of Grace or so called ‘grace teaching’ sideline holiness and give believers the excuse to fall into sins easily?

   

The answer is definitely ‘No!’ As it is written in Proverbs 27:19, “As in water face reflects face, so a man’s heart reveals the man”, your heart reveals who you really are. Hence, certainly, when the all-knowing God relates to His beloved people, He looks past their outward appearances, and looks deep into their hearts (see 1 Samuel 16:7). Reason being God doesn’t want just outward obedience from His beloved people, but He is attracted to hearts that are always drawn to Him and locked with His.

The meaning of ‘heart’ in Hebrew is ‘lêb’ which comprises your feelings, will and intellect. It is the center of anything that you care for. Just as it involves your heart in any relationship, the relationship is broken if you ‘lose’ your heart for the person you have a relationship with. Thus, your heart has the most important role in your relationship with God.

Also, God has made your heart to be the very key to His salvation and blessings. You have been taught that Jesus is the door to God and His blessings/providence (see John 10:9; 14:6), but it takes your heart to open that door! It is written in Romans 10:9-10, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” For you to accept Christ as Savior, your heart has to first believe (have faith) in God. By the way, the word ‘salvation’ is ‘sōtēria’ in Greek, which also carries the meaning ‘rescue, safety, deliverance, and health’. Therefore, salvation is not just applied to the moment you said Salvation Prayer. In Christ, you are meant to receive salvation/rescue/safety/deliverance/health/providence throughout your walk with God all the days of your life on earth. Therefore, the more you involve your heart in your walk/relationship with God, the more your faith will grow, and the more blessings you will experience in life. This is also the very reason the devil would try his best to distract your heart from the Lord with all kinds of temptations, fears, anxieties and so on.

You may ask, “But how do I prevent my heart from being distracted?” You do it by keeping your heart fit spiritually! Just as you keep your heart fit physically by eating healthy food, doing physical exercise and having enough rest, you keep your heart fit spiritually by ‘eating’ the unadulterated Word of God (meditate on God’s words), ‘exercising’ your spirit-man (pray in tongues), and having spiritual rest (talk to God & worship Him).  It is basically keeping your heart close to God’s heart.

When your heart is close to God’s heart, you will:

Feel what God feels

You know what matters to God. You want to do things that will please His heart. You love His affirmation more than praises from others. You will not do things that hurt God’s heart because you know how He feels about it and you care for His feelings more than anything else. And that indirectly prevents you from sinning. (See 1 John 3:22-23; 4:8)

Think what God thinks

You are convinced that God has all the wisdom and solutions you need. You are not easily swayed by any suggestions or carnal ways of the world. You will confide your challenges to Him first before telling others. You stand firm on God’s instructions and guidance even if others judge you as stubborn and arrogant. You know the results and outcome will always prove that God’s ways are the best! (See Isaiah 55:8-9; 1 Corinthians 2:16)

See what God sees

You know God sees you as righteous, pure and lovely. You understand your position and authority in Christ. You will neither get panic nor fall into anxiety easily because you know God is in-charge despite how chaotic the situation around you seems to be. You align your spiritual eyesight with God’s by seeking His knowledge and understanding. You choose to come above and not fall under wrong influence or atmosphere. You choose to only speak and declare words that will change the circumstances around you. (See Ephesians 2:4-10; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6)

Dear friends, you might have heard the saying that a Christian’s walk with God is never a religion but a relationship, or you might have preached about it with conviction. It is true indeed. It is a relationship with openness and transparency. It is a heart to heart relationship. Your heart is where you allow God to correct and change you from within. It is where you allow Him to lead and guide you to be who He wants you to be. It is where you learn to feel, think and see like He does (see John 5:19). It is also where you receive and reciprocate His love for you (see 1 John 4:19). And this is what religions, rules and regulations cannot do for you. Whether you have your vocation in the secular world or you are in spiritual ministry, allow God to guard your heart against the distractions of the world by drawing close to God today, every day. Walk with God with your heart, and your Christian walk will be with no pressure but full of pleasure. Amen.

Remember your 'trees'

Many times, I have been requested by people to pray for their spiritual walk with the Lord. One day, as I was having a morning walk and was asking the Lord what to preach for that week, I heard the word ‘trees’. And as I was walking home, revelation started to flow and it was then that I had a better understanding of the ‘trees’ He was telling me.

There are 2 specific trees from the Bible that I want to mention here. But first, let us learn the meaning of ‘tree’ in Hebrew:

Êts = ‘tree’ (from the firmness of its trunk), is from the root word âtsâh meaning ‘to fasten, to make firm’, which is also the root word for âtseh = ‘the spine, backbone’ (giving firmness to the body).

Terebinth Tree

The first tree is a terebinth tree. Who does this tree remind you of? Abraham!

Genesis 12:6-7

Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

After Abraham encountered the Lord at the terebinth tree of Moreh, he built an altar there. Why? It was to remind himself that this was the place he experienced the Lord, received God’s guidance and God’s promises. You see, Canaan was a place of demonic worship those days, and it was also a place full of oppression. But Abraham knew the Lord had called him there for a purpose. Thus, he set up an altar at the terebinth tree as an act of worship, surrendering himself to God’s will for his life there. And for his faith, God did prosper him in that land!

People of God, are you currently living in an ‘oppressive land’ too? Yet you know God was the One who has led you there (in that specific workplace or ministry), and for a purpose. Like Abraham, would you also surrender your will to God’s will, and allow Him to prosper you in that ‘land’ as well?

Genesis 13:2-4

Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord.

The terebinth tree became a ‘sign’ and a reminder of God’s covenant with Abraham. When he became prosperous, he went back to the same terebinth tree where he had set up an altar (in Moreh), and he worshipped (and gave thanks) there. And it was not surprising that when he pitched his tent in Mamre later on, he pitched it near terebinth trees! That was also the place he met the Lord and he was told by the three angels of God that he would be having the son of promise/covenant (see Genesis 18:1-2).

In my life, my first ‘terebinth tree’ is a ‘longan’ fruit tree in the garden outside my parents’ house, with a stone table and stool under the tree. That was also the place where I accepted Christ and experienced the love of God for the first time. Besides enjoying the fruits every year, this tree has also always reminded me of my first experience with God. My second ‘terebinth tree’ is my old bedroom in my parent’s house. During my teenage years, I spent a lot of time praying in the spirit and meditating on God’s Word in that very room. Many of the crucial guidance and instructions of the Lord for my life were received there. My other ‘terebinth tree’ is my guitar. I may not be as skilful as some others in playing the guitar, but I know every time I pick up the guitar and start singing in the spirit, prophetic revelation will also start to flow! So, if you have any musical instrument that you can play, start playing it and worship God with it! And it doesn’t matter what other people may say about your playing skills. As long as you know it helps you enter the presence of God, you can make it your ‘terebinth tree’ and build your ‘altar’ there too. Remind yourself of your ‘terebinth tree’ often, and if it is portable, you may even want to bring it wherever you travel to!

Do you have your ‘terebinth tree’ where you first experienced the Lord? Always remind yourself of such experience, like Abraham did. That will be the first ‘strong backbone’ for your walk with the Lord.

Sycamore Tree

Another important tree is a sycamore tree.  Who does it remind you of? That’s right, Zacchaeus!

Luke 19:1-10

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.  Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

To the people those days, Zacchaeus was a ‘crook’, a traitor (who collaborated with the Roman occupiers), and a terrible sinner! In short, he was hated! But Zacchaeus wanted to see the Savior so much that he didn’t mind climbing up the sycamore tree. I can imagine some children were already up the tree, sticking out their tongues to this unwelcomed intruder! When Jesus came to that place, He looked up the tree and knew Zacchaeus was ready for Him. Jesus then ‘invited Himself’ to eat and stay at Zacchaeus’ house. That very encounter with Jesus changed Zacchaeus’ life, and he promised Jesus that he would rectify all the wrongs that he had committed!

You see, it is the goodness of God that leads one into repentance (see Romans 2:4). If you think you have not been ‘good’ or holy enough to face Him and spend personal time with Him, remember Zacchaeus and the sycamore tree! God’s mercy is very rich for you today. Don’t hide from Him anymore, but instead look to Him. He knows exactly where you are and what you need at the moment, and He is now here waiting to spend that intimate time with you as well, like He did with Zacchaeus!

My prayer is that many of you will also be willing to avail yourselves to be the ‘sycamore trees’ to the ‘Zacchaeus’ of today, and to those who are yet to be saved, so that they too can ‘climb’ on the tree to ‘see’ Jesus.

And always remember and remind yourselves that Jesus Himself had died for you on a ‘tree’ – the cross (see Galatians 3:13). Hence, you can always come to Him and see all your sins (and curse) hung on that tree.

If you have not accepted Jesus into your life, don’t be afraid and don’t be shy. Be like Zacchaeus! He wasn’t bothered at all by the perspective of people about him, or what people say against him. What he wanted most was to see the Savior! Jesus saw his heart, and He chose to go into his house. If you open your heart to Him, He can come into your life too.

Conclusion

Once you understand the revelation behind these trees in the Bible, your walk with the Lord will be firm no matter what challenges or circumstances might arise in your life.

Your understanding of these trees in your life will be the ‘spine’ and the ‘backbone’ of your walk with God.

No matter how far you think God is from you, as long as your heart still welcomes Him, He will never move away. He is always here for you. It only takes you to climb the ‘sycamore tree’ and to go to where the ‘terebinth tree’ is. Amen.