God Knows My Heart
This statement is like the “Get out of jail free card” for Christians and non- Christians alike. It’s what we use to defend the fact that we’re just not living right. I myself used to say it with confidence as if it’s my hall pass to heaven. Before living for Jesus this was my favorite line. In my mind if I wasn’t killing, stealing or hurting anyone then I’m good with God. I didn’t feel the need for church, I only prayed when I needed something, and I didn’t even know what worship was. But God knew my heart tho. The truth is our definition of a good heart is not God’s definition by any means.
God knows what our hearts were truly intended to look like, and trust me your heart and mine are nowhere near where it should be. If you were to ask God to really show you what is in your heart I promise you would not be so boastful about that statement. If we’re really honest with ourselves we can all be prideful, selfish, lustful, critical, and judgmental at times, and all these traits speak to the character of our heart. The fact is you need God in order to truly have a good heart. Only the one with the purest heart can show you what your heart should look like. When God looks at us the first thing he sees is our heart; A pure heart.
Psalms 51:10 “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me”.
What does it even mean to have a pure heart? To remove impurities like cleaning gold. According to Genesis the heart is naturally wicked.
Genesis 8:21 “….even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood…” .
Getting closer with God is what cleans and purifies your heart. Being closer to the truth (God) reveals your truth. He will show you yourself and the areas of your character that need to be purified. It will not be a pretty process. You may not be proud of what’s revealed to you, but this is not the time for shame and condemning yourself. This is the time for evolution and growth.
The closer God and I got the more I wanted to be more like Him, but in order to do that he had to show me, me. He had to show me the parts of me that needed to go. I literally had to pray like David, and ask him to search my heart and remove anything that does not look like him.
Psalms 139:23-24 “Search me, 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” NIV.
He slowly started to show me myself. He showed me how judgmental I could be, and how my judgment of others was actually holding me back from fulfilling His purpose in my life. I was so afraid to do what God was calling me to do because I was afraid of being judged. But that was only because I was judging others for chasing their dreams. I would see someone start a business, write a book, do whatever it is God lead them to and wonder “what qualifies he/she to do that” I was putting my own insecurities on others, because this is what I would ask myself, “who am I to start a blog?, who am I to write a book?, who am I to encourage people to follow Christ? All this was harboring in my heart, and holding me back from going after what was already mine. What do you have harboring in your heart? What is holding you back from being great?
God’s heart is forgiving, are you forgiving?
God’s heart is ALWAYS loving, are you ALWAYS loving?
God’s heart is ALWAYS pure, is your heart ALWAYS pure?
God’s heart is without sin, is yours?
So the next time you confidently say “God knows my heart”, remember that he does, but do you?
2Chronicles 16:9 “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him….”
Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
1Samuel 16:7 “….The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart”
