When God's Spirit Looks Into Your Heart, What Does He Find?
2 Peter 1:1 - 21 1Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
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Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,3
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:4
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.5
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;6
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;7
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.8
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.9
But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.10
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:11
For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.12
Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.13
Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;14
Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath showed me.15
Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.16
For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.17
For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.18
And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.19
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:20
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.21
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.INTRO: Aren't you glad we have an expert that helps watch over our lives. God's Holy Spirit is that expert. He looks into our hearts, even our intents and sees all there is to see and know. We can hide nothing from Him, even though we may deceive ourselves.
As I said, I am glad we have this "check valve" if your would who helps us. Christ called Him the Comforter. His job is not to make us miserable, or ruin our lives, but to protect us and bring us closer to God. Would you want a doctor to operate on us with dark glasses or in a dimly lit room? Or would we want him to be unaware of what our problem is? God's Spirit does not work in the dark. He does not look into our hearts blindly.
So, I ask you…"When God's Spirit looks into your heart, what does He find?"
1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
When He searches your heart, does He find…
An attitude of godliness?
Aware of His grace
Abounding in His grace
Seeking to walk with Him
Striving to serve Him well
Or…
An attitude of selfishness?
Unwilling to look to the Lord?
Unwilling to walk with the Lord?
Unwilling to give Him yourself?
Unwilling to allow His Spirit to guide your life?
Does He find…
A life of closeness?
Fruit?
Love?
Brotherly love?
A field of godly treasure
Isaiah 29:15 - 17 15Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?
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Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?17
Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?Or does he find…
A life of distance?
Emptiness?
Dust and cobwebs?
Ungodly trash?
Attitudes of rebellion?
Envy?
Strife?
Hatred?
Dissimulation (dishonesty or hypocrisy)?
Isaiah 30:1 - 3 1Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:
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That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!3
Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.Romans 13:1 - 14 1Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
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Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.3
For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:4
For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.5
Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.6
For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.7
Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.8
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.9
For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.10
Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.11
And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.12
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.13
Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.14
But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.Okay, what do I do about this?
Listen to His Spirit
Let Him help you let go of ungodly practices and attitudes
Let Him help you grab hold of godly practices and attitudes
Seek His Spirit
Continue in prayer
Study God's Word
Partake in Worship
Walk in the Spirit, not the flesh
Galatians 5:16 - 26 16This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
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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.25
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.26
Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
As I close, let us remember…
You know what is in your heart this day
You know what He can find there this minute
You know if you need to be rid of things not worthy of being there
You know if you have neglected to serve Him as you should
Let the Holy Spirit do His work and help you do your perfect work for the Lord
Gary Marcum - New Beginnings Church - 100106am