Soul Food, My Walk With God

GOD KNOWS MY HEART

I had a wonderful conversation with a really good friend of mine talking about when people say God knows my heart. I had this whole post typed up but decided not to go that way. I'm just gonna post scritpures and be finished with it. My opinion means nothing but the Word of God means EVERYTHING.

 

Galatians 5:19-23

The Message (MSG)

 ^19-21It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.

   This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.

 ^22-23But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

 ^23-24Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.

James 4:1-10

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

James 4

Friendship with the World

 ¹Why do you fight and argue with each other? Isn't it because you are full of selfish desires that fight to control your body? ²You want something you don't have, and you will do anything to get it. You will even kill! But you still cannot get what you want, and you won't get it by fighting and arguing. You should pray for it. ³Yet even when you do pray, your prayers are not answered, because you pray just for selfish reasons.

    ⁴You people aren't faithful to God! Don't you know that if you love the world, you are God's enemies? And if you decide to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. ⁵Do you doubt the Scriptures that say, "God truly cares about the Spirit he has put in us"? ^{[a] 6}In fact, God treats us with even greater kindness, just as the Scriptures say, "God opposes everyone

   who is proud,

   but he is kind to everyone

   who is humble."

    ⁷Surrender to God! Resist the devil, and he will run from you. ⁸Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Clean up your lives, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you people who can't make up your mind. ⁹Be sad and sorry and weep. Stop laughing and start crying. Be gloomy instead of glad. ¹⁰Be humble in the Lord's presence, and he will honor you.

Galatians 5:19-23

American Standard Version (ASV)

 

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

 ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties,

 ²¹ envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of which I forewarn you, even as I did forewarn you, that they who practise such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

 ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

 ²³ meekness, self-control; against such there is no law.

 

Remember next time you say God knows my heart that He DOES know you heart. He knows exactly where your heart is if you are doing something you KNOW you shouldn't be doing, saying, going, etc. HE KNOWS. He knows your heart and your motives. HE KNOWS. Even if you try to fool yourself. 

I'm not perfect, just striving to be the woman God wants me to be. Keeping my life lined up with the WORD!

Comments

[Patricia Richardson]

Amen.

[Victoria]

Again, you've said a mouth full! God's Word has the power of setting things right in our lives if we apply it and let it do it's work. I agree, the Word usurps our opinion any day:)

[JustMoe]

I'm not perfect, just striving to be the woman God wants me to be. Keeping my life lined up with the WORD! <------ This Right her Yes !

[NC Peach]

It gives me comfort that God does know my heart and my intentions to do good because we can't be everywhere and do everything--only He can. God also gives that "check" in my spirit when I'm not on the right path to flee from those things. I'm not perfect, but more and more I'm so glad that He is in my life, and starting to understand what the pastor means that obedience is better than sacrifice. Thanks for sharing the Word today, Adrienne!

[LadyLee]

I feel that everything is about motives, intentions and purposes. It is easy to fool people, but you can't fool yourself for too long. And I eventually know what I was REALLY up to when the final results are made manifest... No faking the funk there.

I work hard to examine my own heart in light of the Word. Most times they are good. Sometimes not so, and even ulterior. I be sure to pray about those and get them lined up and right... I work hard on being honest with myself.

I always want to have a good heart... for God and for people. And if not, I do what I can in a faithful and sincere manner to clean things up...

Good post. Made me think.

Hope you're having a great day :)

[Eve Paul]

Amen!!

[passer byer]

Love the new you. Thanx for the uplifting positive posts.

[TYNA]

Thank you for posting. I had never read these scriptures in THE MESSAGE version. Wow!