It's all about the heart...

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I can’t emphasise enough how walking with God is all about the heart. This does not mean that we switch off our intellect, this merely means that we need to stop viewing God as a subject (knowledge) and more as a person (experience) through which we also acquire wisdom.

We can briefly compare the Christian life to driving a car. We receive a manual (Bible) which will tell us how to start the car, but after that the manual will make no sense if we do not get behind the wheel and learn how to drive. On our journey we will see lights flashing and hear sounds beeping and as we experience these things, the Bible will describe to us what we are going through and how to handle each situation. The best way to read the Bible is with the Holy Spirit. Without Him, we are likely to read too much or too little into verses and misunderstand some verses completely. Then we start to form our own ideas of what WE think is being said in the verses and then form opinions that are completely off track and grow religious mind-sets. We are foolish if we think that we can interpret the Bible without God’s help and insight.

Our minds are often our greatest enemy. Instead of using our hearts, our relationship with God, waiting on Him and listening to His voice, we think that we are so smart and we formulate our own opinions without even consulting God and often to even suit our own ways.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.” Isaiah 55:8

When we come to Him it must be with open hearts and open minds, asking Him to teach us His ways. We cannot comprehend His ways, not in the slightest. He is the creator of our brains and we cannot imagine Him or understand Him fully, even if we tried.

““‘You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.
For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’” Matt 13:14-15

God is not mocked. He will not give you guidance or speak to you if He knows that you are not willing to listen and obey Him. He does not put Himself or you in that position. Rather bring your heart to a place where you can honestly say: “God, whatever You say I will do, whatever advice You give, I will follow” and then He will speak to you. Sometimes our hearts need to reach a desperate place, a place where we can cry: “God, I am willing to give it all to you, no matter what the answer is, please just tell me so I can receive it and be free.” And if you find that your heart is not willing, do not worry, ask God to help you make your heart willing and help you to understand.

I pray that God would help me to always keep my ears, eyes and heart open to Him, that I would not harden my heart towards Him in any area in my life. I pray that my eyes will always be open to see what He sees and that I would not turn a blind eye, because of selfishness or pride. That I will be willing to learn and to hear what He has to say and be willing to lay my own agenda, thoughts and opinions aside regardless of the consequences. I pray that I would live with His input daily and not let my actions become religious and self-motivated.