We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak (2 Corinthians 4:13).
Some complain, “I thought this faith thing worked! I believe in the Word for my health, why isn’t it working?” For such people, it could be that they’ve only mentally assented to the Word; that’s not what works. True faith is of the heart.
The Apostle Paul in Romans 1:16 tells us that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God that works; in other words, it brings or causes salvation for everyone who believes. The one who doesn’t believe can’t have the benefit of it, and believing is of the heart and not the head (Romans 10:8-10). It’s your spirit that makes contact with God.
Faith is not a response of the brain or the mind; it’s not some kind of magic or a formula, no! Faith is the response of the human spirit to the Word of God
In Luke 6:6-10, for example, when Jesus encountered a man with a withered arm while teaching in a synagogue, He instructed the man to stretch out his hand, which he did, and his hand was restored.
There’s no way the man would have received a miracle if he had tried to rationalize the Master’s instruction in his head. But he responded with his spirit to the Word! The man heard Jesus in his spirit and acted from his spirit.
It reminds me of a similar account in Mark 2 when the Lord Jesus healed a man sick of the palsy. He said to the man, “…Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house” (Mark 2:11). The hitherto paralyzed man stood up and walked away, offering praises to God.
The man couldn’t have risen unless he responded from his spirit. You see, his spirit wasn’t crippled, as the ailment or infirmity resided in his body. So, how could a man with that condition have risen? The answer is simple: When he heard the words of the Master, he acted from his spirit, and it produced results. Once you can believe the Word with your heart and voice it from your mouth, it’ll produce results. Hallelujah!
My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways (Proverbs 23:26).
The words “perfect” and “complete” could have been interchangeably used. In other words, in the place of “perfect” above, you could also have “complete,” and vice versa.
People are the same, irrespective of their condition. That is to say, the poor and the rich, for example, are exactly the same, except there’s a transformation in their hearts. If a man is poor and wicked, he won’t be different when he becomes rich. While poor, he doesn’t have the resources to carry out the wickedness in his heart. So, when he becomes rich, he’s able to prosecute the wickedness in his heart with his resources.
Money amplifies character. People only carry out the good or bad in their hearts, depending on their resources. Jesus said, “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt…” (Matthew 12:33). This means people aren’t different from how they are inside. So, what does God want? He wants a change in your heart; a transformation inside.
That’s why He sets up His kingdom first in your heart. He puts His love first in your heart. Your heart is where He seeks to work; that’s where all His blessings are. Then from your heart, they can flow out to others. Being born again, you have the life and nature of God in your heart, and now in Christ, you’re a life-giver.
The transformation and glory evident in your soul and body are the result of the impact and influence of the life and nature of God in your spirit. In our theme verse, He says, “My son, give me thine heart….” If you’ve never been born again, this is your moment; give Him your heart. Turn to the Prayer of Salvation page at the back of this devotional and pray that prayer, from the bottom of your heart.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8). As a Christian, you’re a sanctified vessel, called to live righteously unto God. Iniquity or evil shouldn’t be found in your heart.
You must keep yourself and your heart pure with the Word of God.
If, having been born again, your heart is still full of lust for evil things, something is wrong; there has to be a change! Make up your mind about it. You’ll need to have sessions of meditation and fasting without further delay.
The Word purifies the mind and spirit. God desires to take you to the next and higher level in your walk with Him, but you’ve got to let go of any ungodly lifestyle. The Bible says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).
What’s that weight that’s not letting you run as effectively as you should in fulfilling God’s plan for your life? Get rid of it. Jesus said, “…for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me” (John 14:30). Be sure that Satan has nothing in you.
Pay attention to the changes the Holy Spirit may be guiding you to make, and receive corrections. It’s all so you can fulfil His destiny for you gloriously without reproach. Refuse to allow any weight or sin to cling to you, so you can make faster progress in your life.
Remember what the Word says: “…sin shall not have dominion over you…” (Romans 6:14). The moment you say “No,” that’s it! Psalm 119:9 says, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.” All it takes is acting on the Word. So, make it your life’s work to live in the light of God’s Word.
For with the heart man believeth… (Romans 10:10).
Being born again, you received the life and nature of God into your heart, that is, your spirit. The eventual transformation and glory evident in your soul and body are the result of the impact and influence of the life and nature of God in your spirit. This is why God wants you to nurture and develop your spirit.
Your spirit is God’s temple; His dwelling place: that’s where the Kingdom of God is (Luke 17:20-21). No wonder we’re counselled to guard our hearts with all diligence: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Everything you require for your life is in your heart.
The house you’ll live in is in your heart; the money you require is in your heart; the health of your body is in your heart! Life in its fullness is in your heart; therefore, learn to live from your heart.
When you live from your heart, that is, from the inside out, you wouldn’t be bothered about the happenings outside; your experiences wouldn’t determine your response to situations. The economy of the world or of the country where you live may be in shambles, but you’re unmoved, because you’ve learnt how to enjoy your prosperity and turn it on from within you.
Learn to see from your heart. What you see with your heart is more real than what you see with your physical eyes. 2 Corinthians 4:18 says, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Seeing with your heart means envisioning and apprehending the realities of the Gospel and of our Kingdom-life with your spirit.
The more important things of life—the eternal things—are all in your heart; therefore, look inwards, and live from there. Isaiah 12:3 says, “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. Where are these wells? They’re in the deep recesses of your heart!
-GSW-