WHAT’S IN YOUR HEART?
A Two Part Teaching
Kevin Martin
The impetus for this two part teaching came from a prompting I sensed from the Lord to look at verses 6 and 7 of each chapter of the book of James. I noticed four separate heart issues in four of the chapters in or about those verses. I believed the Lord’s purpose was to study, understand and release this teaching at a time like this.
I encourage you to trust the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal the difference during times of stress; comparing times fear ruled, to times you consciously chose to trust the Lord. What was the result in your life, revealed soon after, or a while later. What does He want us to learn about His faithfulness?
In Part 1:
When Facing A Storm When Facing Any Trial
In Part 2:
When Facing Persecution While Waiting For The Lord’s Return
Part 1
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? 35 For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Matthew 12:33-35 NKJV
How often have you heard someone counsel another person with a decision to make to, “Just follow your heart”? When the heart of the person seeking advice is already producing good fruit, that may be good advice. But there are times when the road ahead appears dense with fog. Then at the fork in the road there are no sign posts. Is there a better source of guidance than even a good heart can provide?
When Facing A Storm
23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” Matthew 8:23-27 NKJV
The question Jesus asked, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” gives us an obvious hint that He was intent on training them to be men of faith. At that moment He saw more fear than faith. It just so happened they were in a boat with the author of faith and He would train them in words and actions of faith. That training, recorded by them for our benefit, is still changing the world today. And if we need more help, we can ask Him for it.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:5-8 NKJV
A double-minded person hears God’s words but then begins to weigh them against past experiences or what others would say. Doubt easily finds an opening to steal the word of faith, unless the person wills herself/himself to focus only on what God has said. The person who chooses that single focus will have help from the Spirit of God as he meditates on God’s word. He adds more weight to the word of faith beckoning the person to step out of the boat focused on Jesus.
22 “The eyes of your spirit allow revelation-light to enter into your being. If your heart is unclouded, the light floods in! 23 But if your eyes are focused on money, the light cannot penetrate and darkness takes its place. How profound will be the darkness within you if the light of truth cannot enter! Matthew 6:22, 23 TPT
The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. Matthew 6:22 KJV
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8 NKJV
You need a clear single focus not confused about what or Who to focus on. Focus on Jesus. Choose to draw near to God and He will draw near to you. He will help you purify your heart of the deceptions of the enemy so your eye will remain single and your heart unclouded. We will talk more about that later.
When Facing Persecution
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1, 2 ESV
1. The problem. Will you turn back to the Law?
1 The old system of living under the law presented us with only a faint shadow, a crude outline of the reality of the wonderful blessings to come. Even with its steady stream of sacrifices offered year after year, there still was nothing that could make our hearts perfect before God. 2 For if animal sacrifices could once and for all eliminate sin, they would have ceased to be offered Hebrews 10:1, 2a TPT
14 And by his one perfect sacrifice he made us perfectly holy and complete for all time! 15 The Holy Spirit confirms this to us by this Scripture, for the Lord says,
16 “Afterwards, I will give them this covenant: I will embed my laws into their hearts and fasten my Word to their thoughts.”
17And then he says,“I will not ever again remember their sins and lawless deeds!”
18 So if our sins have been forgiven and forgotten, why would we ever need to offer another sacrifice for sin? Hebrews 10:14-18 TPT
The Hebrews who had chosen Jesus as Savior and Lord were being assured that in this New Covenant the blood of Jesus, as the Lamb of God offered one time for the sins of the world, never needed to be shed again. Believers’ sins and lawless deeds would never be remembered against them again. That was important because of the temptation they were facing to go back to the Law of Moses for safety.
19 And now we are brothers and sisters in God’s family because of the blood of Jesus, and he welcomes us to come right into the most holy sanctuary in the heavenly realm—boldly and with no hesitation. 20 For he has dedicated a new, life-giving way for us to approach God. For just as the veil was torn in two, Jesus’ body was torn open to give us free and fresh access to him!
21 And since we now have a magnificent King-Priest to welcome us into God’s house, 22 we come closer to God and approach him with an open heart, fully convinced by faith that nothing will keep us at a distance from him. For our hearts have been sprinkled with blood to remove impurity and we have been freed from an accusing conscience and now we are clean, unstained, and presentable to God inside and out! Hebrews 10:19-22 TPT
Here believers are reminded of the supreme reality of their advantage in the New Covenant. Before Jesus paid the price to forgive all our sins, access to God the Father was blocked because of sin. But from that time forward and forever believers have open and free access to the throne of God and we are welcome and beckoned to draw near to Father God. We are free from all accusations and presented clean inside and out to our God. This is eternal life. Why would we ever draw back from Jesus in light of this wonderful free gift; received simply and only by faith? We wouldn’t, unless we believed a lie and let the lie influence our choices.
This letter to the Hebrews was written about 64AD, about two years before the Jewish-Roman War began. Once the war started in earnest, Roman armies began their assault on Jewish towns. All Jews became enemies of Rome whether they believed in Jesus or not. But for these two years the Jews had it somewhat better, while Christians were suffering great persecution from Roman and Jewish leaders.
23 So now we must cling tightly to the hope that lives within us, knowing that God always keeps his promises! 24 Discover creative ways to encourage others and to motivate them toward acts of compassion, doing beautiful works as expressions of love. 25 This is not the time to pull away and neglect meeting together, as some have formed the habit of doing, because we need each other! In fact, we should come together even more frequently, eager to encourage and urge each other onward as we anticipate that day dawning. Hebrews 10:23-25 TPT
Paul said that anything not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23). Therefore, believing lies will result in drawing back from faith in Jesus. To draw back to Old Covenant law based religion would not only be sin, it would be an affront to the blood of Christ. His blood was shed to free them from the penalty of the law of sin and death and give them complete access to the Father by the Holy Spirit (Eph 2:18).
26 For if we continue to persist in deliberate sin after we have known and received the truth, there is not another sacrifice for sin to be made for us. 27 But this would qualify one for the certain, terrifying expectation of judgment and the raging fire ready to burn up his enemies! 28 Anyone who disobeyed Moses’ law died without mercy on the simple evidence of two or three witnesses. Hebrews 10:26-28 TPT
This is how it was under Old Covenant Law. Anyone who disobeyed Moses’ law died without mercy on the simple evidence of two or three witnesses.
If God still used that standard today for the believer how severe do you think a person should be judged who has contempt for God’s Son, and who scorns the blood of the new covenant that made him holy? Look at verse 31 below.
29 How much more severely do you suppose a person deserves to be judged who has contempt for God’s Son, and who scorns the blood of the new covenant that made him holy, and who mocks the Spirit who gives him grace?
30 For we know him who said,
“I have the right to take revenge
and pay them back for their evil!”
And also, “The Lord God will judge his own people!”
31 It is the most terrifying thing of all to come under the judgment of the Living God! Hebrews 10:29-31 TPT
It is most wonderful that Jesus and His Father know the frailty of our faith in trying circumstances. Should we draw back it will cost us, at least, peace of mind and assurance of our free access to the throne. That free access is not removed. The enemy of our souls deceives us that now we have gone too far. Yet Hebrews 4:16 remains true for the believer. There is always grace to help in the time of need. But a possible cost to first century Hebrew believers was the horrific experiences of great tribulation as the Roman army surrounded Jerusalem, destroyed the temple and nearly leveled the city in the Fall of 70AD. Over one million Jews died in or around the city in that siege. Be assured it was not Jesus releasing this vengeance upon them. It was Roman vengeance and the vengeance of the nations surrounding Israel whose forces made up large segments of the Roman army.
Thankfully, all believers in Jerusalem remembered the prophecies of Jesus, especially Luke 21:20, 21 and fled to the mountains of Pella. Not one Christian died as the war ended in September of 70AD.
32 Don’t you remember those days right after the Light shined in your hearts? You endured a great marathon season of suffering hardships, yet you stood your ground. 33 And at times you were publicly and shamefully mistreated, being persecuted for your faith; then at others times you stood side by side with those who preach the message of hope.
34 You sympathized with those in prison and when all your belongings were confiscated you accepted that violation with joy; convinced that you possess a treasure growing in heaven that could never be taken from you. 35 So don’t lose your bold, courageous faith, for you are destined for a great reward!
36 You need the strength of endurance to reveal the poetry of God’s will and then you receive the promise in full. 37 For soon and very soon,
“The One who is appearing will come without delay!”
38 And he also says,
“My righteous ones will live from my faith.
But if fear holds them back, my soul is not content with them!”
39 But we are certainly not those who are held back by fear and perish; we are among those who have faith and experience true life! Hebrews 10:32-39 TPT
Many believers suffered persecution throughout much of the 40 years between the ascension of Christ and 70AD; some were martyred for their faith. Consider the heart of God as He sees His sons and daughters worship Him in the midst of great affliction. As Stephen stood before the Sanhedrin boldly confronting their murder of God’s Son, the heavens opened and he saw Jesus stand up at the Father’s right hand to honor him (Acts 7:55). What courage this gave him even knowing they would take him out and stone him to death. In Christ we can receive the same strength Stephen received in the face of such a threat. Verse 38 says, “My righteous ones will live from My faith.” We can also say His righteous ones will die in faith.
Then the rest of verse 38 laments, “But if fear holds them back, my soul is not content with them!” This is not rejection of a child of God. For the Father’s promise to never leave them or forsake them never fails. He will grieve what this will cost them and His soul will not be content with (or for) them. Of course not! He always holds out the best for us, but does not throw us away when we miss the mark He sets for us. In the New Covenant there is no condemnation for the believer. Sin is defined as missing the mark. In every case God beckons the believer to come confidently to the throne of grace to receive mercy. There He also gives grace to stand up for Jesus and discover more grace to live or die for Him.
Then verse 39, But we are certainly not those who are held back by fear and perish; we are among those who have faith and experience true life!
2. The right choice. Choose the faith that Abraham chose.
6 Abraham, our father of faith, led the way as our pioneering example. He believed God and the substance of his faith released God’s righteousness to him. 7 So those who are the true children of Abraham will have the same faith as their father! 8 God’s plan all along was to bring this message of salvation to the nations through the revelation of faith. Long ago God prophesied over Abraham, as the Holy Scriptures say:
“Through your example of faith all the nations will be blessed!”
9 And so the blessing of Abraham’s faith is now our blessing too! 10 But if you choose to live in bondage under the legalistic rule of religion, you live under the law’s curse. For it is clearly written:
“Utterly cursed is everyone who fails to practice every detail and requirement that is written in this law!”
11 For the Scriptures reveal, and it is obvious, that no one achieves the righteousness of God by attempting to keep the law, for it is written:
“Those who have been made holy will live by faith!” Galatians 3:6-11 TPT
What was the faith Abram chose? God offered no set of laws to live up to. He offered no way for Abram to prove his value. All He offered was His Word that if Abram would believe His promise He would make him the father of many nations. He chose to believe God’s word over every other word. God’s promise to Abram has been validated completely. God fulfilled His promise to Abram through the shed blood of Christ. Now, even the Gentiles are choosing salvation by the same simple faith which prompted God to declare Abram righteous and change his name to Abraham. Abraham simply believed God. Believe God in every situation you face and through the New Covenant established in Christ we enter into the grace of God by faith in the name of Jesus.
3. Your reward. When you seek Him, you will find Him!
8 When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! Psalm 27:8, 14 NKJV
And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV
“What bliss you experience when your heart is pure! For then your eyes will open to see more and more of God. Matthew 5:8 TPT
As Abraham believed God, you too can turn to Jesus for your salvation, for your healing and for your deliverance from fear. He will purify your hearts and reveal Himself and His Father to you in greater and greater glory as you walk with God (2 Corinthians 3:18).