We will be discussing God's call for us to rise higher. With His help, we can put off the old man, access the Spirit of God through His Word, and live a sacrificial life for Him. We will explore how to come under God's mission, cleanse our hearts to think godly thoughts, and be in alignment with His will. So join us as we discuss the solution to self-opposition and the amazing journey ahead when we continue in the Word.
Show Notes:
God is calling YOU Higher; Prophetic burden for the last week; The time is NOW to reach the next level; Following Jesus' example; Elementary school example; Top Dog Christians are just getting started; Let go of our besetting sins and weights (Hebrews 12:1); Come under God's Mission (James 4:7); Put off the Old Man (Ephesians 4:22-24); Accessing the Spirit of God through His Word; Rising up to where we should be (Hebrews 5:12); Living a sacrificial life for God (Romans 12); We reckon ourselves dead to sin (Romans 6:11-13); The solution to self-opposition (2 Timothy 2:25,26); Being in total alignment with God and His will; Cleansing our heart to think Godly thoughts; Continuing in the Word leads to freedom (John 8:31,32); The next level is going to be amazing (Romans 8:18).
Years ago, I thought the onus was on God to clean my heart and there was nothing I could do about it. After years of study, I have decided to explore both sides of the debate. Enjoy this podcast, and let me know your thoughts!
Show Notes:
• Is it up to the Christian to clean their spiritual heart? • Guard our hearts with all due diligence. • Fill our hearts with God's Word and focus on loving God and loving our neighbor. • Be mindful of what we allow into our hearts through our eyes and ears. • Spend time in prayer and seek out meaningful conversations with spiritually mature people. • Pursue holiness and constantly be in repentance and a state of repentance in order to draw closer to God and cleanse our hearts. • Develop a spiritual discipline such as reading Scripture regularly and spending time in solitude. • Have friends, family members, and mentors who can challenge us spiritually and help us keep our hearts focused on living righteously. • Actively participate in church, encouraging one another to do what God wants us to do. • Rely on the grace of God for salvation and strive to be pure in heart through prayer and meditation on the Scriptures.
Scriptures referred to in this episode:
Proverbs 4:23: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
Matthew 15:19: “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.”
Luke 6:45: “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.”
Romans 12:2: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Psalm 24:3-4: “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.”
Matthew 5:8: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”
Psalm 51:10: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
James 4:8: “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
1 Peter 1:14-16: “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
Matthew 5:8: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”
James 4:7-8: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
Ezekiel 36:26-27: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”
Titus 2:11-12: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.”
Philippians 4:6-7: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds
The Bible talks about how to communicate with our hearts, and what it conveys is designed to drive us to actual, positive life change. This podcast explores what it means to commune with the heart and what it means to be transformed by a refreshing of the mind.
This is Not Taught in Churches! (for the most part)
The Bible encourages us to commune with our own hearts, but you don't find that it is addressed much in the church. There are a few principles implicit in communing with our own hearts that are incredibly important for living a life of faith and spiritual growth.
Spending time with ourselves can help lead to better understanding and appreciation of God's will for our lives. When we take the time to reflect on how God is working in our lives, it allows for deeper insights into His plans for our lives. Connecting with our inner self through prayer can also provide clarity about how to act in certain situations, as well as guidance on how to live according to God's teachings. Being still and listening closely to our hearts can help us discover new ways in which we can serve Jesus more effectively.
Not New Age Teaching!
I want to start off by saying, this is not a new age teaching on meditation. I came out of the New Age so I am very familiar with what they teach over there. I found these principles that I am talking about today in the bible.
The goal of my teaching on communing with the heart is to bring people back to the truth of the Scriptures. I will be discussing the importance of communing with the heart as a spiritual discipline, and how it can help us grow in our relationship with God. I will also be discussing how this quiet self reflection can be a powerful tool for personal transformation.
When We Commune with Our Hearts, We Are Searching with God
The spirit of man [is] the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly. Proverbs 20:27
The word ‘belly’ in this verse is the Hebrew word "gav" which means the stomach, bowels, inner parts or inward parts. This verse is saying that God searches our innermost being, or our heart. He knows all things, but He searches our hearts. (1 Kings 8:39; 1 Chronicles 28:9; Psalm 44:21; Psalm 139:1-3) God is all knowing and knows the thoughts of the heart. He knows the things we have thought about and the things that are in our hearts. (Proverbs 21:2; Matthew 9:4-5) He searches even the deep things of our heart.
We are not alone in searching our hearts. God searches our hearts too. Our goal is to end up on the same page at the end.
How the Bible defines the Spiritual Heart
The Bible teaches that the heart is the spiritual aspect of the human being. The heart is often used as a metaphor for the innermost part of a person's being, where their thoughts, emotions, and will reside. The heart is not just a physical organ, but it is also the center of a person's spiritual life.
The heart is often described as the source of a person's actions and words. Proverbs 4:23 says "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." This verse speaks of the importance of guarding one's heart, being aware of what's going on in our inner self, and being in control of our thoughts and feelings, which in turn will affect our actions. The heart is portrayed as being a fountain or spring of life. It's not just a pump, but it is also the very source of life itself. When we keep our hearts pure and clean, we will be able to live fully and abundantly (1 John 2:15).
The heart is also described as the place where people connect with God. In Ezekiel 36:26, God says "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." This verse speaks about God's promise to give his people a new heart, one that is sensitive to His will and desires. This is in contrast to an immovable, and unmoldable heart of stone. We can see this when Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees in the gospels. The prophesied Messiah was speaking to them, but their hearts of stone blinded them to recognizing the prophesied Messiah even though He was standing right in front of them.
What We Feed Our Minds Becomes Our Internal Monologue
What we feed our minds affects our thoughts and actions. Proverbs 4:23 states, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." In other words, our hearts, or innermost being, are the source of our actions and attitudes. We need to guard our hearts by only allowing certain things in, and filtering certain things out. We need to watch what goes into our eye gate, and ear gate, because what we saturate ourselves with eventually becomes who we are as a person. We in turn, will then act accordingly and this can lead to detriment or triumph.
Matthew 15:18-20 says, "But the things that come out of a person's mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person." This verse teaches that our hearts are the source of our thoughts and actions, and that these thoughts can be sinful or defiling.
Ephesians 4:23-24 says, "to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." This teaches that our thoughts and actions are connected, and that we can be transformed by renewing our minds. This is why it is so important to teach people about the heart. Our actions are a reflection of what is in our hearts, but if we don't understand what's in our hearts, we can't know how to transform it.
Our hearts and minds are closely connected. What we feed our minds will affect our thoughts and actions. It is important to guard our hearts and minds, and to fill them with things that are pure, true, noble, right, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Phil. 4:8).
What 'Commune with your Heart' Means
The Bible encourages us to commune with our own hearts as a form of self-reflection, contemplation, and meditation. But what does it mean to “commune with your heart”? The act of communing with our hearts is an intentional practice that helps bring awareness to our innermost thoughts and feelings. It allows us to better understand ourselves, create clarity on our intentions, and move forward with purpose and intention.
Communion with your heart involves taking the time to observe yourself without judgment or expectation. In other words, be real with yourself. It is a deep dive into understanding how we think, feel and act in different scenarios so that we can identify areas of growth and cultivate positive changes in our lives.
The act of communion with our heart is a powerful tool for self-discovery that can have lasting effects on our personal growth. It can offer significant insight into the nature of our thoughts and feelings, giving us a clear picture of our innermost desires and how they manifest outwardly. Then we can work on them to align with God's purpose for our lives.
The bible talks about communing with our hearts on our beds. This is a quiet time of self reflection and can even happen in our dream life. We can go over the day's activities and see where our internal monologue fights God or is in alignment with God's will and purpose for our lives.
Aligning Our Hearts with God’s Purpose for Us
The Scriptures that tell us to commune with our own hearts. In Luke 10:27 we read “and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself”. This Scripture encourages us to take time in our prayer life to listen carefully to our own hearts as we seek God's will on matters. Our hearts must be in alignment with God's purpose and will for our lives.
We need to love God with all our heart, not just some of it. We can also find reference in Psalms 119:11 which says “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee”. This verse highlights the importance of understanding what God says so that we may obey it fully. Hiding the word of God in our hearts is a deliberate, willful act. It is something that we do. It is not an automatic, passive act. It requires our active participation. So what does it mean to hide God's word in our hearts? It means to internalize it so it becomes part of our internal monologue. This could be memorization or simply rehearsing it often.
Communion with Your Heart: Old Testament Verses
The Old Testament contains many verses that instruct us to commune with our own hearts. In Proverbs 3:5-6 it states, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths." This verse is telling us to trust in God, but also to listen to what our hearts tell us. We can find out a lot about ourselves. We can see if our hearts are fighting God.
Similarly, Psalm 4:4 says, “Commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still.” This passage encourages us to take time for self-reflection and introspection.
Here are a few more examples:
Psalm 4:4 - "Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent." This verse encourages us to take time to reflect on our thoughts and emotions and to avoid acting on them in a sinful way.
Psalm 77:6 - "I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search." This verse indicates that communing with one's heart can involve reflecting on the past and considering one's experiences and emotions in a deeper way.
Lamentations 2:19 - "Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children." This verse encourages people to pour out their hearts to God in prayer and to seek His guidance and protection.
Jeremiah 31:33 - "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people." This verse shows that God desires to have a close relationship with his people and that He wants to be in their hearts. Also that God has put His laws in our hearts, so we must diligently search them out!
Psalm 26:2 - "Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart." This verse shows the Psalmist asking God to examine his heart, and it's a great example of humility and willingness to be corrected. The reins are the things that tug on our hearts causing us to behave in a certain way. We need to assess what is tugging on our heart strings that are contrary to God?
Psalm 139:23-24 - "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" This verse shows the Psalmist inviting God to search his heart and reveal any wickedness or unrighteousness that may be present.
Isaiah 55:7 - "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." This verse speaks about turning away from sinful thoughts and actions, and returning to God with a repentant heart. We need to forsake our wicked thoughts in our hearts contrary to God. We will know that we have forsaken our wicked ways and thoughts when our internal monologue is in alignment with God
Again, these are just a few examples, and there certainly many other verses in the Old Testament that also speak about communing with or examining one's heart, and seeking guidance from God.
Communion with Your Heart: New Testament Verses
Matthew 5:8 - "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." This is definitely a verse that encourages us to be serious about the state of our heart which brings us to James.
James 4:8 states, "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts ye double minded." This verse encourages us to turn to God, cleanse our sins and purify our hearts, in order to draw closer to Him. This proves it is on the onus of the believer to cleanse the heart.
Romans 10:10 - "For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." One aspect about this passage is that our heart has the capacity to believe. These beliefs can be contrary to what our mind understands to be true in scripture. Also, what we speak out of our mouths is what is in our hearts just like Jesus teaches.
Colossians 3:16 - "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." This verse encourages us to walk in a spirit of gratitude. Even to sing to ourselves with spiritual songs. This needs to be our internal dialogue.
Cleaning Your Heart: An Essential Believer Responsibility
Here are a few verses from the Bible that speak about the responsibility of believers to clean their hearts:
Proverbs 4:23 - "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." This verse speaks of the importance of guarding one's heart, being aware of what's going on in our inner self, and being in control of our thoughts and feelings.
2Co 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (4) (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) (5) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; This verse dead on says that it is the onus of the believer to cast down imaginations contrary to God. This is something we proactively do.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Another powerful verse saying it is on the onus of the believer to transform their mind.
James 4:8 - "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." This verse speaks of the importance of drawing near to God, and the need to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts in order to be in a right relationship with Him.
Isaiah 1:16 - "Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil." This verse is a call to repentance, to wash ourselves and make ourselves clean, and to turn away from evil deeds.
2 Corinthians 7:1 - "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." This New Testament verse speaks about the need to cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, and to strive for holiness in our relationship with God.
Rom 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. " God has saved me so many times, that it would be blasphemous to be complacent. I am to be a living sacrifice. Not my will, but Thy will be done in my life. It is our reasonable service. Which means, I need to renew my mind. And by doing so, I am guarding my heart with all diligence. It is my responsibility, and it is reasonable.
Thoughts of Your Heart - Knowing Yourself
When learning to communicate with our own hearts, one way to do this is by paying attention to our internal monologue and how it responds to different stimuli. By saying something that we know to be true and then observing how our heart responds, we can begin to understand the connection between our thoughts and our emotions. For example, if we say something positive and true, such as " It is a beautiful sunny day today," and our heart feels a sense of peace and contentment, this is an indication that our internal monologue is in alignment with that truth.
However, it is only really when we find our heart throwing objections that we can truly get some work done. If we say something that we know to be untrue and observe how our heart responds, we can begin to identify and challenge any negative or harmful thought patterns.
By practicing this process of saying something and observing how our heart responds, we can begin to identify and challenge any negative or harmful thoughts and replace them with truth, this is called cognitive reframing. This can be a powerful tool for personal growth and transformation, as we learn to align our thoughts with truth and allow that truth in God's word to shape our hearts and internal monologue.
It's important to note that this process may require patience and self-compassion as it may take time to change an internal monologue that has been reinforced for a long time.
Dreams Are a Reflection of Who We Are
The best example I can think of about dreams revealing what is in our heart that is contrary to the conscious mind is drug dreams. Drug dreams are dreams where you do the drugs in your dream, even though in your waking life you are sober. This means the heart has not let go of the problem yet.
A person doesn’t start out a drug addict. Their internal monologue does not start out craving drugs. This is something they must develop over time. It may have started out with peer pressure to drink a beer, then while they are drunk they move to marijuana, and then over some time while they are high they try hard drugs. Then it feels so good they want to repeat it. This is called “chasing the dragon” - the insatiable desire to get the feeling they got on their very first hit. Then the internal monologue becomes about getting the drug at all costs.
This internal monologue of scoring drugs was developed over time because the person did not guard their heart with due diligence, but let the destructive thoughts slip in through peer pressure.
Fentanyl is causing thousands of deaths annually, but even knowing this, addiction can pull at the reins of our heart, as the Bible describes, leading to repeated drug use.
At some point, like the prodigal son, we may come to our senses and start our journey of repentance. Our conscious mind knows that this drug can kill us. But our hearts are going to fight us. This is why willpower doesn’t work but for a little while. Eventually the internal monologue of the heart will win.
So, if we think that we are out of the woods, we may have a dream that shows us what our heart really thinks. This is why that scripture “be still and know that I am God” is important. Our conscious mind may be convinced that we are out of the woods, but then the dream comes up and our heart shows us how we will respond in that situation.
I often refer to what Elihu says about dreams in the night.
For God speaketh once, Yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. 15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falleth upon men, In slumberings upon the bed; 16 Then he openeth the ears of men, And sealeth their instruction, 17 That he may withdraw man from his purpose, And hide pride from man. 18 He keepeth back his soul from the pit, And his life from perishing by the sword. Job 33:14–18.
This passage tells us that we can be too busy to hear from God in the daytime, but when our conscious mind shuts up, we can finally let Him get through to us. In these dreams our heart is truly open to ourselves and to God and He will show us how to keep our soul from the pit of destruction.
In our dream life, we can see why willpower only works for a season. For true change, we need to work on transforming our hearts. This can take some time.
Reach Out to Your Heart: How It Can Help
We can work with our hearts to find out what it agrees with and where it is out of alignment of God's will and purpose for our lives. If you have never heard this before, it is exciting.
When we say to ourselves "I am loved" and our heart throws up objections and memories indicating that we do not believe in our hearts that we are loved, it can be difficult to change our mindset. Our hearts may have years of internal statements and negative experiences that are enforcing how we are not loved. Our hearts are not reasonable. Our hearts just go with what they know and rehearse it over and over.
However, by asking ourselves "How am I loved?" We can begin to shift our focus and actively search for evidence of love in our lives. When we ask "how am I loved?" our hearts and minds begin to search for memories and experiences that demonstrate the ways in which we are loved. This is powerful, because the heart is actually beginning to prove to itself why we are loved. This can often lead to instantaneous transformation. Sometimes, but now always.
This can include memories of times when we felt loved and valued by others, or even small acts of kindness that have been shown to us. By focusing on these specific instances of love, we can begin to build a more accurate and positive understanding of how we are loved. This can instantly change the way we think in our hearts, and that is invigorating. If not, then we need to saturate ourselves in the truth (more on that later).
By actively searching for evidence of love in our lives, we can also begin to challenge any negative or limiting beliefs about ourselves and others. This process may require patience and self-compassion as it may take time to change an internal monologue that has been reinforced for a long time.
Saturate Your Heart in What is Possible
When we are communicating with our hearts and trying to get our hearts on board with what we know is correct in our conscious mind we may find some prolonged resistance. The monologue in our heart comes from years or even decades of having certain thought patterns. We may rehearse what our parents or teachers said to us over and over and over. When we read scripture we can consciously acknowledge that scripture is the word of God. Even so, our hearts may throw up objections or disbelief. We should operate from the stance that what God says is correct and what our heart says is in error.
Often, the heart will be stubborn and want to continue to be in that negative pattern that is contrary to scripture. What I like to do then is to saturate myself in the possibility. I'll watch YouTube videos of people that have overcome this problem. I will rehearse scriptures over and over until my mind is renewed and then eventually my heart is renewed. In other words I'm hiding the word of God in my heart so that I do not sin against Him. If that internal monologue in our hearts is contrary to scripture wouldn't that be considered sin?
So, if you find objections coming up from your heart that are contrary to what your conscious mind knows to be right, make a game plan to saturate yourself in the possibilities of it being true. Watch YouTube videos of people that have been victorious in that area. Make a scripture list to rehearse and hide the truth of the word of God in your heart. Subscribe to the right podcasts like ‘Coffee with Conrad’ on conradrocks.net Read some books and highlight the passages that speak to you about the situation.
Sometimes when we simply ask our hearts "how am i ABC" we may be surprised at how quickly it does a search and finds confirmation. In that case our minds and hearts can be changed instantaneously. I have experienced this a few times. But then there are times when we need to dedicate some significant time to changing our hearts to align with God.
If this has touched you, please share this post with friends and family. Maybe consider bookmarking it to come back for a refresher.
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