A heart that is right before the Lord

Psalm 51:10 (KJV): Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

The word 'heart' here in Hebrew is 'leb', which simply means 'the centre of everything'. The Bible says each of us is "a spirit being that lives in a body and has a soul" (see 1 Thessalonians 5:23). In other words, you are made up of "spirit, soul, body", but 'the centre of everything is the spirit (or the heart)', and out of it springs forth every issue of life (Proverbs 4:23). 

As a matter of fact, everything that happens (in and around you) more often than not begins from the heart. When the heart is right, everything will be alright. On the other hand, when the heart is not right, everything (in and around you) will start to deteriorate. And that's exactly why it is so important to keep a heart that is right before the Lord!

People of God, this is a month to make your heart right before the Lord, and allow Him to turn your heart the way He turns a river. Proverbs 21:1-2 says, 'The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts'. 

I heard and released these words from the Lord last Sunday:

"This is a time to make right your heart, for I am looking into the heart and every intention of the heart. Allow Me to clear every issue of your heart and create in you a clean heart. What it takes is a heart that is willing. For I am preparing you for My manifestations."

You see, the Lord has in mind to manifest Himself in very real and practical ways. I believe this second half of the year 2015 is as such - a time when God's people shall see the manifestations of God's Spirit and power in very real and practical ways! There is a time for His visitations (and He will still be), but there is also a time for His manifestations. 

Let's go all the way to Genesis 14:18-23 now. Here, you see how Abram's heart was aligned to God, and not to man's hands. The Scripture reads, 'Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him (Abram) and said: "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he (Abram) gave him a tithe of all'.

The name 'Melchizedek' comes from two Hebrew words, namely 'malkiy' (which means 'king') and 'tsedeq' (which means 'right, righteous, clear, clean'). So, 'Melchizedek' means 'the King who is right, righteous, clear and clean', a 'picture' of Jesus Christ our Lord, whose body was broken and whose blood was shed for us on the cross! 'Bread' here in Genesis 14:18 speaks of 'His body', whereas 'wine' here speaks of 'His blood'. 

And watch now Abram's response: 'And he (Abram) gave a tithe of all'. 

Some of you may be asking, "But what does 'giving of tithe' have to do with a right heart?" 

It has everything to do with the heart! Because 'giving of tithe' is a form of worship and alignment to God! Jesus Himself said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). In other words, to give tithe to the Lord is to proclaim that He is your Treasure, your unending Source, and your unlimited Supply! And every time you give a tithe to the Lord, you are reminding yourself that He is alive, and that He is the Possessor of heaven and earth, the 'Blessor' of your life! And it is He whom you are aligning to! 

Have you noticed what comes right after Abram's heart was aligned to God? In Genesis 15:1, the word of the Lord came to him in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." The word 'shield' here speaks of 'the Lord being your protector and defense', whereas the word 'reward' here symbolizes 'the Lord who is your (exceedingly great) supply and salary'. 

You see, when your heart is right (before the Lord), you need not fear! In fact, there's absolutely no reason to fear, no matter what happens around you in this world! Simply because you have  'aligned' yourself to the Lord God who is very much alive today, the Possessor of heaven and earth, and not to any dead 'god' (as what is dead cannot give anything good to you or bless you). Genesis 15:6 later says, 'And he (Abram) believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness'.

Back to Psalm 51:10 where we first started in this article. David penned this whole Psalm 51 with a heart of returning and repentance, after the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to rebuke and correct him (read the background in 2 Samuel chapters 11 & 12). Indeed, whom the Lord loves, He will also rebuke and chasten (Hebrews 12:6, Revelation 3:19). 'To chasten' here in Greek is the word 'paideuo', which means 'to train up (or discipline) a child by educating them'. Therefore, never despise such 'chastening' of your Father in heaven, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him (Hebrews 12:5), because when He does this, it is because He loves you, and He has greater things in mind for you.

What is 'a heart that is right before the Lord'?

- A heart that is humble (willing to admit mistakes) before the Lord;

- A heart that fears (trembles before) the Lord;

- A heart that is yielded (surrendered) to the Lord;

- A heart that takes rebuke (and correction) from the Lord;

- A heart that is willing to be trained (and taught) by the Lord.

Beloved of God, know the heart of God for you, that He loves you. Whatever mistake (or mistakes) you have made in your life, surrender all these to the Lord and learn to forgive yourself. His grace is sufficient for you to start anew, and He will help you. He is also here to restore you the way He did for David, if your heart is turned to Him today. Amen.

A time to protect your mind!

Colossians 3:1-2 (NKJV): If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

Recently, somebody asked me how to be set free from a distracted or wandering mind, and the answer I gave was Colossians 3:1-2. You see, a person may be declaring God's Word over and over again, but if done 'mechanically' or as a 'chore', his (or her) mind can still be wandering miles away! So, it is more than just declaring or confessing God's Word aloud, but to set one's mind (in KJV, 'mind' here is translated 'affection') on what God says in the Word!

By the way, the word 'set' here is 'phroneo' in Greek, which means 'to interest oneself in, to entertain, to set the affection on'. In other words, the apostle Paul wrote that we are to 'interest ourselves in' or 'set our affection' on things above, i.e. Him and His Word, His glory, His power, His goodness, His love, and His grace (supply, ability), instead of 'the things on the earth', or worse still, the things of the 'enemy'!

During a time of worship and prayer the other day, God spoke these words:
"Let not your mind wander away from Me! Let it not be distracted by the enemy! Let it not be distracted by what the enemy says! Let it not be distracted by whatever the enemy throws against you - the sickness, the lack, the problem! But let it be set on Me! Focus on your own 'Bread', and not the enemy's 'bread'!"

People of God, there's an intense 'battle' in the spiritual realm over the area of the 'mind' at the moment. This is a time to 'watch and pray', just as Jesus had said in Mark 14:38. Never get distracted by whatever the 'enemy' has to hurl at you! Instead, focus on your own 'Bread', the Word of God, no matter what! If you begin to focus on (or 'entertain') whatever the 'enemy' says (instead of what God says), he's got you! The Bible says to 'be sober, be vigilant (watchful); because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour' (1 Peter 5:8).

I'm writing about protecting your mind here, and let me tell you that Psalm 91 isn't just a psalm about physical protection, but it also includes secrets to the protection of your mind! The key in this psalm is actually found in the very first verse that says, 'He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty'. If you have the revelation and understanding of this first verse, you'll have no problem believing for the rest of the promises of God's protection in this psalm!

Many people don't know two of God's names are actually written in the first verse of Psalm 91:
God Most High (El Elyon); and
God Almighty (El Shaddai).

Set your mind on God Most High (El Elyon):
The expression 'Most High' here is 'Elyown' in Hebrew, which literally means 'Elevated, Supreme, Upper, Lofty', and the first time 'El Elyon' is mentioned in the Bible is in Genesis 14:18-20 that says, 'Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High (El Elyon). And he (Melchizedek) blessed Abram and said: "Blessed be Abram of God Most High (El Elyon), Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High (El Elyon), who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And Abram gave him (Melchizedek) a tithe of all'.

'Melchizedek' comes from two Hebrew words - 'Malkiy' which means 'king', and 'Tsedeq' which means 'righteous, prosperity'. In other words, 'Melchizedek' means 'king of righteousness' or 'king of prosperity'. He is a 'picture' of Jesus Himself, whilst 'Abram' is a 'picture' of you and me. See the word 'blessed' here? 'Melchizedek' was there for this one sole purpose - to bless Abram! Today, know that Jesus (who is the king of righteousness and the king of prosperity) is here to bless you too! Galatians 3:13-14 says, 'Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith'.

So, people of God, with the revelation and understanding above, you can protect your mind (from the trickery of the 'enemy') by immersing your mind on the truth that you are blessed of the Most High God, made righteous through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21), and not just that, He is also here to prosper you! (3 John 2)

Abram then gave Melchizedek 'a tithe of all'. You see, Abram knew that he was blessed, therefore he gave. Today, in the New Covenant, it is the same with your giving to the Lord. Giving tithe is not a donation or a casual giving. And you give to the Lord not because you fear He'll curse you for not giving. Jesus has already carried all the curse! (see Galatians 3:13-14 again) But you give to the king of prosperity, the El Elyon (Possessor of heaven and earth) with the revelation and understanding that this king of prosperity wants to bless you even more (through your giving to Him)! Notice that's how Abram began to prosper from then on! (see Genesis 15:1, Genesis 15:5)

Set your mind on God Almighty (El Shaddai):
The word 'Almighty' here is 'Shadday' in Hebrew, from the word 'shadad', meaning 'to be burly (i.e. strong), powerful, impregnable (i.e. cannot be overcome, cannot be broken down)'. Indeed, He is a God who cannot be overcome and cannot be broken down! And Psalm 91:1 says you 'abide (remain, stay, be permanent) under the shadow of this Almighty ('Shadday')'! No wonder later on, the psalmist wrote, 'A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it (i.e. the work or trickery of the 'enemy') shall not come near you'! (see Psalm 91:7)

Not only is He the Almighty, He is also your All-Sufficient God! This word 'Shadday' is from the root word 'Shad' in Hebrew, which actually means 'breast of woman or animal that provides milk for the young'. You see, He is a God who meets more than enough for you, like the breast of the mother who provides milk for the young; all-sufficient, enough, and the young has no need for other food!

And very interestingly, the first time this name El Shaddai is mentioned in the Bible can be found in Genesis 17:1-2 that says, 'When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty God (El Shaddai); walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly."' What a promise! Yet at that very juncture, Abram didn't even have a son born by his own wife! And he was already ninety-nine years old by then, and his wife eighty-nine years old, way beyond the age to conceive!

But God! And because He is the El Shaddai (the All-Sufficient God, the One who meets more than enough), God then said to Abram, "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations." (Genesis 17:4-5) He then said further, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her." (Genesis 17:15-16)

God continued, "(Not anyone else) But Sarah your wife shall bear you (Abraham) a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him... My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you (Abraham) at this set time next year' (Genesis 17:19, Genesis 17:21). And the set time indeed came to pass.

People of God, whatever situation you may be faced with at the moment, the El Shaddai who covers you under His shadow (Psalm 91:1) is saying the same to you, just as He has said to Abraham, "Is anything too hard for Me?" (Genesis 18:13-14) Therefore, immerse your mind on this truth that 'under the shadow of God Almighty (El Shaddai)', there's really nothing too hard for Him in your situation as well! And of course, 1 John 4:4 says, 'You are of God, little children, and have overcome them (i.e. the work and trickery of the 'enemy'), because He (the Almighty, cannot be overcome and cannot be broken down) who is in you is greater than he who is in the world'. Amen!

The Bible says, 'He (the Most High, the Almighty) is the same yesterday, today, and forever' (Hebrews 13:8). And just as He had done for Abraham those days, God (the Most High, the Almighty) is here to do the same for you today! Be blessed as you immerse and set your mind on your El Elyon and El Shaddai, and you can be sure whatever work of the 'enemy' (that tries to come against you) cannot touch you. In Jesus' name. Amen!