The Need of the Human Heart

I have been around (In ministries, in tent meetings, in homes, in prayers, in tears) everyone from Native Americans to Amish people (who although their clothes and “worship” styles are totally different actually have a lot in common), and the most obvious similarity between these peoples and all people really, is that of the human condition: the need of that hole in the heart, that was put there during the fall to be filled with Christ!

NO, you probably won’t get too far if you put on feathers and try to talk to Amish people; but if you are a true person of caring, if you have a heart full of the love of Christ for people- they know, it emanates from you, at least it should even as a spring of living water from your very bowels.

Those whose hearts are broken by this worlds ways of sin and corruption do not need more of the worlds ways- they need a heart full of love, of truth, of the compassion of Christ who looking at the crowds of people became overwhelmed by their condition of “being scattered and without a shepherd”.

Those who would endeavor to reach out to the lost have a high calling, not one to be taken lightly, and are not we all as Christians called to be ambassadors - even “as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”

I heard a story once about one of the only reservation churches and towns in Oklahoma that remained true and Christian: There was a young couple endeavoring to minister to the Native Americans in this place and they would not have anything to do with them until one day and one of the Indian ladies heard the young woman praying, crying and beseeching God on the behalf of her neighbors the Indians and it so moved her heart that she attended their church- she and several others and became Christians and soon the whole small town there was converted….. She did not have to be like one of them….(and God help us if we simply try to make them like us!)… but she HAD to have a TRUE heart, a BROKEN heart, and OPEN heart for those she was called to minister to.

I’ve personally known many young teen aged women from “Evangelical Mainstream Churches” whose lives were a mess, and no amount of music could change their lives, no superstars could touch their hearts which had been scarred and bruised by this present condition of disregard- ONLY CHRIST CAN TOUCH THE BROKEN SCRAMBLED EGG AND MAKE IT WHOLE AGAIN!!! I prayed with them, cried many tears with them, and though I am not much like them they always came to me…….they took some hope that someone truly cared for them…… BUT alas, this modern day “food- spiritual food” tends to make sick bodies, and you can only eat marsh mellows for your food source for so long till you no longer have the strength to stand…….

Yet we are not to be ignorant of the devil’s scheming plans, his desire to cause spot and blemish upon the children of God, to cause them to be an offense to God, a stumbling block to one another, to cause them to be blinded by deception, desire,…… by falsehood.

I tend to consider that not only the “charismatic”and the farther out in the left music are those who alone can hold falsehood/hypocrisy in their hearts and are guilty of false worship .. I have been to many churches where attendees sing “All for Jesus I Surrender” and it is no more a part of their lives than anything, it is mere words spoken (as evidenced by their powerless, lukewarm, compromised lives). Yet it reminds me regarding the story of Nehemiah, the issue of a priest who having the responsibility of keeping a storehouse full “of grain offerings, frankincense and articles and tithes of grain, the new wine and oil…” (Neh. 13:5-9), he had an alliance with the enemy of God “Tobiah” and gave him this room to live in while Nehemiah was gone! The response of the man of God is similar:
And it grieved me bitterly; therefore I threw all the household goods of Tobiah out of the room. Then I commanded them to cleanse the rooms; and I brought back into them the articles of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.” Neh 13:8,9

We had a prayer meeting for 5 years in this one place (where between 2 and 10 people showed up out of a congregation of 300) and we ALL prayed fervently!!! And for many years I prayed, and still do, that the young people would find a fire that would burn up every bit of the religious dross that hangs around! Not the fire they try to feed you, this strange fire, but a TRUE, RIGHTEOUS, HOLY fire; one that DOES something more than “play the flute and wonder why they don’t come dance with you, or sing a dirge and wonder why they don’t sorrow with you”…. but one that will tear down these walls of generational “categories”!

Sure, go to the homeless children living in utter hopelessness, drugs and emptiness that tries to consume their very lives!!!!

BUT ALSO GO... to the senior citizen homes and WASH THEIR FEET, sing them some songs, show them love and concern, pray for them….. Visit the widows and orphans, help the folks who have no one to take care of their children and struggle!

Feed the hungry and quit spending foolishly and selfishly and help find covering for the naked! What a shame when a missionary sent to the entire continents of ASIA go to share thier ministries hoping for help and are broken hearted that the church spends more on the meal that they fed him than the offering that they gave him. (This goes for us ALL, I just pray that the younger generation will become the leaders of the movement for the REALITY of the gospel- not in word only- but in POWER and demonstration of the Holy Spirit!!!)

The devil has conveniently caused people who call themselves Christians and who attend churches to focus on things that are foolish and childish; on things that are “earthy and sensual” and NOT on those things that are from above, where Christ dwells at the right hand of God!

OH YOUNG PEOPLE!!!…… PLEASE DO NOT BE AFRAID OF ALLOWING THE SEPERATION OF BONE AND MARROW- THAT WHICH DISCERNS THOUGHTS AND INTENTS- THAT WHICH CHALLENGES WHAT WE AS “AMERICANS” CONSIDER AS “NORMAL” OR GOOD OR PROFITABLE!!!

I wonder how long have we been formed, conditioned and charmed by all of the media that we have both witnessed and been a part of in our life?

Do you suppose that those things that we have counted as “normal” are truly normal or are they rather formed opinions, formed by what we “think”, by what we see with our eyes, and by what we have heard for the most part of all of our lives.

OH, that my head were a fountain of waters.....

Dear Sister,

Your post is a thing of beauty. Bless your heart!

In His Love,

Doug

Good word. Thankyou for sharing.

I have to say now we are getting somewhere. These very things have been in my heart for a long time. Finally on this site i am seeing some kindred spirits. How good that is.

Thank you for sharing, you are not alone.

"For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Lodicea,
and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh,
that their heartss may be encouraged, being knit together in love,
and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding,
to the knowledge of the mystery of God both of the Father
and of Christ,
in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words.
For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you i spirit,
rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.
As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught,
abounding in it with thanksgiving.
Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empy deceit,
according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
and you are complete in Him who is the head of all principility and power.
Colossians 2:1-9

So often we read the Scriptures too fast, and neglect to ponder over their beauty. How heart breaking that Paul longed to see the Laodecians face to face, to know of their true spiritual condition, to be able to look them in the eye and express to them the reality of the hope of the gospel which has such an effect on those who are in a desperate condition.

But I wonder, how easily are we as humans caught up in "empty deceit", or "basic principles of the world and not according to Christ"?

I know that folks who attend church don't want to BE unacceptable to God (at least they don't want to go to hell and they want the glory of heaven); but do WE ALL WANT TO BE PLEASING TO HIM? TO NOT DO THINGS ACCORDING TO OUR OWN DESIRES, OUR OWN THOUGHTS.....

Once someone asked Kieth Daniel about a certain belief concerning covering and he said this: "Brother if God wanted me to have 25 buttons I'd put on 50, just to make sure I was doing His will!"

May we all have that kind of heart...... whatever it takes to do HIS WILL........

Thank you for your time

So many know the Bible by heart, so few know the heart of the Bible.

That touched my heart sweet Sister. Where are the burdens and tears for others? Has the Church forgotten that to whom much has been given much will be required? Let us all be willing instruments fit for His use.

Blessings

Has the Church forgotten that to whom much has been given much will be required?

I have often wondered and asked myself that question...... Sometimes I feel that as a human the first answer is YES, sometimes I feel like some do not know what they have in the first place... perhaps because they are not truly born again?....perhaps because they have remained as babes?.......perhaps because they have been deceived......

Whatever the reason, whatever the cause, I do know this: that those who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ have in their hearts a burning fire of the Holy Spirit and if they become sidetracked by the things of this world God will bring them back- weather by correction of some sort or by simply sorrow of heart over sin....but those who DO NOT have this thing in their hearts that would cause them to question themselves over how they would question God...I fear for them. And may God have mercy on us all in this time! We have been given so much that we often take it for granted, forgetting what BLESSINGS have been LAVISHED on us!

I do not want to be one who "lived sumptuously(sp?) everyday" while the poor man on the street (whatever street that is wherever in the world) dies without anyone caring!!!!!

I may not be able to BE everywhere, and DO all things, and SEE all that there is to see and KNOW everyone's heart....BUT I KNOW SOMEONE WHO DOES!!!!!!! And when we pray earnestly concerning the things that GOD is earnest about HE who KNOWS EVERYTHING, AND IS EVERYWHERE, AND CAN DO ALL THINGS ABOVE ALL THAT I CAN ASK OR THINK responds.

FOR YEARS I have prayed, Lord where hearts are breaking plant a Christian, one who will hear YOUR voice; where there are children who are hurting, plant a Christian who will see their sorrows-their heart rending sorrows- and be an intecessor for them weather in physical things or prayers or a hug or a protection or provider..Whose hearts DO NOT break when they hear of THOUSANDS of CHILDREN on the streets in South America that live and die EVERYDAY, children as young as 2 who live in subways and underground hovels adn learn to sniff glue to ease the hunger pangs and steal from tourists to live, and many times get mowed down by "policemen"? or those in Africa, or India or anywhere else in the world, where people practice that which GOD HATES- they who lie in wait to shed innocent blood?

How tragic is it to see beautiful young men and women who have so much life they could have lived, have their lives ruined by such utter foolishness as these things in this world that are intended for their destruction by the enemy of our souls?

I AGREE SISTER, I pray that we will not forget ONE LITTLE thing that has been afforded us the the MOST HIGH GOD! DO NOT FORGET ONE DROP of the Saviours blood that was shed for the whole of mankind! In Jesus name DO NOT FORGET the souls around this world that die daily heading for a Christless eternity!! DO NOT FORGET each and every breath that we have been given to breath that where ever we are what ever we are doing we would GIVE GLORY to GOD and PRAISE and THANKSGIVING!!!! ALWAYS!!

I stand in the gap with you sister Lor-E. There are not enough good old fashioned prayer warriors nowadays.

Dear Brother,
May God open every door to you!

One prayer my husband has prayed for years which is a blessing: (I'm not sure of it's source..)

Oh God, take me anywhere but go with me,
lay any burden on me but carry me in the load,
break every tie except those that bind me to You.