What In The "World" Did He Mean?

     Forgive me, but today I have my hermeneutical hat on and I'm digging for treasure. In this day of "political correctness" and watching what we say so that we're not misinterpreted, I am often perplexed by our English language. This becomes an issue when reading our Bibles and trying to understand what Scripture is actually saying; especially when there are multiple Hebrew or Greek words used for our one English expression. For example, even the word "Word" has more than one meaning in the Bible, and the distinction is substantial. There is the rhema word; an inspired thought or creative idea from God, conceived in your spirit, but birthed into your natural understanding by divine illumination. You just know that your understanding has been revealed by the Holy Spirit! The logos word is the revealing and understanding that Jesus Christ is God; having been both presented to man and known by man.
      But the word I'm interested in today is the word "world" as it was used by Jesus. If you asked any person on the street in America, whether a Believer or not, what that word means, you would probably get a simple one word definition: earth. But in the four Gospels, Jesus uttered "world" 91 times, and there were three meanings attached to the one English word "world". According to Strong's Concordance, He used the Greek word kosmos 78 times, the Greek word aion 12 times, and the Greek word oikoumene only once.
     I want to make it clear that I believe and understand that all the words in the Bible are God-inspired and important, and I am not attempting to divide the word according to black or red letters. But in this day and age when our physical world is shrinking, and our words seem to have a greater consequence than ever, I wanted to examine some of the most important words spoken to us by Jesus and see if how He used the word "world" might impact us.

     I will begin by telling you that in the Hebrew text of the Old Testament the word used almost exclusively for "world" was tebel, meaning "the earth, (as moist and therefore inhabited)", but also having the connotation of "the solid material on which man dwells, and that was formed, founded, established, and disposed by God to inhabitants", as in "the land". That is probably the meaning we are most familiar with. Yet, Jesus didn't use that word.
     So with that Old Testament reference in mind, let's look at what Jesus said when He talked about the world and the implications for us. Since Jesus made it clear that the Parable of the Sower is the foundation for understanding all the other parables as well as the Kingdom of God, it is interesting to consider Matthew 13, verses 38 and 39. Here is how our most common English translations read, The field is the world [kosmos]; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world [aion]; and the reapers are the angels. 
     The first usage of the word "world" is the one He used the most -- the Greek word kosmos, and it means "the present condition of human affairs; mankind in opposition to God; and specifically not associated with the Ekklesia". The second usage is the Greek word aion, from which we get our English word eon, which means "age; an era; a period marked by spiritual or moral characteristics". 
     Can you see how applying the correct word [and its meaning] affects our understanding of the passage? Jesus is saying that as the Sower, He is spreading the seed of the Gospel of the Kingdom to mankind and it will affect the "condition of human affairs". The harvest is the period that is marked by the spiritual characteristics of those who "produced grain [from the good news of the Gospel of the kingdom], some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty". We must be able to "see" beyond the language barrier and understand that He's not talking about the physical earth or about the end of the world, but rather about mankind's need of a better government system.
     That's why He also uses kosmos in Mark 16:15, when after His resurrection He appears to the disciples in the Upper Room and tells them, As you go into all the world [kosmos], preach openly the wonderful news of the gospel [of the kingdom] to the entire human race! In other words, as you go into the present governing system of authority and control, and its powers of influence [which affect the condition of human affairs], tell them the wonderful news that there's a new government that has arrived! It is time to go back to the original government that God established in the Garden -- where there was endless provision [instead of man having to meet his needs by the sweat of his brow]; where man received instruction directly from God as he walked and talked with Him in the cool of the day [instead of being self-educated or deceived by the lies of the Enemy]; and where the rules of God were perfect for the welfare of man all his days [instead of man deciding for himself that he can be his own god and eat from today's defiled tree of knowledge of good and evil]. 
     The fall of man was the end of his rulership of the inhabited earth, which is the meaning [in Matthew 24:14] of the only time Jesus used the Greek word oikoumene in regards to "world": And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Here "world" does mean the inhabited earth. And Jesus makes the Father's goal in sending Him very clear: Jesus came to bring a government, and His assignment was to re-introduce God's ruling authority to the KOSMOS, those institutions in Satan's kingdom on earth who had governing authority, systems of control [in place], and which displayed powerful influence. 
     I'm sure you can think of ways that man needs a new form of government that effects our physical and spiritual well-being. Just consider the forms of government that man has devised on his own [with the help of the Enemy] ... the welfare system; the military/industrial complex; underfunded education systems; the Federal Reserve and the IRS. All that constitutes the devil's kingdom realm on earth. 
     When we receive Christ as our Savior, He tells us we are "born again". Then Jesus says that unless we are born again [saved], "we cannot see [perceive] the kingdom of God". Salvation is the first step to entering the kingdom of God. Once we take that first step, we are a citizen of Heaven [seated with Jesus in the heavenly realm] and we submit to that government. If something comes against us, our government in Heaven is activated! 
     You see, Jesus didn't come to fulfill the Abrahamic covenant in an attempt to get Israel back in possession of tebel [the Hebrew word for "the land"]. He came to restore the Adamic covenant, because the KOSMOS [government of human affairs] belongs to Jesus! He came to give us a new government from a divine Kingdom. Right now, we are citizens of two different kingdoms -- Heaven and Earth. He told us how to pray ... to make the kingdom here on earth resemble the one in Heaven. We are to be fighting against Satan's kingdom with YHWH's kingdom. We need to act as citizens of God's kingdom by living our lives as His ruling authority on earth, thereby effecting the human condition in all spheres of existence. We are not just citizens of this planet. We have a higher identity. We are citizens of the KOSMOS! When we practice living by the principles of the Kosmos, we live in the power of the Kingdom. We must stay positioned in that role if we are going to see our families, communities, and nation transformed!

John 3:17   God did not send His Son into the world to judge and condemn the world, but to be its Savior and rescue it [so that they should live by His hand of power]! 

     
 

When the Idolatry of Religion Meets the Kingdom of God

     Continuing with the subject of the Kingdom of God, it is the desire of my heart that Christians seek it first, as Jesus instructs us in Matthew 6:33. But, in the Bible, we are also told to seek Him with our whole heart [in Psalm 119:2 and Jeremiah 29:13]. So, I hope to show you that our heart is not only important in establishing our faith and relationship with God and Jesus, but it is important in the matter of receiving the Kingdom of God.
     In the Old Testament, the hearts of the Israelites were often in conflict; their hearts being divided between idolatry and their allegiance to YHWH. [For the sake of this article, I will define idolatry as anything that we build an altar to in our heart, or that sits on the throne of our heart.] And through careful study, it has become clear to me that God will speak to us according to what sits on that throne.
     Just take a look at what God says to the idolatrous elders of Israel [through the prophet Ezekiel]: "these men have set up [and honored] their idols in their hearts and have put right before their faces the [vile] stumbling block of their wickedness and guilt; should I [permit Myself to] be consulted by them at all? Therefore speak to them and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Any man of the house of Israel who takes his idols [of rebellion] into his heart, and puts the [vile] stumbling block of his wickedness and guilt [images of silver and gold] before his face, and yet comes to the prophet [to ask of him], I the Lord will answer him, [but I will answer him] in accordance with the number of his idols in order that I may take hold of the heart (mind) of the house of Israel who are all estranged from Me because of their idols" (Ezekiel 14:3-5). 

     It is clear to me that God may not always speak His Truth to us, if our hearts aren't right with Him, but will speak according to what we are idolizing in our heart. Therefore, we have a responsibility to safeguard our hearts from any form of idolatry. Furthermore, God warns against receiving a false prophetic word in verses 9-11: "But if the prophet [who speaks without My authority] is enticed to speak a word [of his own], it is I the Lord who have caused that prophet [to speak falsely to please the inquirer, thus allowing himself to be a party to the inquirer’s sin], and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel.  They [both] will bear the punishment of their wickedness; the sin of the [counterfeit] prophet will be the same as the sin of the [hypocritical] inquirer,  so that the house of Israel may no longer drift away from Me and no longer defile themselves with all their transgressions, but they will be My people, and I will be their God,”’ says the Lord God.” [NOTE: I hope it is clear to you that it is always God's desire that people recognize their sin, and return to Him].
     Further evidence that God will speak according to what sits on the throne of our heart is found in 1 Kings 22. This is the account of King Ahab and the false prophets. Ahab's heart had turned from God to wickedness and he idolized all that his status as king had provided him. When he seeks an answer from his prophets as to whether he should go to battle against the Syrians, God gives permission to a lying spirit to speak to the prophets of Jezebel to deceive Ahab because God knows the king will receive their prophecy according to the idolatrous state of his heart. 
     Just as Ahab found out, because God has given free will to mankind, there are consequences to having an idolatrous heart! And those consequences don't apply just in the Old Testament. We New Testament Believers are just as susceptible to idolatry [in our hearts] and its consequences. If our hearts aren't right with God, the word we think we are receiving may not be right, either. It is imperative that our hearts be pure and that we submit to the righteous Word of God, and then we will hear and receive His truth! 
     In addition, it is vitally important that we guard our hearts against all idolatry, because Proverbs 4:23 tells us everything we do flows from it. And sometimes I think we Christians get careless about idolatry in our hearts. We tend to think it is the obvious things of the world, like wealth or power or material things that can become idols in our heart. We think as long as we are Saved, there is no one but Jesus that occupies the throne of our heart. 
     But Jesus came preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, not just the Gospel of Salvation. He says that is why He was sent (Luke 4:43). And that Good News of the Kingdom of God didn't sit very well with the religious leaders of Israel, the very people He came to deliver. Why? Because Religion always responds according to the idolatry of the heart. Even today, in the 21st Century, try to speak to some Christians about the rule and reign of God's Kingdom government on earth, and what it looks like, and you will meet the same kind of opposition Jesus did. 
     Religion idolizes its own traditions, rituals, denominational teachings, movements, and self-righteousness. They can all influence our heart. Kingdom is what Jesus did... setting people free; impacting everything and everyone on earth with the power and authority and love of God until it becomes "as it is in heaven". Just because we know the grace of God in our salvation, it does not mean our hearts are pure and free of idolatry. It does not mean that we have received the Gospel of the Kingdom that Jesus stressed throughout His ministry, nor that He alone sits on the throne of our heart.
       The New Testament tells us in Ephesians 3:14-19, that through the power of the Holy Spirit in us, Christ can dwell in your heart. Furthermore, as the Word, Jesus is living and active, discerning the thoughts and intentions of our heart (Hebrews 4:12). Other translations say He "exposes and judges the very intentions and thoughts of our heart", or that He "interprets and reveals the true thoughts and secret motives of our hearts". In other words the hidden aspects of our hearts are known by Him and any idolatry is uncovered.
      We can see a picture of this concept in Jesus's exchange with Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin, the council of religious rulers in Israel.  In John 2:23-3:5, Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night. He has seen the signs of the Kingdom of God that Jesus has performed, but his religious heart is still skeptical. But notice what Scripture says just before Nicodemus speaks. ... Many people identified with Jesus because they had seen the miracles, but Jesus didn't trust them because He knew how fickle human hearts can be, and because He knew what was in each man's heart -- exactly what Hebrews 4:12 says.
     But also notice this ... when Nicodemus says to Jesus, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with Him", Scripture says, "Jesus answered him, 'I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.'" Wait a minute! Nicodemus didn't ask a question, yet Jesus answered him according to what was in his heart and what he needed!
     You see, Nicodemus is seeking truth but he is still steeped in religion as a member of the Sanhedrin, so he doesn't even know what to ask. The same holds true today -- Religion doesn't know the question nor the answer! But Jesus answers Nicodemus according to what Nicodemus needs -- the Kingdom Gospel! And the Kingdom will always answer the questions of your heart according to your need and not your idolatry. 
     Think about it -- Jesus never offered a Sinner's prayer to anyone -- that's Religion! He offered all who came to Him what they needed ... physical healing, spiritual healing through casting out of demons, and the hope of transformation and rebirth into a heavenly system; not a man-made system of religion. And it's important that we recognize that Jesus did not pray, heal, or cast out demons for everyone -- He knew who wanted Kingdom because He could discern the state of their heart and the presence of idolatry, if it was there. 
     Jesus's ministry of the Kingdom on earth began as a small mustard seed in the backwaters of the Roman Empire, but it was planned and designed [from Heaven] to expand across the earth. And whether a person's heart is free of the idolatry of wealth, status, power -- and yes, even religion -- and is ready to receive the Kingdom is exemplified in the Parable of the Sower ... "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart". 
     I can tell you that I have often seen this in my ministry. I have to be careful to discern who really wants Kingdom and who wants Religion, because the Kingdom message does not mix with any other belief system, nor will it compromise.  Those who try to divide the throne of their heart between Kingdom and Religion will find themselves indecisive, unstable in their thoughts, and wavering between different opinions and actions. To truly experience the Kingdom of God that Jesus came to establish, the Kingdom must occupy the throne of one's heart, along with one possessing a desire to align one's life with the government of God on earth -- a Kingdom where there is no sickness and no poverty; where one is ready to consider God's perspective in all we say and do; to "Kingdom-ize" everything!!!
     So, I did not write this post to condemn anyone or to question anyone's faith. My only objective was to point out that the Word of God shows us the dangers of idolatry in our heart, and how it can distort our own discernment. And as the parable of the Sower indicates ... if, as followers of Christ, we are not preaching "the word of the Kingdom", we are not providing good seed to be sown in the hearts of men. It's one thing to not understand it; it's another to never have heard it. May we all purge our hearts of idolatry of every kind and share what Jesus preached -- the Gospel of the Kingdom!

Luke 9:2    "And He sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal."

Our Sanctified Imaginations

     Whenever Mark and I receive one of God's Beloveds into our home to participate with Jesus and the Holy Spirit in an Inner Healing session, one of the most important factors in the success of that session is the Beloved's theology. What does he or she understand about God? Since there are always underlying experiences in a person's life that have led to spiritual pain and wounds, it is paramount that we all comprehend the "spiritual mechanics" by which both the Most High God and our Adversary operate.
     Most of us are familiar with Paul's exhortation in Ephesians 6 to "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil... and in all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one." And just what are those flaming darts? How do they affect us, and how do we extinguish them?
     I want to start off by saying that I am not alone in contending that our minds are a battleground. In fact, many books by prominent Christians have been written on the subject. And how many of us can identify with this statement: I know that I have fears concerning _____, and whenever a thought about it pops into my head, I am soon imagining all kinds of bad things happening, before it even starts!"  That's how a fiery dart works. And it can serve to keep you in bondage to fear, guilt, shame, anger, self-rejection or any other of the many accusations the Enemy lodges against you.

     So, here's what perplexes me -- why do so many Christians let the devil use their imaginations against them, yet refuse to engage their imaginations with Jesus and the Holy Spirit to get set free? Just because Satan uses our imaginations for evil doesn't mean that God can't use them for our good! Don't the words of Joseph to his brothers in Egypt apply here -- "what you meant for evil against me, God meant for good"?
     I wholeheartedly agree with Walter Brueggemann, who is an Old Testament scholar and theologian who is widely considered one of the most influential Old Testament scholars of the last several decades. He wrote: “The key pathology of our time, which seduces us all, is the reduction of the imagination, so that we are too numbed, satiated, and co-opted to do serious imaginative work.” We are told that we can't trust our imaginations; that we open ourselves to deception when we use our imaginations. "Guided Imagery" has become the catchphrase of those Christians who think employing our imaginations in spiritual matters is a slippery slope. NOTE: I will agree that man's human imagination is subject to being corrupted when not empowered by and engaged with the Holy Spirit. But that's not what I'm talking about here.
     So let me ask you this ... doesn't our imagination play a huge part in our relationship and revelation of God? Here's how I see it ... YHWH is a Creator God, and from His mind He created the universes and all that is in them, including us. We are made in His image. We resemble Him. We may not have His Divine mind, but we are a reflection of His mind/intellect and the freedom that accompanies it. That's why man can create things, too: art, music, and plays for instance. And why we can tell you the color of our spouse's eyes; visualize the snow-capped Rockie Mountains; and describe the brilliance of an ocean sunset -- when we are not in any of their presence!
     And you want to know why it is imperative that Christians use their imaginations? Because we worship "the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see" (1 Timothy 6:15-16). Can you honestly tell me that you have never used your imagination when worshiping or "thinking upon" Jesus? Even if you only picture a familiar rendition of what He looked like, you must use your imagination to see that image in your mind. 
     The dictionary defines the word imagination this way: the action of forming new ideas, or images or concepts of external objects not present to the senses. And this is exactly the purpose behind Jesus using parables to teach His disciples. He was challenging them to lead a new way of life by hearing His "story", thinking about it, and applying it. It is impossible to understand the Parable of the Sower without using your imagination to "see" the different types of ground and what happened to the planted seed in each of the scenarios, and what that might mean in your faith walk.
     And that is how your imagination can be used in receiving Inner Healing. When we ask Jesus and the Holy Spirit to be present, the Beloved can picture what was once a wounding experience and see it as a healing event when Jesus walks into that experience. We know that He was there ... He told us that He would never leave us nor forsake us. So by seeing the reality of that truth -- instead of the lie the Enemy has been telling you all these years -- God allowed it to happen; God didn't care about what you were going through; God abandoned you in that moment -- the Beloved can receive a new image of that experience in the Light of God's love. What Satan once used to keep the Beloved in bondage is now seen as an act of being set free! The devil can no longer torment the Beloved in that memory because the pain of that wound has been replaced by the presence of Jesus in the memory and then sealed with His blood. What was once an open, painful sore in the mind, heart and spirit is now a scar; and scars don't hurt.

     Is the imagination "guided" towards healing in this scenario? Often the healing is spontaneous and instantaneous. But if it is guided at all, it is guided by the Holy Spirit. I believe God has given us His gift of imagination, and I have been blessed to witness Him speaking into that gift through the Holy Spirit, who guides a Beloved to receive the healing that only Jesus can bring.
     In conclusion, I want to say this about using our imaginations to hear from God. One of the most beautiful and inspiring Psalms in the Bible is Psalm 23. Strictly speaking [and without using our imagination] we can say it is a poem about God caring for us the way a shepherd cares for his sheep. But I can, in no way, discern the immeasurable love and power of God in those six short verses without using my imagination. Yes, my spirit can recognize the truth of the words, but it is my God-given imagination that allows my human mind to picture the green pastures and still waters of His provision and peace; my God-given imagination that speaks to my human heart that I have nothing to fear -- not even Death; and it is my God-given imagination that extracts the truth my spirit already knows ... I have an eternal inheritance awaiting me. 
      So, I will end with this thought ... Yes, we can know about Christ and God and the Holy Spirit by sticking strictly to the written Word and understanding it with our logical and reasoning mind. But to know Them is a different story. Knowing about Them and knowing Them are too different things. And I believe that we were created to tap into the creativity of the Godhead by using our imagination, the gateway into Their Presence. It is my prayer that you will reflect upon God and His goodness towards us, being open to revelations that God wants to share with you. Ask Him to sanctify your mind unto His and to use your imagination to glorify Him in the world. You do not have because you do not ask. It's time to ask. 

 Philippians 4:7    "Then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ". [As translated from the Aramaic. The Greek is “guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.”]

An Invitation To Visit The Garden Of Your Heart

     If you have taken any serious amount of time to study the Bible, then you know how important our hearts are to God.  There are countless verses which tell us that the state of our heart is the key to our relationship with our Father in Heaven.  I would remind you of just a few of these verses, so we are clear that we must cultivate a heart for God...

Psalm 51:10  Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 

Psalm 9:1  I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. 

Matthew 5:8  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Psalm 19:14   May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Proverbs 4:23  Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

 Hebrews 4:12  For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Romans 10:10  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 

1 Thessalonians 2:4  But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.

     Are you getting the picture?  I could go on and on with Biblical references, but I wanted to make the point that we need to understand our hearts from a Kingdom perspective, not a carnal one.  We know that our physical hearts are made up of four chambers -- the right and left ventricles, and right and left atriums -- and we all learned in Science class how each chamber works in cooperation with the others to supply the body with oxygen and remove harmful carbon dioxide.  The miracle of this process speaks to the supernatural and intelligent mind of God, who created us.

     So, we know that the physical heart works in a designed method to keep our carnal bodies alive.  But it is the spiritual properties of our hearts that we need to understand in order for our hearts to beat in rhythm with the Lord's.  Remember, we are made in His image, so it is natural to think that He desires that our hearts resemble His so that we experience true intimacy with Him.
     And if you are able to see with spiritual eyes, you will discern that Jesus referred to our hearts in "gardening terms" ... the Parable of the Sower speaks of sowing seed, weeds that choke out the seed, and the bearing and yielding of fruit. In His teachings, Jesus also speaks of preparing the soil, sowing and reaping, watering, weeding, pruning and harvesting.  When the Word of God takes root in us, and His Spirit dwells within us, our hearts can produce beautiful “fruit” such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control -- all attributes of Believers who live from a Kingdom perspective.
    So, if, as Jeremiah says, our lives "will be like a watered garden" when they know the Lord, what does the garden of our spiritual heart look like?  Do we keep it cultivated and watered each day with the Presence of the Lord? Does our spiritual heart have four different chambers as well, from which the blood of Jesus flows in and out of?  Let's consider what the Word of God has to say about our spiritual hearts...
     Bryan Hodge has written a Scripturally-documented blog post on the chambers of our spiritual heart, and I would like to share some of his premises with you -- thoughts that coincide with what I am being shown through revelation from the Holy Spirit, and from other godly men and women who are seeking greater intimacy with God's heart.
      The Bible tells us that the spiritual heart thinks (Hebrews 4:12); meditates (Psalm 19:14); understands (Proverbs 2:1-2); and believes (Mark 11:23).  This chamber could be considered the "mind of our heart", or as Bryan Hodge calls it, "the Intellectual Chamber".  So what is the state of this chamber of your heart?  Are you mindful of God in your heart all the time?  Or do you need to purge some of the "sinful thoughts" that invade our hearts and result in unholy thoughts, practices and deeds?
     The second chamber of our spiritual heart speaks to its tenderness towards standards of right and wrong, or what we might call "the conscience of our heart".  Scripture tells us that our hearts can be "pricked" and "cut". Acts 2:37 says, Now when they heard this [the testimony of Jesus's sacrifice and resurrection] they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?  This speaks of people whose hearts are made tender to receive the message of the Kingdom.  But the Bible also tells us in 1 Timothy 4:1-2, Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith .... speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.  In this case, sin has hardened the spiritual heart and their consciences are no longer concerned or worried about the consequences of sin.  This is a heart with no conscience.
     The third chamber houses "the will" of the spiritual heart. This is a heart that seeks to do the will of God to advance the Kingdom on earth.  God's desire and will are the intentional objective of a heart that seeks after God's own heart.  It is the purpose of that heart to discover the will of God and to be obedient in all ways.
     The fourth, and last, chamber of the spiritual heart deals with "the emotions" of the heart. The Bible speaks of the "afflictions and anguish" of the heart (2 Corinthians 2:4); the "desires" of the heart (Romans 10:1); and the "love" of the heart, for others and for God (1 Peter 1:22, Mark 12:30). A person who desires to be intimate with God must have a heart able to exhibit emotion.
     So, it is vitally important that we all inspect our spiritual hearts and see if we are firing on all cylinders, so to speak.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus made it very clear ... Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. And I know that the modern Church interprets that as a prophecy for the future.  But I would like to submit to you that Jesus was seeking people who were willing to purify and cultivate and water and weed the gardens of their hearts so that they could see the Kingdom of God that very moment.  And He still desires it from us today!
    He tells us in John 3:3,  Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. That ability to see the Kingdom of God is available to us the moment we accept Him as our Savior and are born again into our true identities as spirit beings, created in the image of God.  That's why He continually says throughout Scripture, Though you have eyes, do you not see? And though you have ears, do you not hear and listen? Remember, Jesus lived His life on this earth as a human being; as a model of how we can live in relationship with our Father in Heaven.  He only did what He saw the Father doing, or what He heard the Father telling Him.  As a flesh-and-blood man, He was able "to see" God, because He had a pure heart.
     And let's not forget how He dressed down the Pharisees: But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. The religious leaders not only failed to teach that those who believed in YHWH could "see" into God's heavenly realm, but they prohibited those who were in the process of receiving that sight. They knew it was available  -- note that Jesus accused them of not entering, which implies that they knew they could -- but they did not encourage others to experience the Kingdom relationship that God desires.

    So, I know this is a rather big concept for our Western minds to grasp. We have a physical heart that God wants to transform into a spiritual heart; a heart that is like a garden -- a heart whose mind is always on God; a heart that is conscious of right and wrong; a heart whose will is intent on doing the will of God; and a heart that responds with genuine emotion toward the One who created it.  Above all else, the garden of our heart is a place we can water, tend to, and grow into a heart that bears much fruit for God's Kingdom.  What's more, with the mind that God has given us, we can "see" the spiritual garden that grows from a pure heart, and we can plant all the things we need to grow hearts that will harvest an intimate relationship with our Lord.  In the next post, I would like to introduce you to a way to experience your heart's garden with Jesus.  It will require you to "see" God and His Kingdom, both of which Jesus promises us is possible.  So get ready to tap into your spirit and watch your heart's garden grow!

2 Corinthians 3:18     "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit".

  

Jeremiah 7:2-4

Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house and proclaim there this word

 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah, who enter by these gates to worship the Lord!’ Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, 

“Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. 

Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, ‘This is the temple of the Lord, 

the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’

     I must admit something as I write this blog this morning ... first, that Jeremiah is my favorite prophet because he seems so human; I can identify with him and his impatience with the stiff-necked people of Judah.  Like Jeremiah, I often harbor harsh criticism for those who are willing to accept the blessings of God while rejecting Him.  At the same time, I am filled with sadness for the reality of where they will spend eternity if they do not set aside their pride and worldliness in favor of surrendering all to God. I struggle with whether it is okay for me to be offended on behalf of Jesus.  But then I look at Jeremiah, and see myself.  

     In fact, in Jeremiah 7:2-4, I am seeing a situation that is being played out far too often in the affluent communities of America.  I have personally witnessed it, so I do not speak out of turn or about something that I know nothing of.  But I am offended when I see the wealthy in upscale communities vociferously competing for coveted spots for their children in Christian private schools.  Often, the efforts to place their children in these exclusive schools begins while the child is still in the womb! And it is not the desire for a Christian education that offends me, but rather the disinterest in knowing the Person upon whom the education is based.

     These parents are far too willing to set themselves (and their children) above what they consider a substandard education in the public schools, but they are equally consistent in denying faith [or any kind of relationship] in Jesus; He Who is the very foundation of the education their children are receiving. 

     But not all the blame can be laid at the feet of these defiant and rebellious parents.  Shame on the Churches and the Church schools who accept students whose parents do not support the Gospel of the Kingdom!  Is it all about the money that the parents pay that supports the Church organization [or should I say business]? Why isn't the Church concerned that the home be [necessarily] a stronghold of Faith? Are these Churches aware of the Parable of the Sower and how the Word that was sown on stony hearts had no depth in which to nourish the seed, and it therefore did not take root?  Is it possible that this supposedly prized "Christian education" is more about the prestige and the status, than it is about Christ?

     I personally have heard Elitist unbelieving parents bragging about writing a letter of recommendation to help another unbelieving friend's child gain entrance into their prestigious private school.  And my spirit saw Christ's grief-stricken face as I fought to control my righteous indignation! Like Jeremiah, I wanted to shout for them to amend their blasphemous deeds and words.  I wanted them to know what an honor it was for their child to be taught the ways of Jesus, and I wanted them to truly know the Lord who died for them! 

     I wanted these parents to know what I think of those Church school officials who are so tolerant of disbelief [by accepting massive amounts of tuition money]. These parents are trusting in the [lying] words of those who tell them it is okay to continue to worship the gods of this world [money, status, privilege], and then give lip service to how wonderful it is their child is attending this Christian school. Their exclamations of "The School, the School, the School" is no different than the Jewish sinners shouting to God in His House, and  proclaiming "The temple, the Temple, the Temple".

     Like Jeremiah, I am truly weary of this self-centered, egotistic, superficial, and self-seeking generation!  Why is Jesus and the Cross so offensive to these people who have everything?  They have no financial worries, no needs of any kind. Perhaps it is because nothing says you are a sinner more than the Cross, and no one says you are in need of a Savior, more than Jesus. He is a mirror that reflects our pride, our idolatry, and the darkness of our souls. And while I know that my indignation reflects what angers God, Himself, I need to be careful that my anger does not cause me to sin. So, for now, I will continue to bite my tongue. But I will never stop proclaiming my faith in Jesus -- even when the looks of disgust surface, and the eyes roll, and the subject is quickly changed ... And I will pray for their children; that they might bear fruit from hearing the Word and lead their parents to the knowledge of Jesus; a knowledge in which all the riches of this world pale in comparison.

      

Luke 4:43

 But He said, “I must preach [the good news of] the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because I was sent for this purpose.”

Today's blog post is Part One of a two-part teaching my husband and I presented to our Home Church on "The Kingdom of God".  Part One is an overview of why we need to understand and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.  Tomorrow, I will present Part Two, which takes a look at what Jesus meant by "The mystery of the Kingdom".     

     I want to present an idea that is clearly explained in the Bible, yet we, as the Body of Christ, don't recognize it.  As elucidated in Luke 4:43, the purpose of Jesus's coming was to announce that the Kingdom of God would be established on earth.  Christians today, however, tend to focus on His message of Salvation, and we rarely proclaim what He taught about the Kingdom of God, or the Kingdom of Heaven, which are the same thing. Remember that in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”(Matthew 6:33).  Salvation was not his primary focus ... the Kingdom of God was.

     Jesus is teaching His disciples the importance of knowing what He meant by the Kingdom of God, and making sure they knew it was His purpose; why He was sent. And when Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God, He spoke in terms of a real government—a structured, organized entity with the very authority of God behind it. (Certain rulers who heard Christ's message recognized the political implications and viewed His words as a threat to their own power. This became a factor in Christ's eventual crucifixion).  

     But God is a God of order.  To Jesus and His disciples, the term "Kingdom of God" meant a government that would be established on earth. They anticipated that its arrival would amount to nothing less than a sweeping, overwhelming change in the world order.

    We also need to recognize that there are two different fulfillments we need to consider when discussing the Kingdom of God:  1) The Bible shows that when the Kingdom comes in the future, the returning Christ will take His place as divine ruler of the earth.  It is a literal Kingdom on earth, with Jesus as the ruler. 2) Since the Kingdom is wherever the King rules, if He is the ruler of your heart, then the spiritual Kingdom of God exists in you HERE AND NOW.  

     It's interesting, in light of these two fulfillments, to contemplate the chapter of Matthew 13, which consists entirely of parables about the Kingdom of Heaven.  The disciples asked Jesus, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And He answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.” Notice that He doesn't say you have been given the knowledge of Salvation ... No! He was teaching them about the significance of the Kingdom of Heaven and why it was important, both in the present and in the future.

     In each of the parables in Matthew 13, Jesus presents an argument that begins with, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like...".  I don't know about you, but I have read those parables so many times, and I never made the connection that they all pointed to the Kingdom of Heaven.  I looked for a lesson in each one, but did not recognize that He was giving us valuable information that pertained to Thy Kingdom come, on earth as it is in Heaven.  Let me give you a short synopsis on each of the parables and why it was important to Jesus that we get this concept. I recommend that you read these parables in Matthew, Chapter 13, with a new spiritual eye towards The Kingdom of God.

The Parable of the Sower:  Each soil represents one of four responses to the teaching of the kingdom.

The Parable of the Wheat and Tares (Weeds):  There was corruption in the Kingdom, but it will be sorted out at harvest time.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed:  (This was the most fascinating to me!)  This parable accurately describes what the kingdom community became in the decades and centuries after the Christianization of the Roman Empire. In those centuries the Church grew abnormally large in influence and dominion, and was a nest for much corruption.  Close study of birds as symbols in the Old Testament, and especially in the literature of later Judaism, shows that birds regularly symbolize evil and even demons or Satan.

The Parable of the Leaven:  Three measures is far more leaven than is needed to make bread, and represents the addition of corruption and impurity through “paganizing influences” introduced into the Kingdom.

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure: The man is Jesus and this parable speaks of how highly the King values the people of His kingdom.  The treasure that is so wonderful that Jesus would give all to purchase is the individual believer. This powerfully shows how Jesus gave everything to redeem the whole world to preserve a treasure in it, and the treasure is His people.

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value:  Again, Jesus is the buyer and the individual believer is the pearl that He sees as so valuable that He would happily give all to have it forever.  To the ancient peoples that Jesus was speaking to, a pearl was the loveliest of all possessions; Jesus is telling them that the people of His Kingdom are the most valuable thing to Him.

The Parable of the (Drag)Net: Jesus shows that the world will remain divided right up until the end, and the Church will not reform the world.  The King will return, the angels will assist the King in the work of judgment, and He will establish His Kingdom on earth.

     As I studied further about Jesus's teachings on the Kingdom of God, I began to understand how the early Church might have been confused about it's significance, and how that has translated to near ignorance on the part of the modern Church.

     The hope of the early church was that the Lord would return in the clouds to establish a Kingdom of peace and justice.  That is what Jesus preached!  They had yet to learn that the Kingdom was in them! The Disciples believed in the literal return and reign of Christ on earth.  Jesus, Himself, said in Matthew 25:31, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.”  He goes on to say in verse 32, that He will then judge the nations, separating the sheep from the goats. But He also told them in Luke 17:21:  "You won't be able to say, 'Here it is!' or 'It's over there!' For the Kingdom of God is already among you."  We can see both the future and the present Kingdoms of God presented here.

     So, how have we come to lose the importance of Jesus's message about the Kingdom of God?  It began to change through the centuries as follows: The Church began to limit the idea of the Kingdom of God to just mean the 1,000 year reign of Christ in the Millennial Kingdom.  While The Kingdom of God and the Millennial Kingdom aren’t the same, they do overlap. Then theologians began arguing if the Millennial Kingdom was literal or allegorical. The early Church fathers Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Tertullian believed in a literal Millennial Kingdom. In the 3rd Century, Origen was the first to present the allegorical theory. Then just a few years later, Augustine changed the theory even more.  He “identified the Church with the Kingdom of God and maintained that the millennial age had already come”.  In his highly influential book The City of God, Augustine wrote: “Therefore the Church, even now, is the kingdom of Christ, and the kingdom of heaven” (Book XX, Chapter 9). In essence, Augustine taught that the Church in this present world is the Kingdom of God, and “the thousand years stand for all the years of the Christian era”. 

     We need to remember that the Hebrew prophets showed that the arrival of God's Kingdom on earth would bring worldwide peace, physical abundance and divine righteousness.  Isaiah 2:4 tells us that He will judge among the nations, and rebuke many people; that people will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; and that nations won’t lift their swords against other nations, and man will learn war no more.

     But history shows us that the “Christian era” or “the Church era” that Augustine equated with God's Kingdom has been a time of violence, war, starvation and widespread lawlessness.  We certainly can’t say mankind is no longer learning war!  So the Church, in this "Age of Grace," has obviously not spread Jesus’s Gospel Message about the Kingdom of God! 

     Continuing from the historical perspective, in the 18th Century mankind adopted “the Age of Reason”, and instead of basing all knowledge in Biblical revelation, they tried to build on the foundation of human reason.  Theologians that adopted this concept believed that “Western civilization was establishing Christ's earthly rule”. And they began to teach that Mankind was “improving” and through our human power and ingenuity we could establish a righteous world. (SIDE NOTE:  We’ve left the “righteousness” part of that world equation behind, and now through our human power and ingenuity, we’re going to “improve” through transhumanism).

     Those theologians also taught that as the Church, we should set good examples of Christian living, which would influence society and culture… we haven’t done a very good job of that if you look at our society today. And even though that idea was preached by the theologians of the day, the Church received no commission to politically reform the society by seeking God’s righteousness, and from the Roman Empire on, we have NOT seen the governments of the world conform to what Jesus said the Kingdom of God was: a structured, organized entity with the very authority of God behind it.  And throughout the centuries, the Church has not preached that as a goal!  Instead, church members heard from their leaders that they should hope and pray for God's Kingdom to come, while concentrating on the Salvation message.

     That literal Kingdom on earth WILL COME and Jesus WILL be the Divine Ruler of His Kingdom on earth.  In that sense the Kingdom of God is future and we look forward to our inheritance. BUT the Kingdom of God also refers to the King’s realm into which we may now enter to experience the blessings of His reign in our hearts.  REMEMBER:  the parable of the Sower is all about what is sown in our hearts; that’s the personal realm that Jesus concentrated on and wants to be King of.

     So, in this earthly realm, it is perhaps easier to comprehend that the Kingdom of God exists in our hearts.  Our spirits give us hints that He is there, and our souls (our minds, emotions and will) will show us He is real and there is evidence of Him --- IF WE SEEK THE KINGDOM OF GOD FIRST.  

     As for the literal establishment of God’s Kingdom at the return of Christ, God's timetable may differ from man's. God does not allow man to foresee the chronological details of His plan, but the outcome is certain. God will do what He has promised. 

     Finally, here is the really important concept I hope you will grasp ... After the true biblical teaching of the Kingdom of God was removed, the gospel message was changed from the message about the Kingdom to a message primarily about Jesus Christ.  It would become a message that Christianity would triumph over its enemies in the world. And it was a message that faith in Jesus would yield eternal salvation ... both true, but these were not the "Good News" that Jesus had come to preach, nor the purpose for which He was sent.  (Re-read the Scripture at the top of this page). In other words, Christianity kept the name of Jesus Christ, but abandoned His message.

Tomorrow I will explore the "secrets" or the "mystery" of the Kingdom of God.  

Acts 5:3-4

But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart

to lie to the Holy Spirit ... Why is it that you have conceived

this act [of hypocrisy and deceit] in your heart?

     Most likely, you are familiar with the story of Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, in the Book of Acts. This post will complete my discourse on how important the state of our heart is in our salvation journey.  I hope to show you how our thoughts can be infected by the Enemy, pass through the filter (or gateway) of our hearts, and ultimately affect our spirits. (If you have not read the previous post, I think it will help you to see the Biblical support of this hypothesis).  And I want you to notice how many times the topic of "our heart" is mentioned in this concept and in Scripture.

     First, let's take a look at the backdrop of the story ... We have millions of Jews in Jerusalem.  They originally arrived in celebration of the Spring Feasts; and the trial, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth had taken place during these Feasts of the Lord.  So, there would have been some buzz going on among the multitudes about the rumors that this resurrected Jesus had been seen by 500 people (1 Corinthians 15:6).  Then came the Feast of Pentecost, on which the nation of Israel, for over 1300 years, had celebrated the giving of the Law (Torah) to Moses.  On that very day, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to write His Law (commandments) on the tablets of our heart.  

     This was the event for which Jesus had told the Apostles to go to Jerusalem and wait ... He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Of which,” He said, “you have heard Me speak.  For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized and empowered and united with the Holy Spirit, not long from now" (Acts 1:4-5).  So you can imagine the uproar and enthusiasm among the crowds when those tongues of fire came down upon the Apostles.  And how I wish I could have heard the supernatural sermon that Peter preached; one in which the Amplified version of the Bible says "cut to the heart" of those who heard it.  Peter shared that the promise of the Holy Spirit was extended to them, too, if they would repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins.  "You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" was a powerful incentive to answer this invitation.  

     Of course the ruling class of the Jews were confounded by this event and by the response of the people.  Here, they thought they were done with the rabble-rouser Jesus, and then His disciples not only begin healing in His Name, but they are stirring up the people again ... will the influence of this man, Jesus, never end?  After being arrested, questioned about the miracle of healing the man who had been lame for 40 years, and then released, the new followers of the teachings of Jesus were once again moved by Peter, and thanked God in a powerful prayer that resulted in them being of one heart and soul, and full of boldness and courage for their new faith.

     They were so moved by the presence of God through the Holy Spirit, that they were willing to help support those Jews who were "staying over" after Pentecost in order to hear and learn more about the Gospel Message.  So the Bible tells us that people began selling land and property as the needs of the people were identified.  One such man, Barnabas, received particular accolades, as he laid the proceeds from the sale of his land at the apostles feet -- a humble and generous act.

     Now, the very next thing the Bible tells us happens at the beginning of Chapter 5.  We read that a man named Ananias, and his wife, Sapphira, sell a piece of their property, but rather than giving the full proceeds, they decide to hold back a little for themselves --- and we need to understand that there is nothing wrong with that.  The problem is that with his wife’s full knowledge and complicity he lied about keeping back some of the money.  Clearly, both husband and wife were partners in the deception. They both wanted the image of great generosity (like Barnabas), without actually being remarkably generous.

     But Peter confronts Ananias about his lie.  Once again, God apparently gave Peter supernatural knowledge of what Ananias had done, through the spiritual gift called the word of knowledge (1 Corinthians 12:8).  Peter asks, Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?  Peter did not accuse Ananias of lying to the church or to the apostles, but to the Holy Spirit Himself.  Peter then asks Ananias, Why have YOU conceived this thing in your heart?  Peter acknowledged that Satan had filled the heart of Ananias, yet Peter still needed to ask why Ananias, himself, had conceived this thing in his heart. 

     Various versions of the Bible have Peter asking why Ananias "contrived" or "planned" this thing in his heart.  Are you beginning to see the importance that our heart plays in deciding who we will follow in this world?  Satan can influence the life of a believer, even a spirit-filled believer like Ananais, but he can’t do your sinning for you.  He can plant the thought in your mind (which is a powerful component of your soul, which remember is made up of your mind, emotions, and will).  If your spirit is home to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the case of Ananias and Sapphira, then the condition of your heart determines whether you listen to your mind or your spirit.  Ananias had a decision to make and his heart ruled in favor of his mind, rather than the spirit within him.  And the consequences were dire -- He dropped dead in an instant!

     Remember that the parable of the Sower is about the condition of the ground in which the seed is sown.  The ground represents our hearts, and the seed is the Word of God.  Satan tries to mix rocks and thorns among the good soil, to stifle the growth of the seed.  That's exactly what he did in the hearts of Ananias and Sapphira.  Ananias had been saved after Peter’s supernatural preaching and the Word had been sown in his heart, but Peter correctly pronounces that Satan filled Ananias’s heart with Pride, and Ananias did not root that out and, instead, embraced the Pride and decided to lie (of his own free will; another part of his soul) – not only publicly to the apostles and the people, but more importantly to the Holy Spirit within him, who knew the Truth.  

     So here you have the complete picture ... THE SOUL  -- the mind which can become corrupted by the lies of Satan (You, Ananias, can receive the same praise as Barnabas, just don't admit to keeping back part of it for yourself), along with our emotions (I want to feel the glow of praise from the Apostles) and our free will (I can keep part of the profit and reap the honors)  -- coming into conflict with THE SPIRIT  (which if you are Saved, is full of truth and grace).  This conflict takes place in the heart, where both the soul and spirit battle for our allegiance.  

     That is why it is so imperative that we recognize what it means to "take Scripture to heart".  I think 2 Corinthians 10:5 explains it best:  We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.  The arguments and lofty opinions are Satan's lies that come into our minds as thoughts and reasons why we shouldn't listen to the Spirit's voice, which ministers to us and gives us "the knowledge of God".  And can you see how important it is to keep your heart clean and pure; cleansed of any pride or doubt and unbelief?  If the heart is the filter between our flesh (the soul) and our God-filled spirits, then I want to stack the deck in favor of the Holy Spirit.  If my heart is the seat of determination for who I will follow, then I need to guard it and protect it from everything other than God.  

     After all, isn't God seeking men and women after His own heart?  He wants our hearts to be like HIS!  Sadly, I am far from that saintly goal.  But, hopefully, this little study has been able to help you pay more attention to the state of your own heart.  I now see how important it is to God, and how easily the Enemy can infiltrate my thoughts and emotions, causing me to poison my heart and drown out the Spirit.  We all need to pay attention to the lesson of Ananias and Sapphira, which clearly shows us what can happen when our hearts become deceitful.

How Are You Programmed?

     I hope you agree with me that we live in a very blessed time.  As bleak and unpromising as the future of this world and its cultures appear, I am extremely excited to see God increasingly unveiling His knowledge in more and more rapid surges of revelation.  I mean, we have access to podcasts and books and in-depth studies of Scripture by men and women who are making it their life's work to cast aside man-made religious doctrines in order to fully understand what God says and wants from His people.

     For instance, the truly discerning believers of Christ know that the Bible is a supernatural book; that it is, at its foundation, a book about the Hebrew people and their relationship with YHWH.  We have the benefit of learning from scholars who are studying the Hebrew language to give us a much broader and fuller understanding of Scripture than the Greek-to-English translations have afforded us.  We have the opportunity to learn and question the research of scholars and teachers who are not willing to accept man's traditions as superior to the Word, and are seeking to come closer to God and to possess the facts of His Truth.  That is called KNOWLEDGE.  And the interpretation of that Truth is what we know as UNDERSTANDING.  The application of that Truth is called WISDOM.
     Now, before you go and give me any kind of praise for this explanation, I must give credit where credit is due.  I am going to present a new understanding that I have been gleaning and formulating about our spirituality from one of those young men who is truly a blessing to this generation.  Dan Duval is among a group of young and bold and faithful disciples of Christ (including Justen Faull, Russ Dizdar, Michael Heiser) who have not only immersed themselves in studying the Greek and Hebrew Bibles for greater insight into God, but have gone where the Church is either too afraid or too unenlightened to venture -- spiritual warfare, deliverance and healing, satanic ritual abuse, and the application of Jesus's Power and Authority through us, His commissioned followers.  But they have also taken advantage of the internet, social media, and technology -- tools that satan has successfully used to lure our younger generation and society into spiritual bondage -- and they all have ministries whose goals are to bring more souls into the Kingdom of God.  They have successful podcasts, blogs, books, videos, and even online church services that are reaching multitudes for Christ.  And their work is all done to glorify God from a Scriptural foundation and according to the dictates of His Word!
     All that being said, Dan Duval has written a couple of books that incorporate an idea that is opening up a new understanding of Scripture for me everyday.  It concerns the matters of our heart, and I literally have a more expansive vision of the Word, and am seeing the application of this new understanding as I read old, familiar verses.  I know I can't express all of it in one blog post, so I hope you will continue to follow me as I try to explain how Scripture has opened up to me.
     To begin with, I approached this subject of the heart in a post on the Parable of the Sower, and that is really where I began to see how central our hearts are to the application of our faith, and how important it was to Jesus that we understand that.  I also wrote about how the conditions of our hearts affect everything we think, say, and do in this post.  But Dan Duval has pointed me to further examples in Scripture and I am beginning to see how I have glossed over these verses, without seeing how fundamental they are to my Christian walk.  So, I am going to try to lay out the process I am undergoing and share with you these new facts of God's Truth.
     First, we need to gain an understanding of just how the heart plays into God's creation of Man.  I am not a scholarly person, so please excuse me if this seems elementary, but it is the steps I have taken to enter into the higher and deeper dimensions of God...  We all know that the completion of His creation is evidenced in our spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23).  We're pretty clear on what constitutes our spirit and our body, but we need to understand that our soul consists of our mind, will, and emotions.  So where does the heart fit into all this?
     If we understand that the heart is kind of a gateway, or entry point, from our soul to our spirit, then we can see that it plays a very important part in how we act out our faith.  Think of it as a processing plant between our soul and spirit -- the spirit feeds spiritual information into the heart, and the soul feeds carnal information into our hearts (from our minds, our emotions, and our life experiences, or will).  The heart then processes all that information, and sends information out that shapes the activity of both the soul and spirit based on the belief system that is operating in us.  In this way, whatever the heart is convinced of, shapes the person's reality.  This is what is meant when Scripture tells us, "as he thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7).  (Join me on Sunday as I show how this played out in the life of Ananais and his wife Sapphira in the Book of Acts).
     As we contemplate the heart, it is vital that we understand that the collection of all the information coming from our soul and our spirit into our heart, is what makes up, or forms, our worldview.  So, if you have no relationship with God through the Holy Spirit, you will not have much spiritual knowledge flowing into your heart; only the carnal knowledge coming from your thoughts and how the world affects you through your experiences ... so you will likely have a secular, humanist worldview.  On the other hand, if you are saved, and have a personal relationship with Jesus, then that knowledge will mix with your fleshly thoughts, your feelings and what the world throws at you, to bring you into some form of spiritual or Biblical worldview.  If you are of the latter persuasion, then how you respond to this life on earth will be determined by how your heart processes that mixture of information.  In other words, what are the "thoughts of your heart"?  And can they be changed  or programmed to respond in one direction or another?
     Dan Duval exposits that there are three main ways to program the heart.  The programming is dependent on which kingdom has created the program (or, as I understand it, who wields the most influence in your heart).  Who sits on the throne of the kingdom of your heart -- God, man, or the Prince of Darkness?  Although we have three kinds of kingdoms in operation here, there are really only two agendas -- the Christ agenda for the redemption of mankind and the antichrist agenda that denies Jesus is Lord.  There is no middle ground, and no other alternative.  The kingdoms that we set up for ourselves (both in the heart and in the world) either further the Christ agenda by submitting to it, or stand in its way by resisting it.
     So how are our hearts programmed by each of these kingdom sources?  Again, Mr. Duval presents an interesting paradigm.... In the Kingdom of God, our hearts are programmed through revelation.  God's revelations of Himself yield a love-based paradigm, in which we think and act like God thinks and acts.  In the Kingdom of Men, our hearts are programmed through repetition, which becomes tradition.  This is the difference between religion and relationship.  We will think and act like our forefathers thought and acted.  We see that in the centuries old doctrines of our churches.  And in the Kingdom of Darkness, our hearts are programmed through trauma, which opens doors for bondage and satan's lies, which generates fear.  We begin to think and act according to the lies he whispers and the way he acts.
     I don't want to overwhelm you with a difficult concept, but I hope you can see that there is a war for our hearts.  The spirit and the soul are in a perpetual battle for the thoughts of our hearts.  For us Christians, while the spirit is attempting to program the heart according to the truths of God and His kingdom, the soul is attempting to program the heart according to the experiences of our lives.  That is why the Bible tells us that we must continually renew our minds with the Word of God.  Our minds are such a strong component of our soul that we will serve what we yield ourselves to, and what we yield to will become the primary influence upon our hearts.  So what we think greatly affects our hearts and how we ultimately act.  That's why the Bible tells us to take every thought captive so that it is obedient to Christ.
     I think the best example I can show you of how we, as humans, must program our hearts is found in the first chapter of the Book of Daniel.  I have read and studied this inspiring book with my Home Church group, but am reading it again as I make my way through the Bible ... one more time.  In Daniel 1:8, the King James version reads, But Daniel purposed in his heart, that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank...  The Amplified version reads, But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile (taint, dishonor) himself with the [a]king’s finest food or with the wine which the king drank...
     Can you see this concept of programming our hearts played out in Daniel's faithful act?  Can you see the struggle within his heart -- how he had to process the information coming from his spirit with the information coming from his mind, emotions, and will?  Daniel knew that the king's food would have been sacrificed to pagan gods; and he knows that because his name has been changed from Daniel ("God is my Judge") to Belteshazzar ("The pagan god Bel will protect my life"), if he participates in eating the king's food, he will be giving the impression that he agreed to follow the pagan practices.  This is where Daniel "purposed his heart" according to the belief system of the Kingdom that lived within his heart.  Daniel's heart was programmed by the Kingdom of God, so he acted and thought like God, and out of his love for God, he chose not to compromise.  He made up his mind; "for as he thinks, so in his heart, is he".  Do you see just how powerful our minds can be in overwhelming our hearts?
     I challenge you to look up all the verses in the Bible about the heart.  I believe that, like me, you will find new inspiration and revelation as to how important the state of our heart is to our faith and our salvation journey.  And I think you will discover just how important renewing our mind is to programming our hearts.  Also, I believe that you will find new meaning in verses like this:  "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me"  (Psalm 51:10); and this one:  "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart"  (Hebrews 4:12).
     Finally, I will be showing you with my Scripture choice on Sunday, how the Enemy targets the heart to influence us and take us captive, filling it with his deception and wickedness.   But when our heart is circumcised with the love and commands of the Lord, everything that flows out of it is for the glory of God's Kingdom.  Stay tuned!

Proverbs 4:23    "Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life."