But I The Lord, Search The Hearts And Examine Secret Motives. I Give All People Their Due Rewards, According To What Their Actions Deserve
The Heart Is Deceitful
JEREMIAH 17:9-10
“”The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.”
Jeremiah 17:9-10 NKJV
https://www.bible.com/114/jer.17.9-10.nkjv
God has made it clear as to why we are so easily tempted into sin. It is a matter of the heart.
Our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked; it naturally inclines us toward sin from the moment we are conceived, selfishly looking for ways to please ourselves and justify our actions, looking for ways in which to satisfy our lust.
But we can choose whether or not to continue on a path of sin, yielding to the temptations of the devil, or with God’s help, we can resist the lust and the devil and he shall flee (JAMES 4;7).
Jesus made it clear that desiring the wrong treasures leads one’s heart to be in the wrong place, saying, “”Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV
Whether we admit it or not, whatever we treasure most will influence our steps.
The heart being part of the flesh, looks to survive and please the flesh, even if that involves sin to succeed.
The truth is, we cannot overcome sin in our own strength because our very nature which we inherited from Adam and Eve is sinful (ROMANS 5:12-21)
But Jesus said, ““If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
John 14:15-18 NKJV
God has sent us the help we need to overcome sin by obediently walking by the leading of the Holy Spirit.
But if money, status, or possessions, or any worldly thing becomes too important to us, we must reestablish control and be rid of such items. God does not take away our free will, therefore we must choose my way, or God’s way.
Jesus calls us to a decision that allows us to live contently with whatever we have, all or nothing, by choosing eternal values over temporary worldly treasures.
Worldly treasures are short lived, but joy in the Lord is eternal and strengthen us (NEHEMIAH 8:10).
Only Jesus can give lasting peace, continuous security, and eternal contentment, therefore it makes sense to make Him your number one, your all in all, and He will make you His treasured possession
(DEUTERONOMY 7:6).
My beloved, you can be certain that the Lord searches the heart and examines the mind to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.
Their will always be consequences of our actions, good and evil, and God’s judgment is eternal.
The truth is, whatever one sows, he shall reap.
God does not promise us an elaborate life style, or status, or riches in this world, but He does promise to meet our needs (MATHEW 6:33) and give us a wonderful eternal future with Him (REVELATION 21:3-4).
Having received the gift of the Holy Spirit, one must remain obedient to Him.
Paul said, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Romans 12:1-2 NKJV
To present one’s body a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God, is to choose to serve Him and live right in this world. It is a choice and an action to turn from all sin and live for God, to submit to Him in one’s entirety.
Without God’s help, it would be an impossible task, but with Him, all things are made possible (MATHEW 19:26).
When one receives the gift of the Holy Spirit, a battle starts from within, for the flesh lust against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh, so we do not do the things we wish.
But if we push through with God’s help we shall in time overcome the lust of the flesh, our spirit shall become king of our lives, and Jesus in us, who is the King of kings (1 TIMOTHY 6:15; REVELATION 17:14; REVELATION 19:16) shall give us the victory (ROMANS 8:37).
When we do our best and believe on Him, He shall do the rest.
We may stumble and fall at times, but God will not give up on us, for there is no condemnation for those in Christ (ROMANS 8:1).
We may go round and round the same roundabout until we overcome, but God’s work from within will make us victorious in His perfect timing.
“And do not be conformed to this world”, is a command to not involve in the sinful ways of the world and to stand back from it’s values. It is then that God will start the good work from within that shall transform one’s mind, and he or she will come to understand what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God in their lives.
“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”
Galatians 5:16-26 NKJV
All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.
