The "Heart" of the Matter

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." - Proverbs 4:23.

God has a plan and a destiny for your life.....and so does Satan. And the plan and destiny that God has is completely opposite of the one that Satan has for your life.

But what if I told you there is one thing that both God and Satan want in your life. Yes....it's true. And it's the one thing that is the key to determining which plan and destiny....God or Satan's....prevails......your heart.

Beloved, your heart is what's at stake in this eternal war between God and His will for your life vs. Satan and his will for your life. It is the deciding factor in where you will be at the end of days.....and that decision is completely yours to make.

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." - Matthew 6:19-24.

Beloved, in the very near future, the battle for your heart will intensify as never before. Things that you believed would never tempt you will suddenly become huge obstacles....old habits, desires - things that you believed you had overcome once and for all will rise up again with such voracity - you will be overwhelmed and succumb......unless you are on your guard!

Beloved, this is a prophetic warning......please do not take it lightly. The restraint is being lifted....Satan will gain more freedom.....for a period of time the darkness will seem to be prevailing.....and those who do not heed the warning of Proverbs 4:23 will perish.

We will end this message with the words of a song Christian artist Steve Green wrote many years ago - let these words burn into your soul -

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see

For the Father up above Is looking down in love

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see

What appears to be harmless glance...

Can turn to romance

And homes are divided

Feelings that should never have been

Awakened within

Tearing the heart in two

Listen, I beg of you

Guard your Heart

Guard your Heart

Don't trade it for treasure

Don't give it away

Guard your Heart

Guard your Heart

As a payment for pleasure

It's high price to pay

For a soul that remains sincere with conscience clear

Guard your Heart

The human heart is easily swayed

And often betrayed at the hand of emotion

You dare not leave the outcome to chance

You must choose in advance

Or live with the agony

Such needless tragedy

Guard your Heart

Guard your Heart

Don't trade it for treasure

Don't give it away

Guard your Heart

Guard your Heart

As a payment for pleasure

It's high price to pay

For a soul that remains sincere with conscience clear

Guard your Heart

To hear this song as sung by the artist - click this link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx65zb8AQpo

SIN ADDICTION AND ITS CURE

By A.W. Tozer

We must be careful, however, that we do not . . . Create the impression that sin is an accident, a disease, a poison unintentionally imbibed. If sin is a disease it is like alcoholism, one that is chosen, bought and voluntarily swallowed. A steer is not responsible for poisoning himself on locoweed, but men are endowed with intelligence and ability to distinguish good from evil; they are therefore not to be excused either for their sin or for the terrible results of it.

Men are indeed accountable for their sins, and their responsibility is twofold. First they are morally obligated to choose the good and reject the evil, and they will be brought to severe and certain judgment for their failure to do it.

Second, because God has in Christ provided a cure, they are responsible to humble themselves and seek forgiveness and cleansing at the fountain opened for all men by the hard dying of Jesus Christ on the Roman cross.

"If any man will," said Jesus, and in so saying swept away all excuses and made every man accountable for his future as well as for his past. For in spite of what sin has done to us, we are yet able to exercise a choice unto eternal life; and we are responsible for our choice, whether it be right or wrong.

THAT POISONOUS SIN WEED

By A.W. Tozer

Sin is a poisonous weed that throws the whole nature out of order. The inner life disintegrates; the flesh lusts after forbidden pleasures; the moral judgment is distorted so that often good appears evil and evil good; time is chosen over eternity, earth over heaven and death over life.

This in large measure accounts for the vivid and colorful language employed by the prophets and apostles to describe the effects of sin. "The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores" (Isaiah 1:5–6, KJV). This is a sample from Isaiah. A dozen pages of quotations equally as strong could be taken from the other prophets and psalmists.

The New Testament is generally thought to be milder than the Old, but we have only to read Christ's indictment of the Pharisees to discover how wrong such a notion is. Peter, John and Jude dip their pens in liquid fire to do justice to the blazing wrath of God against sin, while Paul traces the serpentine path of sin through the human system and proves how confused and morally self-contradictory the heart is that has not been separated from its iniquity.

THE ULTIMATE TEST OF FAITH

THE ULTIMATE TEST OF FAITH

By David Wilkerson


There comes a time in the life of every believer—as well as in the church—when God puts us to the ultimate test of faith. It’s the same test Israel faced on the wilderness side of the Jordan. What is this test?

It is to look at all the dangers ahead—the giant issues facing us, the high walls of affliction, the principalities and powers that seek to destroy us—and to cast ourselves totally on God’s promises. The test is to commit ourselves to a lifetime of trust and confidence in his Word. It’s a commitment to believe that God is bigger than all our problems and enemies.

Our heavenly Father isn’t looking for a faith that deals with one problem at a time. He’s looking for a lifetime faith, a lifelong commitment to believe him for the impossible. This kind of faith brings a calm and rest to our soul, no matter what our situation. And we have this calm because we’ve settled once and for all, “My God is bigger. He is able to bring me out of any and all afflictions.”

Our Lord is loving and longsuffering, but he won’t allow his people to dwell in unbelief. You may have been tested time after time and now the time has come for you to make a decision. God wants faith that endures the ultimate test, a faith that won’t allow anything to shake you from trust and confidence in his faithfulness.

There is so much theology surrounding the topic of faith. Simply put, we can’t conjure it up. We can’t create it by repeating, “I believe, I really believe….” No, faith is a commitment we make to obey God. Obedience reflects belief.

As Israel faced Jericho, the people were told not to say a word, but simply to march. These faithful believers didn’t whisper to themselves, “Help me to believe, Lord. I so want to believe.” No, they were focused on the one thing God asked of them: to obey his Word and go forward.

That is faith. It means setting your heart to obey all that is written in God’s Word, without questioning it or taking it lightly. And we know that if our hearts are determined to obey, God will make sure his Word to us is clear, without confusion. Moreover, if he commands us to do something, he’ll supply us with the power and strength to obey: “Let the weak say, I am strong” (Joel 3:10). “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” (Ephesians 6:10).

YOUR NOT IN CONTROL, SOMEONE ELSE IS!

And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
(ACTS 19:15)


There are forces at work in this world that most Christians really don’t understand. Oh, we have thousands of books and materials on “Spiritual Warfare” explaining the 5 steps and 10 ways to beat the devil and kick him around like a WWF wrestler, and with pride proclaim, “I am in command!” How ignorant we are of what really is going on behind the scenes.

Now, before you misunderstand me, Scripture does state we have authority, as children of God, over the enemy, and I firmly teach that. But, what is being taught in our churches as authority, and Biblical authority, is not the same thing. And, I must warn you, if you are playing around with the devil, you put you and your family in jeopardy! Satan is not some cartoon character that we can play around with.

Our scripture reference today proves this. In this story, seven sons of a high priest named Sceva, were out performing “Exorcisms”, you know, those bogus rituals you see on movies by people who have no true authority, to cast out and command demons. These sons thought that the power was in the ritual, a command, a word spoken simply because Jesus said it. Listen to me today, you do not have power over devils and demons because you shout loud sayings from the Bible, scream and chant, that means nothing to Satan. You have power over Satan because you have power with God, because you not only know Jesus, But He (Jesus) knows you by name, his spirit lives and burns in your soul, and you are anointed with his presence. It is his presence plus his word, which gives you authority and protection, it works no other way. You can’t have one without the other.

There are not many forces at work, there are only 2, the force of God, and the forces of evil and these two are at war as we speak over the souls of men and women. Which side are you on? Better yet, which side are you letting control you? If you are not submitting to the will and leadership of the Spirit of God, and his word, in every area of you life, then you are controlled by the other, evil. And let me say this, SATAN AND HIS DEMONS WILL NEVER, EVER BE YOUR FRIEND!

They only want to destroy you. Run to protection today, run to Jesus. Do you feel concerned in some way that you are open to attack? That is your cue from the spirit of God that you need to come closer to Jesus in your life. Let go of that pet sin, stop the rebellion in your life. You cannot defeat Satan; it took a risen Saviour to do that. And you must be in his protection to not end up like the sons of Sceva, beaten and wounded. Run to Jesus now!