By Lisa Blair

Heart. My recent post, Obedience vs. Rebellion: Learning from Abraham and Saul – Bible Reflection, examines the difference between obedience and rebellion. Our heart is at the center of this dichotomy.

Our heart determines whether we are going to stand fast and be obedient to the Lord or rebel by being swayed by things that entice our flesh. Both affect our walk and impact God’s design or purpose for our lives. Our spiritual development rests on how we respond to our actions, desires, and behaviors. While obedience and rebellion are at the center of this dichotomy, they are controlled by free will which our Lord instilled in us. Free Will shrouds the heart.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 NIV, the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.”

God gifted us with free-will which is the ability to know the difference between good and evil, right and wrong and make choices between the two. Further, He gave us free-will because He seeks our companionship and wants us to voluntarily enter into a relationship with Him. If He designed us to be robots, not humans, He would have had to program our responses which is the antithesis of His intent. A loving relationship is not possible if God had complete control over our lives and demanded that we love Him. God created us and instilled free-will to give us the option and desire to choose Him because we love Him. His greatest desire has always been to have a loving relationship with us. Adam and Eve were created for this purpose. He longs for us to choose Him over our flesh.

In Psalm 51:10-12 (NRSV), Paul wrote about the challenges we confront each moment of our lives – the choice between God or our flesh. This internal thought process begins in our mind, but is directed by our heart.

Psalm 51:10-12 NIV, Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

When we give in to our own willful desires over God, we lose our joy, we begin to feel the suffocation that it brings. Our spirit weakens to the demands of self, and we falter. Our spirit is no longer willing to fight the good fight. Our heart begins to hurt. When we fail to stay alert, we do not recognize the numerous (threat alerts) warnings that our flesh is taking over. We begin to vacillate between the loving care of God and our earthly desires of the flesh. The vacillation often begins to outweigh our relationship with God as we justify seeking the desires of our flesh. Another way to look at this is, we live in a world of conflict between good and evil. In Galatians 5 we are told that we should use our freedom to walk in the Spirit and should not gratify the flesh.

Paul spelled out the desires of the flesh and explained they are obvious and yet still inviting. Sexual immortality, impurity, excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, anger, blind- ambition, envy, drunkenness, and arrogance are some of the desires.

On the other side of the dichotomy, we find the Fruit of the Spirit, those things of God that reflect the characteristics of Christ. The Fruit of the Spirit are joy, peace, temperance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:25 implores us to live by the Spirit that lives in us and to keep in step with the Spirit. We should not take on conceit, provoke others, envy our neighbors, or gravitate towards any fleshly behavior that separates us from God.

Hebrews 10:22 NIV, Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

Our heart is filled with good and evil traits that appear as behaviors. When we live by the Fruit of the Spirit we experience a state of obedience demonstrated through our actions towards others. When we focus on self and personal gain we experience rebellion which separates us from God. We are shackled when we are driven by blind ambition and rebellion. We project God’s love when we are driven by a giving, caring heart.

These things also determine our faith. Abraham lived in a constant state of faith. Whatever God commanded he followed. Saul on the other hand, lived a life of self-indulgence and did not obey God’s commands, choosing instead to comply to a portion of what God asked, never fully complying. Partial obedience is disobedience or rebellion. Most of us are more comfortable when we try to appease God and simultaneously satisfy ourselves. Satan is the author of justification, deceit, disobedience and rebellion.

Proverbs 4:23 NIV implores us to stay alert and Guard (y)our heart above all else, for it determines the course of (y)our life.

Guarding our heart is difficult, it is not pure. Free-will provides the soil to make choices to either serve God or self. Consequently, it is important to focus on our heart. What state is your heart in? When reflecting on your life experiences, do you find that you more heavily weigh in on the spirit side or gravitate towards the flesh? When are you the happiest or experience freedom? When do you experience God’s love? Through self-examination, you can measure the depth of your faith. Do you experience joy and live to serve and support others or do you seek personal gain contrived by Satan?

Our hearts play a key role in who we are. It determines how we will respond to God’s Word. A calm heart gives life to our bodies. As Christians, we should always look through the lens of Christ to refocus our decisions. Do you desire to live as a servant, like Christ, and help others to draw near to Him, or do you prefer to be governed by the flesh and focus more on your advancement regardless of cost? We should not allow our hearts to reside in a state of rebellion, but rather in a state of love and obedience, with love being the more important of the two. If we did not love God we would not desire to please Him through our obedience. If we do not love God we live in a state of chaos, disobedience and rebellion. Our love for God activates our obedience while denying the self destruction of rebellion.

James 4:7-8 NLT, So, humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world (flesh).

Hebrews 10:22 GWT, So let us come near God with pure hearts and a confidence that comes from having faith. Let us keep our hearts pure, our consciences free from evil, and our bodies washed with clean water.

Additional Scriptures that highlight the importance of the heart:

Ezekiel 36:26 NIV, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. (Heart of flesh is not referencing the evil behaviors identified in Galatians.)

 Psalm 119:11 NIV, I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Matthew 5:8 AMP, Blessed [anticipating God’s presence, spiritually mature] are the pure in heart [those with integrity, moral courage, and godly character], for they will see God.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV, Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Psalm 73:26 NIV, My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

John 14:27 NLT, I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart.

1 Samuel 16:7 NIV, But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Matthew 22:37 NIV, Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

Images: Google free images, LABphotos, Pixabay.com

Scriptures: Bible.com, Biblicia.com, Biblegateway.com, Biblestudytools.com