"THE EYES OF THE LORD SEARCH THE WHOLE EARTH IN ORDER TO STRENGTHEN THOSE WHOSE HEARTS ARE FULLY COMMITTED TO HIM. What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war.”
2 Chronicles 16:9 (NLT)
• God looks at the heart before He blesses. Before God can bless or lift you, He would look at your heart, what is going on in there.
- Things in your heart might be hidden to humans, but they are bare before God: “THE HEART IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS, AND DESPERATELY WICKED; WHO CAN KNOW IT?" (Jeremiah 17:9 (NKJV).
- Prayers are answered based on your heart, not how you act outwardly. God is looking for those who's Hearts are perfect (Jeremiah 42:20).
- Perfect heart does mean, someone who has a humble and willing heart. A sincere Heart. An obedient heart. Someone who is willing to obey God's instructions and commandments.
- In most cases, the undoing of some is not the devil, it is their Heart towards God and His Word: "FOR YOU WERE NOT BEING HONEST WHEN YOU SENT ME TO PRAY TO THE LORD YOUR GOD FOR YOU. You said, ‘Just tell us what the Lord our God says, and we will do it!' (Jeremiah 42:20 NLT).
- Some would mean one thing in their hearts, but telling God other things, thinking they can deceive God. He is All knowing, you cannot cajole Him.
- Whoever would walk with God, he or she would not dwell on the senses, and such also would subdue and mortify the works of the Flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). If these were done, you would see God move on your behalf.
• You have the ability to hinder God through your Acts of disobedience
- If you are disobeying God's instructions, you are hindering Him from having His way and fulfilling His Purposes in your life.
- Mostly, the devil is not people's problems but the self—the flesh and egoism. When you do not see things the way God sees it, and not ready to accept God's offer for you, you halted God in the matters of your life. Doing that, you give a place to the devil to work in your life (Ephesians 4:27).
- Disobedience to God's order; instructions and the delegated authority over your life, is an open door for the devil to operate—have his way fully in your life.
- The ball is in your court. The matters of your life are in your hands. Your submission to God determines your progress and promotion. It determines the fulfilment or accomplishment of the long awaited Promises of God for your life.
• Who should be blamed on the matters of your life? Your parents, the devil, the Self, or God. Of course, the self, that is, you yourself had to be blamed.
(i) God could not receive the blame because He is always right, and aside that, you are the one who made all the choices you had ever made.
(ii) Parents are not to be blamed, because they had no say about your destiny. They were just the channels through which you come to the earth.
(iii) And the blame would not go to the circumstances of life either; because those are meant to let you know or show you that you are weak and helpless, and you cannot trust in the self (Proverbs 3:5,6). That the help you need could only come from God (Psalm 121:1). And the Holy Spirit is given to you as a Believer in Christ Jesus to help you in the journey of life—your heavenly race (John 14:16-18).
(iv) The devil could not be blamed, because If you had not given him a place through disobedience, he could not have had an access into your life (Ephesians 4:27).
a. If you obeyed God: “IF THEY LISTEN AND OBEY GOD, THEY WILL BE BLESSED WITH PROSPERITY THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES. ALL THEIR YEARS WILL BE PLEASANT" (Job 36:11 NLT).
READ: Isaiah 1:19,20
b. Your disobedience to God and His Word has tied His hands on the matters of your life:
1 BEHOLD, THE LORD’s HAND IS NOT SHORTENED, THAT IT CANNOT SAVE; NOR His ear HEAVY, THAT IT CANNOT HEAR. 2 BUT YOUR INIQUITIES [disobedience, hardheadedness] HAVE SEPARATED YOU FROM YOUR GOD; And YOUR SINS HAVE HIDDEN HIS FACE FROM YOU, SO THAT HE WILL NOT HEAR" (Isaiah 59:1,2 NKJV).
READ: Isaiah 50:2
"FOR REBELLION IS AS THE SIN OF WITCHCRAFT, AND STUBBORNNESS IS AS INIQUITY AND IDOLATRY. BECAUSE YOU HAVE REJECTED THE WORD OF THE LORD, HE ALSO HAS REJECTED YOU FROM BEING KING."
1 Samuel 15:23 (NKJV)
• When you rebelled or disobeyed, you are challenging God's authority in your life.
- If you did not submit to God's authority in your life, you cannot take authority over satan.
5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 AND BEING READY TO PUNISH ALL DISOBEDIENCE WHEN YOUR OBEDIENCE IS FULFILLED (2 Corinthians 10:5-6 (NKJV). - Your Obedience is the key to the dominion and rulership, in the world, As a Believer in Christ Jesus. You cannot rule over satan and his cohorts, without Obedience to God's instructions.
- You have to be under an authority to also be in the Authority. The centurion who came to Jesus says this:
"I KNOW THIS BECAUSE I AM UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF MY SUPERIOR OFFICERS, AND I HAVE AUTHORITY OVER MY SOLDIERS. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it” (Matthew 8:9 (NLT).
• You will not fail in Jesus' name.
- If there is any ailment in your body, healings are children's bread, thus, I declare that you are healed in Jesus' name.
- Should there be any demon behind the Affliction, I Curse such now, and his hold over your life is broken completely in Jesus' name.
Peace!
STEPS TO SALVATION
• Take notice of this:
IF you are yet to take the step of salvation, that is, yet to be born-again, do it now, tomorrow might be too late (2 Corinthians 6:1,2; Hebrews 3:7,8,15).
a. Acknowledge that you are a sinner and confess your Sins (1 John 1:9); And ask Jesus Christ to come into your life (Revelation 3:20).
b. Confess that you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that you confess it with your mouth, Thus, you accept Him As your Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9,10).
c. Ask that He will write your name in the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:8).
- If you took the steps As highlighted above, It means you are saved—born-again. Join a Word based church in your area and Town or city, and be part of whatever they are doing there. Peace!