The Foundation of Your Heart
“And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 8:2-3
Pastor Tim shared these verses Sunday. Let’s go deeper in what Abba is wanting to teach us here. God led the Israelites into the wilderness for forty years. Why? This verse tells us He did it to humble them and test them, to know what was in their hearts, whether they would obey His commandments.
Abba never tempts us, but He will allow us to be tested. We can have a perspective of ourselves that may not actually be who we are in the depths of our hearts, and we can’t know this until we are put in a situation that reveals our heart. He didn’t put the Israelites in the wilderness because He didn’t know what was in their heart, it was because THEY didn’t know. Just like us, He already knows what is there and what is required for us to see for ourselves. What have you bumped up against recently that has revealed an aspect of your heart that He is wanting to address? Disappointment in someone you trusted, loss of a relationship, loss of a job, lack, maybe it is realizing your dependance on something other than Him?
This is always about Him teaching us to hear His voice. Whispering for our hearts to trust Him alone. He allows us to get to a place of humility and oftentimes this starts at the foundation of what is in our hearts. We cannot move any further when we have bitterness, resentment or unforgiveness in our hearts. I want to ask you to do something today. Begin by asking the Holy Spirit to show you who you have unforgiveness in your heart towards? It could even be yourself. Who are you still angry with? Who is the person when you hear their name bitterness or resentment rises up? Allow Him to go back as far as He needs to. This is a really hard thing for some of us to do, but Jesus is with you. His grace is so tangible in these moments. Trust Him to comfort you.
As He is showing you, I want you to write it down on paper. Imagine this paper is your altar unto the Lord. Once you feel like you have written everyone and everything He has shown you then I want you to shred it and put it in the trash. It is now covered by His grace. Gone forever. Your heart can be free to experience a greater depth of His love and presence. Jesus gave His life for you and this very moment. Embrace it.
Are you hungry enough to hear what you need to hear?
