The Heart of the Matter

Written by Jarred Rushing

(4 minutes)

"A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, and the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous." (Proverbs 13:22)

Generational legacy is the way of the Kingdom. 

In the wilderness, Abba begins to redefine everything. The wilderness has a way of stripping us of our own opinions, ideas and traditions. Anything that is not rooted in Abba's heart will be exposed in the wilderness. As we yield and become surrendered to the King, He begins to reshape us - even the desires of our heart. The appetite we once had for our own personal destiny becomes bitter, and something else becomes sweet...generational legacy. 

"Abba, how do I know when my heart has truly shifted?"

I found myself asking this question yesterday, and this was Abba's response: 
"You'll know your heart has shifted when your treasure has shifted."

In other words, Abba said, "Follow the money." Follow the resources. Follow your time, your energy, and your efforts. 

"For your heart will always pursue what you value as your treasure." (Matthew 6:21)

The first witness of a changed heart is the redirection of our treasure. 
Because our heart and our wealth always travel together.

Let's go ahead and be honest with ourselves: just because we use the term "generational legacy" and say we believe it, doesn't mean our heart has changed. Religion taught us to hear good messages in church, say to ourselves, "Yeah, I believe that," and walk away thinking we were in line with the heart of God. All the while our bank accounts and calendars are standing in the back of the room shaking their heads in disbelief. I can just imagine my checking account jumping out of the chair and yelling, "Pastor, if Jarred believes in generational legacy then his identity has been stolen because the only things I'm seeing in this account are Amazon orders and restaurant bills." And now we're all quietly giving thanks that our bank accounts and calendars can't talk. 

You're right, they can't talk.
But they are speaking.

As we're taking our walks with Abba this week, we have to let His love transform our hearts. Because until the heart changes, nothing really changes. The consuming fire of His love will transform and reshape every desire we have as we sit under the downpour of His perfect love. We're after whole hearts. We're after our minds being renewed. We're after the mind of Christ and we actually ALREADY possess it (1 Corinthians 2:16). The "renewing" is really about us letting go of our own ideas so we can lay hold of what we already have in Christ. 

There's an old quote that I've never forgotten because it carries so much truth.
"We give up things we love for things we love even more."

Here's what that means: as long as personal destiny is behind the wheel, we'll never end up at the destination of generational legacy. 

We have loved personal destiny and pursued it for a very long time. And the only way to let go of it is to fall more deeply in love with something else. 

This is why we say intimacy with Abba changes everything.

As more of our heart is open to Him and more of our gaze is captivated by His loving eyes we will begin to inherit more of His heart.

His desires will become our desires. They will be one in the same. 

As we walk with Abba today, let's go after an even deeper measure of intimacy.
Abba, I'll show you my heart, and you show me yours. 

Let's turn Song of Songs 4:16 into a prayer:

"Awake, O north wind!
Awake, O south wind!
Breathe on my garden with your Spirit-Wind.
Stir up the sweet spice of your life within me.
Spare nothing as you make me your fruitful garden.
Hold nothing back until I release your fragrance.
Come walk with me as you walked with Adam in your paradise garden.
Come taste the fruits of your life in me."

And let's partner with the truth in our thought-life:

I have the mind of Christ. 

My intimacy and union with Abba is reshaping the desires of my heart.

I want what He wants. I love what He loves.

As my heart changes within me, I will allow my treasure, my wealth, my attention and even my schedule to be transformed as well. 

I effortlessly prioritize the things that are on Yahweh's heart. 

My wealth will impact generations coming after me. They will know that I cared because the impact of my intimacy will be felt long after I am gone. 

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Worship: "Abide" by Kingdom Culture Worship

Honor: https://thewildernessplace.churchcenter.com/giving/to/offerings

Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!