What's in your heart?
And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
(Rev 2:23)
The word for today is to guard our hearts. Your heart can be your spirit and your mind. Guarding your heart is important because not doing so can hinder the blessings of God in your life. (Prov 4:23) The heart is where your inner being dwells in union with Christ. (If you are born again)
The mind is the place to start. That is why God has raised our ministry up with its logo---You have the mind of Christ. In this present day and time, there is an urgency to have your minds renewed to the word of God. Your mind is a filter and thoughts that you entertained will sooner or later be acted upon.
Such was the case with the prophet Balaam. He was a prophet of God who was well-known even unto the land of the Moabites. King Balak was king at the time of the Moabites. He was troubled by the expansion of the Jews and wanted to do something about it.
So, he sent out messengers with money to persuade Balaam to curse the people of God. Balaam told them to stay and he was going to seek God's face concerning this situation. God spoke to him in a dream not to curse his people. Balaam, then gave the messengers the news and they departed (Numbers 22:1-13)
Balak heard about this and did not give up. He sent more messengers more honorable than the last ones and offered him a promotion as well as money. Notice how double-minded Balaam was. He stood firm and rejected their rewards but added---Let me see what else the Lord tells me. (Numbers 22:13-20) As we read further, God gave him leave to go with the men but warned him not to curse Israel.
A contradiction?
As we read Numbers 23, we find that God got angry with Balaam and an angel was about to kill him. His donkey, actually, saved his life. The donkey stalled a few times (3X) and Balaam got angry. Then, an amazing thing happened--The donkey spoke and Balaam had a conversation with that animal. It was later on, that Balaam's eyes were opened and he saw the angel of the Lord. He told him that he owed his life to his donkey. The angel was ready to kill him! (Numbers 23:21-31)
My question is if the Lord sent him to King Balak, why was his angel ready to kill him? The answer is in verse 32--thy way is perverse before me. The Lord saw what was in Balaam's heart. He was going to sell out the anointing of God for the sake of money.
Beloved, that is why the Lord has chosen our ministry to focus on our Identity in Christ. Our minds need some renewing. You may stand firm against something that is against God, but if your mind is not renewed--sooner or later you will fall.
Let's face it, we, all, have our weaknesses. Would you believe that Judas was sincere in his walk, yet he failed because of his weakness for money? Think about it--Jesus gave power to all his disciples, including Judas (Matt 10:1) He, also, gave him opportunities to repent but, he chose the path to perdition.
We need to pay attention to our thoughts and how we entertain them. Not doing so will lead us to sin and add sorrow to our lives. When a thought that is not of God comes, take authority over it and put it under your feet. Discipline your mind to think Godly thoughts and you will start seeing a difference in your actions, also. More to come.
Prayer---Thank you, Lord for speaking to me. I confess that I have the mind of Christ. His thoughts, desires, and emotions are in line with my mind. I am his sheep and I hear his voice. I love righteousness and hate iniquity. Thank you for giving me the victory to live for you. In Jesus' name---Amen.
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