Sunday, March 22, 2009

Undivided Heart

Undivided Heart
Feb 9, 2009
Psalm 86:11 ". . . give me an undivided heart . . ."

King David was said to be a man after God's own heart. It was not a title that David gave to himself, but one that God bestowed upon him. David loved God and truly wanted to follow in God's footsteps, but that doesn't mean it was an easy thing for him to do. David often cried out to God for help; one of those cries was "give me an undivided heart." David recognized in himself the tendency to live for God one moment and then to live for himself the next. This battle, this tugging back and forth of the heart, was a position in which David was not content to stay. David wanted his heart, his mindset, to always be set on God. David wanted to live at all times as a spiritual man, not a fleshly man.

This same battle lives on in you and me today, the battle of dividedness. One day our hearts can be set on God and truly serving Him, and the next day we can be set on serving ourselves and managing things our way. It is an issue, a condition, of control. If we decide to live for God, we give control of everything over to Him. Only then can our hearts be undivided, or truly dedicated to Him. If we try to control or even manage things ourselves letting human intervention in, then our hearts are not set on Him; we are divided or double-minded. James, the brother of Jesus, spoke very pointedly about being double-minded. This man cannot expect to please God because his heart, his mindset, is divided: one eye on God and one eye on the earthly situation.

President Abraham Lincoln completely understood the principle of being divided. He gave his famous "House Divided" speech in which he quoted Matthew 12:25 saying, "a house divided against it's self cannot stand." Lincoln was saying that if something were to survive and prosper, then it must be united in its purpose. This is true of all earthly kingdoms, especially the earthly kingdom of a man's heart.

The divided heart manifests itself in so many ways: Hoping for a physical healing but doubting it will actually happen; trusting God with the solution for a specific situation but still worrying about it; declaring that God is in control but still trying to manage things with earthly wisdom; having confidence in a success but fearing its future failure; giving tithes and offerings to the church while coveting a blessing from God. This list could go on.

Christian, your spiritual growth requires attention to an undivided heart. If you are going to be mature in your walk with God, then your focus must continually be one of letting God take control of your life where you are truly of the spiritual mindset at all times. This is not an easy task; as you can see, even King David struggled with it. But, it is something that can be done and should be addressed every day of your life. Like the phrase, "take up your cross daily and follow Jesus," having an undivided heart is an ongoing mindset that must be renewed on a daily basis.

1. In what areas of your heart are you divided?
2. How can you give those areas over to the Lord?
3. How will you do this on a daily basis?

Add. Scriptures for Study: Psalm 119:113, Ez 11:19, Matt 12:25, Luke 9:23, Rom 12:2, James 1:8, James 4:8

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