Acts 1:24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, show whether of these two thou hast chosen,

Jesus’ followers were waiting for the Holy Ghost to come and fill them with power. While they were waiting, they determined that it was appropriate to appoint a man to replace Judas who had hung himself after he had betrayed Jesus. The followers appointed Justus and Matthias. Now the decision came, both these men were qualified, but they could not know the hearts of these two men, they needed God’s help in selecting.

Most likely, Jesus’ followers were all shocked at the betrayal of Judas. They had spent three years with him but they never saw it coming. These men realized that what they thought they knew about Judas was just a veil compared to the real Judas.

The disciples could see what these two men had allowed them to see. These two men had evidently proven themselves faithful as followers of Christ. However, only one of them could be anointed as a disciple. Jesus’ followers did not know what these men would do tomorrow let alone in ten years. All Jesus’ followers could do was pray that God would show them which man to select.

How often do we have to make selections in our lives? Do we stop and take the time to pray and ask God what we are to do? All around us there are people who appear to be good, but inside, they are hypocrites. We need God’s discernment if we are going to stay out of a lot of trouble.

Maybe you are about to go into a business arrangement with someone. They are a good friend and you really think that this will be a great deal for both of you. However, have you stopped and prayed that God reveal to you whether this individual will remain true for many years to come? Right now their heart seems right, but will money become their god and will it ruin your relationship?

If you are single and looking for a spouse, can you ever really know the heart of the person that you are seeking to marry? Yes they may be spiritual today, but when things get tough, how will they respond to the trial in five years? You do not and cannot know the answer to that question. However, if you take the time to pray and seek God’s will, you can ask HIM to reveal what you should do. God knows the hearts of men and HE knows who will be faithful and who will break your heart.

When it comes to making decisions about other people, these types of decisions need to be made with a lot of prayer. We can never know the heart of the other person and as such, we need to allow God to direct our paths. We should come before God and reveal to HIM just how feeble we are without HIM. Until we learn to ask God for direction when it comes to others, we will never be ready to receive HIS perfect direction for our life.

We need to be patient and understand the bigger picture of God. Just because we think we know it all, there is a level that is completely out of our control. We can never really know the heart of man and we must learn to patiently wait on God to reveal to us how we should interact with others. Until we are willing to let go of our own ideas and allow God to direct our every step, we will never be ready to be all that we can be through HIM. We will never learn all the lessons that HE has for us until we are willing to be patient and allow HIM to direct our steps.

Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

You are never going to be able to fool God. You may be able to fool those around you into thinking that you are a stronger Christian than you really are but you will never be able to deceive God. God knows your heart, HE knows your thoughts and there is nothing that you can hide from HIM.

If you covet something in your heart, HE knows. If you lust for someone in your heart, HE knows. If you are angry in your heart, HE knows. We are told in scripture that out of the abundance of the heart does the mouth speak. Your heart and your mind are the planting ground out of which springs your words, actions, and attitudes.

You might be a very good actor and be able to hide in your heart the jealousy that you have towards another Christian for the apparent blessings that they are receiving. However, while you might be able to hide your attitudes from men, you will never be able to hide them from God. If you continue to allow the works of the flesh to abide in your heart and mind, they will eventually suffocate your relationship with God.

You cannot continually feed the works of the flesh in your heart and mind and think that it will not affect your relationship with God. If you harbor bitterness in your heart while proclaiming to love the Lord to all that you meet, people may believe the words of your mouth, but the blessings of God will not be upon your life and you will soon find that your life is not bearing much spiritual fruit.

When Noah sinned by failing to be temperate in his actions by drinking wine, his son Ham saw his nakedness. However, Ham was not the only person who was cursed for looking at the nakedness of Noah, Ham’s son Canaan was also cursed. Ham planted seeds of lusts and the consequences affected many generations.

When Saul sinned by not obeying God, not only did God depart from Saul, but the kingdom was also taken away from his family. Saul sowed seeds of disobedience and Jonathan suffered by not being permitted to become the next king of Israel.

Nebuchadnezzar allowed thoughts of pride to fill his heart about the great kingdom which he had built. However, God punished Nebuchadnezzar by making him eat grass until he learned to acknowledge the power of God in his life.

It is really easy to allow the seeds of the works of the flesh to be planted in your life. If you do not allow God to root out the works of the flesh from your mind and heart, it will not be too long until the consequences of those actions will have an effect upon your life. If you do not want to suffer the correction of God’s hand upon your life, then you should focus your life upon the things of God so that the fruit of your life will be temperance and you will not allow the things of this world to take hold on your life.

Just because you are fooling those around you, it does not mean that you are fooling God. God knows your heart and mind and he will punish you for the violations of HIS perfect law. Remember that what you plant in your heart, you will eventually reap in your actions.

Matthew 7:28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:

Christ has just completed the Sermon on the Mount. In this verse, we are told the response of the people who heard the commands of Christ. We are told that the people were astonished. According to Webster’s 1828 dictionary, astonish means amazed, confounded with fear, surprise, or admiration. The commands of Christ found in the Sermon on the Mount was not what people expected to hear.

In the next verse, we are told that Christ had said these words as one who had authority, and we are also told that he did not speak as the religious leaders of the day. You must understand, the commands of Christ are a radical change from the traditions of their fathers. The Jews have been living their entire life making sure that they were following the traditions and making the right sacrifices at the right time so as to make sure that they pleased God.

All of a sudden, here comes a man speaking with authority telling them that God is more concerned with their heart then HE is with their actions. Their entire focus has been upon what they could do for God so that they can earn HIS good pleasure. Now all of a sudden, here is a man who is telling them that if their heart is not right, God is not pleased with them.

The Sermon on the Mount is really the first major direction from God about how the nation of Israel was to order its life since Moses received the law. While Christ made clear that HE was not here to abolish the law, this new law really was much different from the traditions that the Jews had been following for many years.

The problem with the Jews was not that they were not capable of having a personal relationship with God, the problem was that the Jews were so focused upon the law that they failed to maintain the relationship that God desired to have with HIS people.

David is just one example of an Israelite who had a personal relationship with God. We are told that David had a heart after the heart of God. David understood that HIS relationship with God was the most important thing. Saul on the other hand was focused upon himself and while both David and Saul had sinned, God showed great mercy upon the house of David because of the relationship that David had with God.

The Law of Moses was filled with many things that the Israelites were to do and what they were not to do. Because the nation became so focused upon traditions, they lost sight of God. Christ was concerned about restoring that relationship with God and as such, HE taught us in this passage where the proper focus is to be so that we can live a life pleasing to God.

It is easy to go to church and just do the motions each week. You can wear nice clothing, you can sing the songs, you can close your eyes and hear the prayers, and you can say amen at the appropriate times during the sermon. You can fool a lot of people into believing that you are a good person, but God looks at your heart and your righteousness is as filthy rags.

You must take the time to add knowledge of the ways of God to your life. As you focus your attention upon what God desires you to do, you will learn that God is concerned about your relationship with HIM. Your focus should not be on traditions but on the relationship.

Matthew 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

What is the most important thing to you? Where is your heart? Are you more concerned about your house here on earth than you are about your mansion in heaven? Are you more concerned about your bank account on earth than you are about the crowns that you will be able to throw at the feet of Jesus? Are you more concerned about your reputation with friends than you are about the souls of the lost?

In this passage, Christ commands us to lay up treasures in heaven. This means that the things of God must have preeminence in our life. The things of this world will eventually be destroyed. You can spend a life amassing great wealth, but the day you die, it does you no good. You can spend your life bringing many to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and upon your death, those individuals can still be winning more souls for the kingdom of God.

What is important to the world is not necessarily what is important to God. If your measure of what is important comes from what you see others deem important, you will not be pursuing the things of God. However, if you add knowledge of the ways of God and spend your time pursuing the things of God, then you will have your heart in the right place and God can richly reward you.

The Sermon on the Mount details the things that God desires you to focus your attention upon. If you spend your time pursuing the things of the world, you will not have the time to pursue the things of God. You cannot serve both God and this world, either you serve God or you serve yourself and the things of this world.

Christ commands us that we are to love the Lord with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourselves. As you study the commands of Christ, HE reveals to you just what it means to love the Lord with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. Christ shows you that it is your heart that is the most important thing; if your heart is not right towards God, how can you say that you love HIM.

In Acts five, we read the story of Ananias and Sapphira. This couple owned a piece of property that they decided to sell. Ananias and Sapphira had seen how many other Christians had sold a piece of property and given the entire proceeds of the property to the church. Ananias and Sapphira decided that they were going to keep back a portion of the proceeds but that they were going to tell everyone that they had sold the property for the amount of the gift.

Ananias and Sapphira did not have their heart set upon the things of God. They desired to do a good thing for God and they wanted to make sure that they received the praises of men. However, they were not fully ready to trust completely in HIM and as such, they held back a portion because they trusted in their own strength more than they trusted in the power of God.

Ananias and Sapphira did not have their heart in the right place and it cost them their lives. Christ has shown us how God expects us to live. If we keep our focus upon the things of this world, then God can bless us and use us. However, when our focus is upon our own strength, God is not with us and our faith will be weak. Do not allow the things of this world to come between you and God. Focus your attention upon God and you will have true life.

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Is your heart right before God? When you have a pure heart, it means that you sin less because you understand that sinning grieves both you and God because of the damage it does to your relationship. A pure heart is a heart that is void of sin. It means that you have cleared everything up with God and there is nothing between you and God.

In this passage, Jesus tells us that those who have a pure heart shall see God. Job was a perfect man and he sinned not. Job lost his wealth, his family, and his health and he saw the hand of God in the whole matter. Job suffered much, yet because of his pure heart, he saw God in all that was going on and he was able to maintain a right relationship with God.

Joseph is another man who had a pure heart. When the wife of Potiphar tried to get him to commit adultery, Joseph refused to sin against God and his master. Joseph was sent to prison where instead of being bitter, he chose to accept his present position and he was diligent. Later on in his life, after the death of his father, Joseph was able to say to his brothers that while they meant it for evil, God meant it for good. Because of the pure heart of Joseph, he saw the hand of God during every aspect of his life.

Have you ever felt that God was a long ways away? Have you ever wondered why it seems that God does not care what is going on in your life? Have you ever considered why you feel so alone? Maybe the answer is that your heart is not pure.

You are harboring things in your heart that come between you and God. Maybe it is a secret sin, or maybe there is something that you feel is more important to you than your relationship with God. It does not matter what it is, if there is something between you and God, it is your obligation to get rid of it so that you can restore fellowship with God.

When your heart is right with God, than your spiritual eyes will be open and you will learn to see God. You have read in the Bible all these exciting stories of individuals who experienced the presence of God. You read of Abraham negotiating with God, Jacob wrestling with God, Moses seeing the backside of God, and Elisha seeing the army of God surround the enemy. These men had a right relationship with God. It was because they had a pure heart that God revealed HIMSELF to these men so that they knew what was going on and what was going to happen.

If you feel lost and that you do not know what is going on, maybe you should look at your own life to see what is hindering you from seeing God. God desires to direct you in the way you are to go, but as long as your heart is not pure, your sin will cloud your spiritual eyes and will prevent you from doing the right thing.

It all starts with you and your decision whether or not to maintain a right relationship with God. No one is going to make you grieve when you sin against God. No one is going to make you confess your sins before God. No one except God knows just how filthy your heart is and just how far you have strayed from God.

You must take the time to understand the condition of your heart so that you can be pure. If you do not know what God expects of you, how can you expect to have a pure heart? By adding knowledge of the ways of God, you will know the areas of your life that need to be changed.

Proverbs 31:26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

One of the characteristics of a person who has virtue is that they have filled their heart with wisdom. Scripture tells us that out of the abundance of the heart, does the mouth speak. Your mouth will not speak forth wisdom unless you have first filled your heart with wisdom.

In the book of James we are told that the wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. (James 3:17). If you desire to have wisdom, then you must first take the time to fill your heart with the things of God. You cannot expect to speak wise things if you allow your mind to be filled with filthy thoughts. You cannot expect people to come to you for your wisdom if they know that you are a hypocrite.

People should look at you and know that you are different. The words of your mouth should reveal to all that God is with you. How was it that the people knew that Samuel was a prophet from God? It was because the words that he spoke. People could tell that God was with him and thus they naturally followed Samuel.

How was it that the people came to start following Moses? Moses had a message from God and as God started bringing things to pass in accordance with the words of Moses, the people understood that Moses was whom God desired them to follow.

It was God who came to Moses in a burning bush and came to Samuel in the night to speak with them. Because of the death of Jesus Christ, we are now able to intercede directly with God. You have the ability to hear the voice of god just like Moses and Samuel did. However, if you do not put yourself in a position where you can hear God, then how do you expect God to use you for the furtherance of HIS kingdom?

If you are going to have wisdom of God coming out of your mouth, then you must start with taking the time to add knowledge of the ways of God to your life. As you spend your time reading, memorizing, and meditating upon the words of God, you will learn to hear HIS still small voice.

How can you live in a manner that is pleasing to God if you do not take the time to understand what God expects you to do? How can you expect God to use you in touching the lives of others if you do not first take the time to live your life in accordance with HIS principles? Have you ever thought that maybe the reason why you do not know what God desires you to do next is because you have failed to take the time to add knowledge of HIS ways to your life?

We can often be the biggest reason why we have problems. We are so self-centered that we fail to take the time to study and understand what God expects of us. We desire all the benefits of serving God without the costs associated with serving God. We long for God to bless us with health, wealth, and long life.

We must be like Job who spent plenty of time each day praying for his family. However, when God took his family away, Job did not curse God. Instead, Job understood who God was and as a result, he was able to be used of God to minister unto those who thought they were ministering unto him. If you do not know God, then do not expect HIS wisdom to come out of your mouth.

Proverbs 28:26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.

What are the desires of your heart? If you are not careful, you will find that your heart can deceive you and cause you to long for things that you really do not want or that will never satisfy you. If you decide to rely upon what your heart tells you is right, you are a fool and your ways will be unstable.

You are often going to be too close to your problems to trust your own heart. If you rely upon your own strength, you will fail. A wise individual understands the importance of wise counsel and as such, surrounds himself with those individuals who will direct him to the center of the will of God for his life.

A wise man walketh wisely. Are you a wise man? Do you understand how your own heart can deceive you and lead you astray?

Moses had been called by God to lead the nation of Israel. As such, the people were coming to him with their problems. Moses was too tenderhearted to turn them away and as such, he was working late hours judging the people. When Jethro came to visit Moses, he directed Moses to establish judges over tens, fifties, hundreds, and thousands. Moses walked wisely and followed the instructions of his father-in-law and as a result, he was delivered from a burden that was too heavy for him.

You must learn to delight yourself in the Lord. The more time you spend drawing closer to God, the more pure your heart. The purer your heart , the easier it will be for you not to trust in your own heart but to instead, seek out the wise counsel to guide you in the way you are to go.

If you desire to be delivered from your problems, then you need to first learn to stop relying upon your own strength. God is able to deliver you from whatever problem you face. However, as long as you think and act as if your own strength will save you, you are a fool and you will keep digging yourself deep into the pit.

Amnon thought he loved his step sister Tamar. Amnon allowed himself to think about Tamar to the point that he was love sick. Amnon ended up raping Tamar and he soon discovered that the hatred he had towards her was greater than the love he had to her. Amnon was a fool because he allowed his heart to deceive him. Because Amnon allowed his heart to deceive him, his step-brother Absalom took his life.

Amnon was simply following his heart. He thought he loved Tamar so he did what he thought was best because of the love that he had for her. Amnon had not surrounded himself with wise counselors. As such, instead of being delivered from his problems, he found himself in even great problems.

Take time to add knowledge of the ways of God to your life. The more time you spend filling your heart with the things of God, the more you will learn to delight in the things of God. As your heart learns to desire what God desires, then you will start obtaining the desires of your heart. God desires to show HIMSELF strong in your life. However, you must first be willing to put your trust in HIM and stop relying upon your own heart.

Proverbs 23:26 My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

Where is your heart? What are the things that you desire? God desires you heart. You need to turn it over to HIM and allow HIM to control your longings.

What is the most important thing to you right now? If we were to listen to a recording of all your prayers over the last 30 days, what would be the most talked about subject of your prayers? Is it some need that you have? Is it something or someone that you long for? Are you asking for a closer walk with God?

It is easy to meditate upon the verse, Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (Psalms 37:4). However, do you really know what that means? Do you understand what that means to delight in God? If you are really delighting in God, it means that you do not have room for the cares of this world. If you are really delighting in God, then the things of this world do not control you.

When you delight in God, you have given your heart to him. Think of a young couple who are madly in love with one another. They cannot imagine spending the rest of their life apart from one another. All they can think about is spending time with their beloved. When they talk with others, they praise the one who lights up their life. They have given their heart to their loved one and they hope that they do not break their heart.

Just as a young couple in love delights to be around one another, so also should you learn to delight yourself in God. Reading your Bible should not be a chore, you should see it as reading a love letter from your lover. Prayer should not be a hard thing, it should be just as easy as a three hour telephone conversation with that special friend who has caught your attention.

In the same way that a young couple seeks to serve each other, so also should you seek to serve the One who loved you so much that HE gave HIS only Son to die for you. You understand that greater love has no man then this, that he lay down his life for his friend.

You have no problem giving your heart to the individual whom you have fallen in love with. Why is it so hard for you to fall in love with God? What is so hard about giving HIM your heart? Giving God your heart is more than just asking HIM into your heart because you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Giving God your heart means that HE becomes number one in your heart. This means that your relationship with God must change.

Think of God as your lover. If you have a hard time seeing that picture, it means that you have a long way to go before you will be giving HIM all of your heart. It will not be easy allowing yourself to fall in love with HIM. The things of this world do have a drag upon your heart. The world will constantly be trying to get you to spend more time with the pleasures of this world. However, God desires that you give HIM your heart and you learn to start desiring HIM.

Once you learn to truly desire the things of God, then the desires of your heart will naturally be the things of God. If you desire the things of God, it will be easy for God to give you those things that HE already desires to give you. You must spend time adding knowledge of the ways of God so that you can learn what the desires of God are for your life. As you spend time drawing closer to God, do not be afraid to start falling in love with your God.

Proverbs 22:17 Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.

You will not obtain knowledge of the ways of God simply because of how good looking you are. You will not obtain knowledge of the ways of God simply because your parents go to church. You will not obtain knowledge of the ways of God simply because you think you deserve it.

Knowledge of the ways of God comes to those who apply their heart towards the things of God. You may be a nice person, but that does not mean that you will obtain knowledge of the ways of God. Just because three years ago you spent a whole month seeking the Lord, it does not mean that you will be able to hear HIS still small voice today. Understanding the ways of God needs to be a daily process. You must learn to daily set aside time so that you can hear the direction of God. As you apply your heart towards the ways of God, God will make your path clear.

How many Christians do you know who simply only give lip serve to God? They claim to be Christians but maybe other than going to church on Sunday, God is not a part of their life. Some Christians may even pray before they eat, and others still might occasionally pick up the Bible and read a verse or two.

This is not how God desires for you to live your spiritual life. God desires your best. Just as God expects you to give the first ten percent of your income, so God should have the first ten percent of your time. Do you wake up in the morning singing praises and thanking God? Do you get up early enough in the morning so that you can have your devotions before you get started on your busy day? Do you take the time to pray? Not just a simple five minute, if you exist up there prayer, but where you pour out your heart to God and you try to hear HIS still small voice.

If God is not very important to you, why should you expect to hear HIS still small voice? If you do not make God a priority, why should you expect HIM to make your paths clear? If you do not pay attention to God, why do you expect HIM to direct you in your time of need?

You have heard of the story of the nation of Israel wondering in the wilderness. You have heard how God led the nation by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. You think how wonderful it would be to have the will of God be so clear. You think that there would be no way you could go wrong if God made HIS way so clear. However, just because the nation of Israel had such clear direction from God, there were several who tried to kick Moses out of his leadership role so that they could be the ruler. These individuals may have been seeing the direction of God for the nation but they were filled with pride and that destroyed them.

Are you applying your heart to obtain knowledge of the ways of God? Maybe you are a devote Christian who every day wakes up and does your devotions. However, ask yourself this, are you devotionals effective? Maybe you are faithful, but are you just filling time to say that you did your devotionals? Your time with the Lord should not just be a certain period of time and then you are done, the quality of time spent needs to be right.

If you are easily distracted during your time with the Lord, you are not going to hear HIS still small voice. Just because you read four chapters a day and thus read the entire Bible in one year, it does not mean that you will now hear HIS voice. You can read the Bible but your mind could be elsewhere. Make sure you are spending quality time with the Lord.

Proverbs 21:2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.

Who is the judge of your life? If you are the judge, you will never condemn yourself. If you are the judge, you will always find excuses for your behavior. If you are the judge, you will be quick to discern just how wonderful of a person you are. When you are the judge, you judge by your own standards, you have your own level of acceptability, and you look at your life from your own flawed perspective.

However, you should serve the living God. God above is the ultimate judge. He judges by a perfect standard. He is a perfect judge because HE not only sees your actions, but HE also knows your heart. God sees your heart so HE knows why you do what you do. When people judge you, they can only guess at your heart, but God knows it.

David is known as the man who had a heart after the heart of God. David just like you and me did sin and fall short of the glory of God. David just like you and me faced the judgment of God for violating the perfect will of God. However, David had something that we need to seek after. David sought God and desired to please HIM.

How did David develop a heart after the heart of God? We know that David spent many hours writing songs where he talked to God about what was going on in his life. David praised God for the God and tried to understand the trials that he was facing. Because David had a heart after the heart of God, God blessed David in ways that he did not bless Saul.

If you were to compare the life of Saul and the life of David, one would wonder why God blessed David and took the throne away from Saul. David committed adultery, he committed murder, he became proud and numbered the size of his army. Saul did some things that we wrong, but from our human perspective, we would say that they were not as egregious as the sins of David. This is the reason that God is the ultimate judge. HE is able to understand the heart.

The heart is deceptively wicked and no man can know it except the Lord. When sin entered the world, it caused you and me to start living by our own standards. However, there is a better way; you do not have to suffer the punishment of living for eternity in hell which is the consequence of sin. You can choose to start living your life by the standards of God.

To have a heart after the heart of God, you are going to have to start purifying your heart from the influences of this world. You will purify your heart by starting to fill your heart with the things of God. The more time you spend adding knowledge of the ways of God, the more pure your heart will become and the more God will be pleased with your thoughts and actions.

We can learn a lot from the life of Jesus. While we will never live the perfect life that HE lived, we can observe the standard that God desires us to maintain. Jesus spent time talking with God so that HE maintained fellowship with HIM. Jesus also understood what the will of God was and that is what HE desired to do.

If you are doing what you want, when you want, then you will never fully understand the will of God and what you must do in order to please God. The more time you spend seeking out the will of God, the easier it will be for you to understand who God is and what HE desires you to do. God knows your heart, why do you not start living like you believe it.

Proverbs 20:11 Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.

God knows the heart of a child. God understands why a child is doing what he is doing. Is the child being destructive or is the child trying to show her love in a way that she sees possible. Case in point, a young little girl goes next door and picks a beautiful flower to give to her mother. The child may not fully comprehend that what she is doing is wrong; her heart is pure because she saw something beautiful and wanted to give it to her mother who she loves.

Granted this is a good teaching opportunity for the mother to teach her child the importance of personal property rights and how one cannot steal. Nonetheless, this does not mean that the child should be berated for her mistake.

Just as God knows the heart of the little child and knows what the motives are, so God knows your heart and why you are doing what you are doing. If God knows your heart, if HE knows your motives, and HE knows whether what you are doing is right or wrong, then why do you not think that HE will hold you accountable for every thought, word, and action?

When the disciples tried to send the children away from Jesus, Jesus rebuked them and requested that the little children come unto HIM. It is important to understand that God cares for the little children just as HE cares for you. Little children may not have the ability to do as much for the Lord as you have with all your education, financial backing, or developed talents; yet nonetheless, God does not look at what all you can do for HIM, but HE is concerned with your heart and why you are doing what you are doing.

Why are you serving the Lord? Are you serving the Lord because you think it will please God and thus HE will bless you? Are you serving the Lord because you are trying to keep up with the Jones and you desire the approval of man? Are you serving the Lord because you heard some preacher speak and you thought that the adventure of serving the Lord sounded exciting?

God knows your heart. HE knows if your actions are pure and right. It does not matter if you are doing the right thing for the wrong reasons, God will know and you will be accountable to HIM. In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ commanded us that when we pray, when we fast, and when we give to God, that we are to do it in secret so that God can reward us openly. Christ taught us an important lesson in the Sermon on the Mount that God is not just looking at what you are doing but that HE is also looking at your heart to make sure you are doing the right thing for the right reasons.

On several occasions, different people challenged the authority of Moses. Moses simply took these problems to God and HE allowed God to deal with the problem. Moses understood that HE was accountable to God for what he did, and if the people were going to challenge him, they needed to take it up with God.

It is time for you to start adding to your knowledge of the ways of God. The more time you spend drawing closer to God, the easier it will be for you to not only understand the will of God for your life but also how you are to maintain a right heart towards God. God is looking at your heart and HE will hold you accountable. If God knows the heart of a child, he definitely knows your heart.

Proverbs 15:28 The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.

Are you careful to think about what you are going to say before you say it or are you one who often opens mouth and inserts foot? Too often we do not think about what we say before we say it and as a result, we reveal just how foolish we are.

When Solomon was faced with the problem of determining what he was going to do with the two prostitutes who were fighting over who was the mother of the living child, Solomon did not respond too hastily. While some might have thought that he was being hasting in his judgments by ordering the killing of the child, Solomon was wise in that he was relying upon the wisdom of God to reveal to HIM who the mother was. Solomon understood that the true mother would love her child enough that she would rather the child live and be given to another then that the child be killed and she obtain half of her child.

How often do you find yourself facing a difficult situation in which the words that you speak can either add fuel to the fire or can calm a storm? If you stop and are careful with your words, you can be a peacemaker and solve a troubled situation. However, if you allow the wicked man in you to say what you want, you may quickly find that the difficult situation you were facing has become worse.

Christ commanded us that out of the abundance of your heart does your mouth speak. This means that if you are not careful about what you put in your heart, then you will soon reap the results of the seeds that you planted in your life. You cannot continue to allow yourself to be placed in compromising environments and expect that you will be able to escape untarnished. The righteous man is careful about even allowing himself to dwell in a place that could compromise his integrity.

It does not take much to ruin your reputation. Take a bright white sheet and a single small stain can ruin the entire sheet. People judge you by what they see about you. The righteous man understands that their life is a testimony of a living God. If the righteous man is acting like the world, why would anyone want to come and serve God? The world is carefully examining your Christian life to see if you are a hypocrite or if you actually live your life in accordance with the principles you espouse.

All you have to do is mess up once and the world will jump on that mistake to convince themselves that you do not have anything that they need. Because of the scrutiny put on you by those who are of the world, you must be careful to make sure that you carefully examine your words before you utter them. Make sure that the words you are about to speak will not bring reproach to the name of Christ. Yes, you may sin and God is able to forgive you of your sins. However, you still need to be careful to ensure that you do not make matters worse.

You must keep your heart pure so that the words that come out of it properly reflect the life you desire to life for the Lord. You live in the world and as such you will see and hear things that do not glorify God. Spend time adding knowledge of the ways of God to your heart is not influenced by evil. The more time you spend drawing closer to God, the harder it will be for you to say something that you will regret latter.

Proverbs 6:25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

In this passage, we are given a warning to avoid loose women. You have heard that Christ commanded us that a man who lusted in his heart after a woman had already committed adultery with her. In this passage, we see that Solomon is giving a similar warning about the importance of keeping your heart pure before God.

Your heart is the center of your being. You understand the passage of delight yourself in the Lord and HE shall give you the desires of your heart. You understand the passage to mean that if you put the things of God first, then God will give you those things that you really desire. However, what if you are violating the principle taught in this passage? Do you think God will give you the desires of your heart if the desires of your heart are for lose and immoral women?

The sin of adultery begins with the heart. If you are going to fight this battle to keep yourself pure, you must fight it at the heart. This means that you cannot afford to allow yourself to think about the object of your lust, instead, anytime that Satan attacks you by planting a seed in your mind, you must fight it right then and there to ensure that it does not take root and thus control your thinking. The longer you allow the sin of lust to be controlling your mind, the easier it will be for Satan to one day encourage you to actually commit the physical act itself.

David was a man who had a heart after the heart of God. However, one evening, while he was looking over the city, David saw Bath-sheba taking a bath. Rather than fight the battle in his heart, David lusted for Bath-sheba and he sent for her and he committed adultery with her that night. The lust in the heart of David was quick to lead him astray.

Judah had been married but his wife had died. One day he was passing through a town and he saw a woman who was dressed as a harlot. Judah could have kept walking in the direction he was going, but instead, he stopped to ask the harlot what her price was for him to sleep with her. Judah never saw the face of the woman he was sleeping with because if he had, he would have recognized her as being his daughter-in-law. Judah simply lusted for something that was not proper and because he did not fight the battle in his heart, he quickly yielded to the sin and committed adultery.

We need to follow the example of Joseph. Joseph was given the opportunity to sleep with the wife of his master. Potiphar had entrusted everything to Joseph and day after day, the wife of Potiphar tried to entice Joseph to sleep with her. The wife of Potiphar lusted after Joseph and because of the lust in her heart she was not going to be content until she obtained that which she lusted for. However, Joseph refused to even allow his heart to lust for the wife of his master, and because he kept his heart pure, he overcame.

It is your responsibility that you add knowledge of the ways of God to your life. You must understand that God does not want you to just not commit sinful acts, but HE desires that you combat sin in your heart. Remember that God is not flesh and blood, and as such, the spiritual battle for your heart is the most important battle.

Proverbs 6:18 A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations,

In this passage, Solomon gives us seven things that are an abomination unto the Lord. The fourth item in this list of abominations is a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations. God desires that our hearts be pure before him. Many people argue that just because they do not do the things that their mind thinks about, it means that they have not committed any sin.

Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount that it is not just the one who actually commits adultery who is guilty of committing adultery. Instead, Jesus revealed to us a higher standard in which he said that the man who lusted after a woman in his heart has already committed adultery.

God is not just concerned about what you do; HE is also concerned about what you think about. You cannot be good on the outside but on the inside be filled with wicked thoughts. While your friends and family never see the thoughts in your mind, God does. HE knows your every thought before you think it.

The importance of keeping your mind pure can be illustrated by a caramel apple. What if someone substituted an onion for the apple and gave it to you to eat. From the outside it would simply look like a great big caramel apple, but as soon as you bite into it, you would quickly discover the truth of the matter. The same is true in our own life; you cannot hide forever the wickedness of your mind. If you allow your mind to dwell on wicked things, sooner rather than later, because of your wicked mind, you will do something that will reveal to others that you are not as pure as everyone believes.

During the days of Jesus and Paul, there were many religious leaders who everyone held in high esteem. However, if you were to examine their lives very carefully, you would have seen that they were not as righteous as they wanted you to think that they were. The religious leaders should have been the first to herald the coming of the Messiah, however, because of the hardness of their heart, they chose to do that which was right in their own eyes. Everyone thought that these religious leaders were such honorable citizens, but because they were more concerned about power and keeping their power, their lives were an abomination unto God.

When you think a thought that if you were to act upon it would be a sin to God, you need to understand that even though you did not act upon it, you are still guilty of sinning. It is time that you stop and put the things of God first in your life. Not only is God concerned about your actions, but you need to understand that HE is also concerned about your thoughts. Remember that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth does speak. If you are constantly having to restrain your mouth from saying things that are not pleasing to HIM, then you should start cleaning up your heart so it can be pure before God.

You need to learn to diligently add knowledge of the ways of God to your life. In this passage, we clearly see that God is concerned about your thoughts. If you did not take the time to seek after the way that God desires you to live, you would naturally think that as long as you did not sin outwardly, it does not matter what you think.

Proverbs 2:2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

In this passage, Solomon is listing out the things that you must do in order to understand the fear of the Lord and to find knowledge of God. You understand from scriptures that you are to add knowledge of the ways of God to your life. You also understand that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. As such, understanding this passage and implementing the instructions given into your life will give you the tools that you need to obey God.

The first step in order to understand the fear of the Lord is to receive HIS words. The second step is to hide HIS commandments in your heart. In this passage we see the third and fourth steps. The third step is to incline your ear unto wisdom. Every day you have a choice to make regarding what you think about and what you do. If you are inclining your ear to wisdom, this means that you have set your mind towards doing that which is right in the eyes of God.

The fourth step in order to understand the fear of the Lord is to apply your heart to understanding. The third step dealt with your mind and this fourth step really deals with your heart. If you are going to obtain knowledge of the ways of God, then you must make a complete transformation of your life, no longer are you able to control parts of it, instead, you must allow God to have complete control of your mind, soul, and heart.

What is the desire of your heart? Are you thinking about those things that are right in the eyes of God or are you wishing that you could do those things that the world glorifies? When God came to Solomon and asked him what the desires of his heart was, the response of Solomon was that he desired wisdom so as to rule the people that God had given to him. Solomon could have asked for wealth, he could have asked for love, he could have asked for health, instead, he desired wisdom and God granted him the desire of his heart.

Why was David chosen by God to be the next king of Israel rather than Jonathan? The answer was that David had a heart after the heart of God. However, just because David had a heart after the heart of God, this does not mean that his life was absent of trials. No, David was tested many times; he had to face many trials that would have discouraged many believers. David did sin and fall short of the perfect will of God, the difference was that when David was confronted of his sin; David saw the wickedness of his ways and he truly repented.

Where would you go to find wisdom that you can incline your ear to and understanding that you can apply your heart to other than the word of God? You cannot fulfill step three or four until you have first received the words of God and made them a priority in your life. You must make God a priority, you must learn to desire to hear from God and treasure HIS commands. If you allow your own thinking and your own understanding to dictate your decisions, you are not demonstrating the fear of the Lord and you will fail in obtaining knowledge of the ways of God.

If you desire to add knowledge of the ways of God to your life, start focusing your attention upon God. Rather than looking for how the things of this world can entertain you or fulfill you, start marking God a priority so that HE may direct your steps. You do not have to choose to love the Lord with all your heart. God has not required you to make any decision. However, HE has showed you the benefits if you follow HIM and the consequences if you ignore HIM. The fear of the Lord will change your life, but first you must make a decision to pursue the things of God.

Acts 13:22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will.

How many times have you heard the phrase that David was a man after heart of God? Have you ever stopped to think about it; to really understand what the means? In order for David to be a man after the heart of God, he had to spend time drawing close to God so that he could understand who God really was. Before David could be a man after the heart of God, he first had to see the heart of God.

You have seen the little boy who so desperately tries to follow in the footsteps of his father. You have seen the little girl who observes her mother and tries to copy every single step. Why do they do this? These little children observe their parents and follow their examples because they are their role-models. They learn by observing and doing.

Who is your role-model? Is it God or some other person? David decided that he was going to follow God so he spent the time that was necessary to learn more about God. The more he knew who God was, the easier it was to set his affections upon those things that God desired. David is an example to us of Psalms 37:4. David learned to delight in who God was and as his heart became fixed upon those things that God desired, David saw God give him those things that he desired because they were the things that God desired.

Because David took the time to understand the heart of God, David understood the will of God. Since David understood what God desired him to do, he was not sitting around wondering what God desired him to do, he was doing it. David still sinned and fell short of the glory of God. As great of a man as David was, he also had great transgressions. David was not following the will of God when he numbered the people to see how great his army was. David was not following the will of God when he committed adultery with Bath-sheba and then later murdered her husband Uriah.

David was not perfect, yet God still said that David was a man after the heart of God. David took the time to understand the ways of God. When was the last time that you set aside a whole day just to be away with God and to seek HIS face? When was the last time that you put aside food so that your spiritual side could be feed with the food that only God can provide? If you desire to have God recognize you like HE recognized David, you must first follow the example of David and diligently add to your life knowledge of the ways of God.

Do you even care about what God thinks of you? You care about what other people think of you. You are so concerned about the impression that you leave with others. Remember there is coming a day when God will judge you for every word, thought, and deed. You ought to care 100 times as much as to what God thinks of you as you do of what man thinks of you.

David took time to add to his life knowledge of the ways of God; are you following his example? David understood who God was and that drove him even closer to God. The more David understood who God was, the easier it was for him to do the will of God. You need to take the time every day to put God first. You need to take time every week to seek the ways of God. As you understand what the desires of God are, you will be at peace doing HIS perfect will.

Psalms 86:11 Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

Is it your heart’s cry to understand who God is? Do you take the time to discern what God is doing in your life? It is easy to say that you are a Christian, but it is a different matter to actually conform your life to the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. God’s ways are not your ways. You must be willing to be a student of God so that HE can teach you HIS way not only in your life but also in the world around you. If you do not take the time to understand the ways of God, you will quickly be discouraged and angry with God because HE is not doing things the way you expected.

God allows things to occur in your life for the purpose of drawing you closer to HIM. These things may seem unfair, but it is a part of HIS perfect plan for your life. You may lose someone who is very close to you. If you have a heart like David’s heart, you will not allow yourself to become angry with God but instead you will learn to praise HIM because HE is in control and HE will be magnified through you if you will let HIM.

You may not be able to control the things that go on around you but you can control your response. God desires you to be like David, and be willing to seek the ways of God. You must have the heart of a student with the most important subject learning the ways of God. As you take the time to study the ways of God, HE can show you things that you never would have seen had you not first been willing to first trust and obey HIM.

God will not always immediately reveal to you why HE allows certain things to occur in your life. Some things you may not find out until you reach heaven. However, if you seek the Lord, if you are willing to allow HIM to have full reign in your life, then God can give you the peace that passeth all understanding. God will not always be mysterious. God allowed many terrible things to occur in the life of Joseph; by the end of his’ life, we see how God used all the terrible circumstances for HIS’ glory.

God allowed Job to suffer many things. Job did not curse God but instead simply trusted God. Job understood that all good things come from God and that since God is the giver of good things, God can take those good things away. One who takes the time to understand the ways of God understands that God allowed these difficult times in Job’s life so that God could be glorified. Job’s trials were difficult, but they revealed to God, Satan, and the world the true heart of Job.

The ways of God are mysterious to those who do not take the time to put God first. If you were not an auto mechanic and you went to an auto mechanic convention and sat in on the lectures, there would be a lot of strange things said that would not make much sense. However, if you were willing to apply yourself, you could learn the lingo and trade.

God’s ways are no different. Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find. If you desire to learn the ways of God, God will give you the desires of your heart and reveal to you HIS’ ways if you will but only put HIM first. As you change your mindset and allow HIM to be first in your life, the mysterious ways of God will be revealed to you. God will open doors in your life because you took the time to add virtue to your life.

Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

It does not matter what you do, you cannot create for yourself a clean heart. Your own wickedness has dirtied your heart and you have no righteousness to make it clean. You must accept the righteousness of God in order to receive the clean heart that David is crying out for in this passage. It does not matter what works that you do, only God can give you a clean hear and a clear conscience.

You can attempt to do a 1,000 good works a day, but it will not create a clean heart in you. There is nothing you can do except receiving God’s righteousness that will give you the clean heart that you need in order to spend eternity in heaven.

How often do you find yourself allowing the concerns of this world to control you? How often do you see anger, worry, fear, greed, or bitterness creeping up into your spirit? When you allow the things of this world to control you your spirit cannot be right with God. God needs you to stop allowing yourself to get into the downward spiral and instead, allow HIM to lift you up.

God desires to renew your relationship with HIM. God longs for you to be utterly dependent upon HIM. God can do the impossible but HE desires that you change your attitude and renew your spirit so that HE is the focus of your life. Until you are at the place where you are utterly dependent upon God, God will not show HIMSELF strong in your life as you desire.

Scripture shows us two particular battles that king Asa was a part of. The first one Asa cried out to God and acknowledged that he rested fully on HIM. Asa understood that God could save them with many or with them that had no power. God showed himself strong in Asa’s life and the Lord smote the Ethiopians.

The second battle that Asa face he did not cry out to God. Instead he turned to his gold and used it to pay off the Syrians so that they might help him defeat his enemies. God had shown himself strong in the life of Asa but Asa did not keep his heart right before God and allowed himself to rely upon his own strength. God was not pleased with Asa and within a short period of time, Asa died because he did not cry out to God for deliverance.

The children of the world appear to be able to live in this world without God, but they do not live the fulfilled life that you are able to live when you are following God’s perfect plan for your life. Yes, you can survive this world without God, but you will never make it to eternity with HIM. You must understand that because you have become a servant of God, your whole existence is reliant upon HIM.

God desires to do great things through you. However, you need to change your mindset and rather than thinking upon the things of this world, you need to learn to think upon the things of God. As you fill your mind with virtue, you will learn to understand God’s power in your life. You will not experience this power if you allow the things of this world to consume you. Instead you must learn to be consumed by the things of God. God is all you need, and God should be your top priority.

Psalms 45:1 My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

How is your heart today? Is it your desire to have a close relationship with God? Have you so filled your life with the things of God that your mouth speaks forth the words of God? God desires to change you. HE desires to make you a new person. No longer does your heart need to dwell upon the things of this world.

One of the elements of virtue is filling your mind with those things that are of a good report. David in this passage is talking about his heart being full of good things. As a result of filling HIS life with the things of God and desiring to draw closer to HIS Maker and Creator, David found that HIS mouth was prepared. God was able to use the words of his mouth for HIS glory. God was able to use David to encourage us to ensure that we are living our lives for HIS glory.

Words mean things. God hears every word that proceeds out of your mouth. The words of your mouth must glorify HIM. You know that it is out of the abundance of your heart that your mouth speaks. It is important that you take the time to fill your heart with the things of God. If God is not the center of your life, how can you expect HIM to give you the words to say that bring glory to HIS name. If you have not first taken the time to prepare the soil of your heart, why is it that you expect HIM to use you in mighty ways to bring sinners to repentance?

In the same way that a farmer must prepare the soil in order to obtain a great harvest, so too must you prepare your heart to be ready to be used of God. God desires to be the center of your life. As you allow your relationship with HIM to grow, HE will give you a desire to draw closer to HIM. The things of God will have more of an importance in your life than the things of this world. It will not be an easy process but as you take the time seeking God, God will mature you so that the words you speak can be an encouragement to others.

Before David killed Goliath, David’s words acknowledged God’s power in HIS life. David had spent many days alone with the sheep and it was during this time that HIS relationship with God grew. As David saw God’s hand in HIS life, David learned to sing forth God’s praises and thus prepare HIS heart. David never would have been able to talk to Saul with such confidence if he had not first allowed God to mold him in HIS image.

You need to allow God to reign supreme. You need to allow your life to be filled with God so that you can hear HIS still small voice in your life. God desires to do so much in your life. You simply need to start implementing virtue in your life by learning to think upon the things of God.

Filling your life with the things of God will change your life. It will change the words you speak and it will change the impact that you will have on this world for God. Until you allow God to change your heart and mind, your ministry to God here on this earth will be diminished. God has such rich rewards waiting for you if you will just learn to allow HIM to take first place in your life.

Psalms 35:12-13 They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul. But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.

Do you want to know why David was called a man after God’s own heart? This passage gives you a glimpse into David’s heart and helps reveal why God loved David’s heart. Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount that you are to “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). David’s life demonstrated this principle long before Jesus taught the importance of loving your enemies.

Saul wished to do David harm but David on several occasions chose to do Saul good. It did not matter to David that Saul was his enemy, David understood that God had anointed Saul and David’s love for the Lord was so strong that he allowed his love to overflow upon the one who wished to do him harm.

Saul was not the only enemy that David loved. David’s own son Absalom drove David out of Jerusalem and tried to take the throne away from David. Absalom had no desire of leaving his father alive; he wanted his own father dead. David on the other hand loved his enemy so much so that when he learned that Absalom was dead, he mourned even though it meant that God had returned the throne back to him.

David did not just love those who loved him. David went the extra mile to forgive those who had wronged him. David was not perfect, but both his prayers and his actions demonstrated a love for his enemies that God desires us to maintain.

It is not easy to love your enemies as David did. In order to fulfill Christ’s command to love, bless, do good, and pray for your enemies, you must change your perspective. You must be like Joseph who was able to forgive his brothers because he saw the bigger picture that God used his brother’s evil deeds to do good. You must be like David who understood that God had anointed Saul and thus while Saul desired to kill him; David had to live to a higher standard and reverence the king. You must be like Paul who was more concerned about the soul of his jailer than he was about his own personal freedom.

If you desire to please God and have a heart after God’s own heart, you need to change your thinking. You must add virtue to your life so that you can put on the mind of Christ. No longer are your enemies those who you wish evil upon, instead, you must understand that God is using your enemies in your life to teach you humility. God is using your enemies to bring adversity into your life so that HE can guide you in the way HE has for you. Your enemies are not your enemies; they are God’s tools to draw you closer to HIM.

Who really is the enemy of your life? Satan desires to destroy your relationship with God. God desires that you develop a heart after HIS own heart. To do this, you must fill your mind with the truth of God. You must be willing to realize that God made your fellow man and that HE has a purpose for them just as HE has a purpose for you. Rather than vent your anger against your fellow man, you need to follow Christ’s command and start finding ways that you can heap coals of fire upon your fellow man by doing them good.

Psalms 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Examine your life. You know the commands of the Lord; is the words that you speak acceptable to the Lord? Are you even meditating upon God’s word? God has given you a conscience by which you are able to examine your life to see where you have fallen short of HIS glory. It is your responsibility to come before God and examine your life from HIS perspective. You understand that HE is your strength.

God has redeemed you and given you the power over temptation. However, if you constantly choose to live your life for yourself, you will quickly find that you do not have the strength to overcome the wicked one. Instead, you need to be like David who constantly came before God and measured his life according to God’s standards. While David understood that it was impossible to live his life according to God’s perfect law, it was David’s desire to maintain a very close relationship with God.

David understood that those around him could not see his heart. Others understood David’s close relationship with God based upon the words that came out of David’s mouth. However, David’s words would not be pleasing to the Lord and encourage others to draw closer to HIM if David did not first take the time to fill his heart with the Word of God. David filled his heart with the mediation of God’s word.

David was not perfect. Once David allowed lust to fill his heart for Bath-sheba. Because David’s heart was not thinking upon the things of God, not only did he commit adultery and conceive a child with Bath-sheba, but also the words of his mouth led Uriah to his death. David may not have actually killed Uriah, but he was guilty of murder because he planed the death of Uriah in his heart and uttered the command that resulted in his death.

When David was going through times of trials, David was meditating upon God and seeking HIS will for HIS life. On several occasions David could have killed Saul who was trying to kill David. However, because David’s heart was right before God, David’s words spared the life of Saul even though his servants thought that God had delivered Saul into David’s hands. David understood that God’s ways were not always man’s ways and because his heart was right before God, David’s words were pleasing to God.

Out of the abundance of the heart does your mouth speak. If you desire to be used of God and to see God use you to do great things for HIM, than you must take the time to fill your heart with the things of God. God will never use you to your full potential until you give God your entire heart. You must be willing to put the things of God first in your life. You must be willing to spend the time necessary to fill your life with God’s words so that when the time comes, HE can use you to encourage others.

How do you measure up? Are the words of your mouth pleasing to the ears of God? Have you taken the time to fill your heart with God’s word? Virtue requires that you think upon the things of God. Your words will not be pleasing to God if your mind is not making God first in your life. Others will hear your words, will they be edified and draw closer to God because you have taken the time to add virtue to your life?

Psalms 14:1-2 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none the doeth good. The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

You may not have said it with your lips, but have you ever doubted that there is a God. You may have been going through a trial and it just seemed like God was not with you. It did not matter how hard you tried, how hard you prayed, it seemed like you were deserted, like you were in the valley of the shadow of death.

It does not matter how difficult it gets, you must never allow your heart to doubt that God loves you and that HE is with you every step of the way. Job had great wealth. God allowed Job to lose his wealth, his health and his family. Yet throughout this great trial, Job refused to deny God. Job understood that he came into this world with nothing and that he would leave this world with nothing and as such, he would trust God until God took his last breath away.

Job understood his position with God. Job refused to allow Satan to win the war of his heart as to whom he would serve. Because Job did not place his trust in the Lord because of the things that God had given him, he was able to worship the Lord regardless of the positions that he possessed.

God is looking down from heaven trying to see who is willing to seek HIM. HE is looking for someone who regardless of trials will persevere and will place the Lord first in their life. This man or woman must understand who God is and must refuse to succumb to the pressures of Satan to doubt in your heart that there is a God. If you are going to be strong and avoid the temptation of doubting God, then you must take your focus off of yourself. You must learn to have a more global perspective. Rather than just look at what God has done for you, you must look at the entire world and when you change your perspective, it will be hard to deny God’s existence.

God is looking for those who are willing to make a stand for HIM. God is looking for those who will seek HIM regardless of the storms that surround their lives. Are you willing to make a commitment in your heart like Job? Are you willing to purpose in your heart that regardless of what trials the Lord puts you through you will not say in your heart that there is no God?

The choice is yours. No one can make it for you. Only you and God know what is said in your hearts. You can attempt to fool millions with your words and actions, but you will never fool God. God knows your every word, thought and action.

You must add virtue to your life. As you fill your mind and heart with the things of God, Satan will have a harder time filling your heart with thoughts of doubt. When you allow doubt to fill your heart, you are the fool. You are not wise in questioning God because in God’s eyes you are a fool for doubting HIS existence and HIS ability to see you through your present distress. When God looks down from heaven to see who is seeking HIM, will God see you? Will God see that you have taken the time to add virtue to your life?

Matthew 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Jesus asked his disciples who the multitudes thought HE was. The multitudes thought that he could be John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets. Jesus then asked the disciples who they thought HE was and Peter replied that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus then explained that Peter understood and believed that Jesus was the Son of God because God had revealed it unto him.

It is interesting to note that the multitude saw Jesus and thought that God had raised some prophet from the dead. They were not thinking that Jesus was a new prophet but instead was a resurrected prophet. They had heard the stories of God working through the prophets but rather then look at Jesus as the Son of God or even as a new prophet, they were stuck in the past and had determined in their heart that Jesus must be someone else.

Imagine some great leader came to power in the United States. You would think it absurd for people to believe that this new leader was actually George Washington, James Madison or Benjamin Franklin rose from the dead and returning to power in the United States. That however was exactly what the multitudes were doing to Jesus. They were unwilling to accept who HE really was and as such, they allowed themselves to be deceived into thinking that Jesus must be someone else.

Peter was spending quality time with Jesus and because of his relationship, God was able to work on Peter’s heart and reveal to Peter just who Jesus really was. Peter was not looking at Jesus and seeing some other prophet from the past. Peter was looking at Jesus and he understood that his world would never be the same again. Peter was not deceived because he spent quality time with Jesus. This time that he spent allowed him to draw closer to God so that he was in a position where he could hear the voice of God better. As a result of his relationship, God revealed to him the truth that changed Peter’s life.

Satan is a master deceiver. He loves to deceive you into believing things that are not true. If you allow your mind to be filled with the world, then you make it very easy for him to bring things into your life that will weaken your relationship with God. However, if you make sure you spend time with God and you diligently seek HIS face, God will be able to reveal HIS truth to you by HIS still small voice.

A banker is trained to discover counterfeit money not by studying all the variations of counterfeit money but instead by studying the real thing. The more familiar the banker is with the real thing, the easier it will be to spot the counterfeit. So likewise, your ability to understand the truth is directly related to the time and energy you spend with God to develop a relationship so that you might know the truth.

Peter was not perfect but God revealed the truth unto him. You also do not have to be perfect. You need to spend the time with God so that HE can reveal HIMSELF to you. When you add virtue to your life, you put aside the things that are of this world so as to learn more about God and HIS plan for your life. As you fill your life with God, Satan’s deception will not have the same power over you as it does others.

Matthew 12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

Have you ever said something mean to another individual and then shortly there after told them that you were only joking? While you may be telling the truth and did not actually mean what you said, according to Christ that come the Day of Judgment, you will have to give an account for every idle word. It does not matter that you did not mean the cruel words; you must still answer to God.

It does not matter if only you hear your idle words or if they spread like wildfire and are heard around the world. You are going to be judged by God for every word that is uttered from your mouth. Earlier in this chapter, we see that Jesus knew the thoughts of the Pharisees and he was able to confront their false opinions as to where Jesus received HIS power. If Christ could hear the thoughts of men, what makes you think that HE cannot hear every word that you speak?

The Day of Judgment will come, and when it does, you must give an account before God. You will be judged based upon what people saw and heard in public and those things that only God saw and heard in private. The Day of Judgment will come and there is nothing you can do to prevent its coming. The only thing you can do is to ensure that you live your life so that when you stand before a Holy God, your life is such that when God looks at you, all HE sees is the blood of Christ.

What must you do to ensure that you sin less now that you are a Christian? You have proclaimed to be a Christian and you understand the importance of living a life holy and set apart for the Lord. To begin with, you must add to your faith virtue. Virtue is setting your mind and heart upon that which is true, honest, just, pure, lovely and a good report. As you learn to fill your mind and heart with those things that are pleasant in God’s eyes, you will have less room in your heart for the evil thoughts and feelings.

You must fill your mind and heart with the things of God for you understand that out of the abundance of the heart does your mouth speak. If you fill your heart with evil thoughts, then your mouth will eventually speak evil things and come the Day of Judgment; you will have to give an account to God for your words.

If you desire to give no place to sin in your life, then you must start by ensuring there is no room in your life for sin. It is true that greater is HE that is in you than he that is of this world and that you have the strength to overcome any temptation that Satan attempts to place before you. Nonetheless, would you rather win the battle over sin in your own life by constantly fighting Satan over temptation or would you rather ensure that you fill your mind with the things of God so that there is no room in your life for evil thoughts, words or deeds?

Virtue gives you the strength to overcome temptation before the temptation ever occurs. You must be diligent to fill your life with the things of God. Anytime that you hear, see, or think about an evil thought that would not be pleasing to God, you must take the time to fill your heart and mind with the things of God.

Matthew 12:35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

It all begins at the heart. A good man has a good heart and the result is good things. An evil man has an evil heart and the result of his life is evil. As your heart goes, so goes your life. You can have an evil heart and attempt to fool people for some time, but the wickedness of your heart will eventually reveal who you really are.

Christ teaches a lot about the heart during HIS ministry. You know that out of the abundance of the heart does your mouth speak. You know that you are to love the Lord your God with all your heart. You know that if you look at a woman and lust after her you commit adultery in your heart.

When Jesus was brought a man sick of the palsy, Jesus did not start by healing the outward deformity, instead, Jesus started with the heart. Jesus started by forgiving the man of his sins. Jesus knew that this man needed to be cleansed on the inside before he would be ready to change his life to live in conformity with a new body.

Gehazi served Elisha faithfully for many years. If one were to look at him from the outside, you would probably guess that he was a very good man. However, inside Gehazi’s heart was greed. This greed was revealed one day when after the healing of Naaman, Gehazi pursued after Naaman and accepted from his hands gifts of riches. Eventually, the evil in Gehazi’s heart caused him to do evil in the sight of God.

David was a man after God’s own heart. Yet, inside David’s heart was pride. One day David determined that he wanted to know how large his kingdom was so he had Joab number the people. Numbering the people in and of itself is not wrong, there were many times when God had the nation numbered. However, David was numbering the people for his own purposes and because his heart was not right before God, God judged the entire nation with three days pestilence upon the land.

You can hide and disguise the evil in your heart for only so long. Eventually the evil treasures of your heart will bring forth evil things. It does not matter who you are; evil begets evil. You need to take the time to ensure that your heart is right before God. You need to come before God and allow God to examine your life to weed out those evil things that will hurt your ministry here on this earth. Until you are able to get your heart right before God, why should you expect God to use you since you at anytime can sin and commit great wickedness that will cause great damage to the kingdom of heaven.

You must add virtue to your life so that you learn to put the things of God first in your life. As you learn to fill your heart with good things, your heart will no longer have room for evil thoughts and feelings. Gehazi may have been a very good man who diligently served God for many years. Yet his one wicked deed totally destroyed any good he did. His reputation is tarnished to this day for one act of wickedness. You can never stop adding virtue to your life. You must constantly fill your mind and heart with the things of God. If you stop filling your life with God, then the enemy will fill the void in your heart with wickedness that will result in you committing evil acts.

Matthew 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

During the Sermon on the Mount, Christ commanded you to not lay up for yourself treasures on this earth. Instead, Christ commanded you that the treasures you lay up for yourself should be the heavenly treasures that will last forever. The reason Christ gave for this commandment was that where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Christ is not saying that you cannot live in a house and own a car. Christ is commanding you not to horde and collect things above that which you need. Christ desires that rather then spending your time, talent and treasure on things of this world that will eventually be destroyed, you should spend your time, talent and treasure upon the things of God that will build for yourself an eternal reward.

Christ explains that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. If you have treasure here on this earth, than your heart will be here on the earth and it will be your desire to do whatever it takes to enjoy your treasure here on earth. You will miss many valuable opportunities that God has for you because your heart was closer to this earth than it was to the things of God.

Christ desires that your heart be upon HIM and the things of God. HE understands that if you allow your heart to become focused upon the things of this world, that you will be double minded and that you will not fully seek HIM as you should. Christ understands that if the things of this world entangle you, it does not matter how much you profess to be God’s child, you will not be available to truly allow your life to reflect God’s light.

You are commanded to add virtue to your life so as to change your course of thought, feeling and actions. Virtue gives you the moral strength to cut the ties that the world has upon your life so that while you are in the world, you are not of this world. No one forced you to become a Christian. You voluntarily decided that Christ is the way the truth and the life and as such, you should now live your life in such a way that all who see you understand that the things of this world do not possess you.

People do not see your heart but they do see how you spend your time. People do not see your heart but they do see how you use your talent. People do not see your heart but they do see what you treasure. The things of God must be the most important things in your life. If you do not place God first in your life, then the things of the world are first and your heart will not be ready to do the will of God. However, if the things of this world do not possess you, then you will be in a position to follow God wherever HE leads.

God not only desires that you call yourself a Christian but that you also allow your heart to be fully HIS. When you add virtue to your life, you are not allowing the things of this world to have place in your heart and mind and fill that void with the things of God. God does not simply look at the words of your mouth but HE judges you based upon the desires of your heart. If your heart desires the things of this world, than you are a hypocrite in saying that God has all of your heart. Add virtue to your life so that you rid yourself of the influences of this world so that God can truly use you.

Matthew 4:6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Satan’s second attempt to tempt Jesus came with the misuse of scripture. Satan knows that Jesus is the Son of God but that still does not stop him from attempting to cause Jesus to sin. If Jesus had cast HIMSELF down as requested by Satan, there is no doubt that Jesus would not have died. When Jesus was on the cross, HE acknowledged that all HE had to do was say the word and twelve legions of angels would come to HIS aid. Nonetheless, Jesus understood that HIS power was not in doing what was best for HIMSELF, HIS power was given to HIM to draw the world’s attention to the Father.

Jesus had the power to prove to Satan that HE was the Son of God just as HE had the power at any time to remove HIMSELF from the cross. However, while Jesus had the power so that HE could have drawn attention to HIMSELF, Jesus understood that HIS purpose was to glorify God and if HE lived HIS life so that HE was the One receiving the glory, then HE would sin and fall short of the glory of God.

Satan desired to cause Christ to stray from God’s perfect will. Satan understood that if Christ sin, than Christ would not be able to die for your sins. Satan understood the Bible and as such, he used the scriptures to try to deceive Christ into living for HIMSELF rather than living for God even if it was for just a few seconds. All Satan needed was for Christ to commit even the smallest sin and Christ would no longer be the pure and spotless Lamb of God. One transgression would spoil God’s plan for the world.

Satan was once able to cause Adam and Eve to sin by deceiving them so that they decided to live for themselves rather than live according to God’s will. However, while Adam and Eve were faced with temptation and yielded to it, Christ showed the virtue that dwelt within HIM when HE resisted the devil. Christ was faced with temptation but HE overcame the temptation because HE had set HIS mind upon doing HIS Father’s will. Because HIS mind was filled with that which is true, honest and pure, Jesus was able to overcome the temptations of Satan.

You see how Satan was able to get Adam and Eve to sin by causing them to do what was right in their own eyes rather then what was right in the eyes of God. You see how Satan misused scripture in order to get Jesus to live for HIMSELF and not for HIS’ Father. If Satan is bold enough to try to cause a perfect man and woman who live in a perfect environment to sin, how much more will HE try to cause you to sin and fall short of God’s perfect will for your life? If Satan is bold enough to try to misuse scripture to cause the Son of God to sin, what is stopping HIM from misusing scripture in your life?

Daily you are faced with a decision whether you are going to live for God or for yourself. If you have not taken the time like Christ to fill your heart and mind with the things of God, then you will not be able to overcome the temptations of Satan. If you add virtue to your life, you will fill your mind with the things of God. Because you have chosen to fill your life with the things of God, you will make it harder on Satan to cause you to yield to sin because HE has to first refill your mind with your own personal ambitions.

Proverbs 31:26b and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

The sixth benefit that Solomon would receive in marrying a virtuous woman would be that the words of his wife would naturally be filled with kindness. Solomon was to be a wise man and examine the life of his bride to be very carefully in order to ensure that virtue filled her entire life. Jesus told us that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth does speak. Because the virtuous woman has filled her life with virtue, kindness is the fruit of her mouth.

The virtuous woman has demonstrated prior to her marriage that she is an independent individual who is able to properly manager her affairs so that she is not idle. One would naturally think that just because this virtuous woman was so self-sustaining prior to marriage that she would naturally lord over those around her. However, the law of the virtuous woman is the law of kindness and mercy. She has an excellency of spirit that enables her put God and others first. While virtue enabled her to be diligent and to not waste the time, talent and treasures that God had given her prior to her marriage, virtue also did not allow her to become proud of her achievements.

James tells us that “the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. … Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing.” (James 3:8, 10). While you cannot tame the tongue, you can control the contents of your heart and mind. By adding virtue to your life, you are thinking about those things that are pleasing to the Lord. The battle to control your tongue begins with what your thoughts. If you allow yourself to think impure thoughts, then eventually, out of the abundance of your heart, your mouth will speak perverse things revealing to all that you are not as virtuous as everyone thought that you were.

Virtue is not just a characteristic that women must master. All Christians have been commanded to add virtue to their lives. God desires to use you to show the world HIS light. Your effectiveness for God will be diminished if virtue does not completely fill your life since your mouth will eventually reveal the contents of your heart. Your heart needs to belong 100% to God. Your thoughts need to belong 100% to God.

You must be careful whom you associate with since if those whom you associate with speak evil and perverse things, these evil and perverse things will permeate your mind and heart. You cannot afford to have deep friendships with those whose thoughts and hearts are not right before God because regardless of how strong of a shield you place over your mind and heart the words of their mouth and the perverseness of their actions will result at some time your mouth uttering evil. Solomon had been raised to be a king and rule the people. As such, the instruction of his mother was for him to find a virtuous woman whose words would help him do that which is right in the eyes of God.

There are some things that you can hide, but eventually, your mouth will betray the abundance of your heart. If you fill your mind with the mind of Christ and add virtue to your life, the words of your mouth will be words of mercy and kindness. If you refuse to allow your mind to be filled with virtue, the consequences will be that your tongue will reveal to all that your heart is not wholly set upon God.

Acts 25:2-3 Then the high priest and the chief of the Jews informed him against Paul, and besought him, and desired favor against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem, laying wait in the way to kill him.

Paul had been in prison for two years. However, when Festus arrived in Jerusalem, the first thing the Jews requested of him was that he hold judgment of Paul in Jerusalem. This request was coming from the high priest and the chief of the Jews. Nonetheless, even though their vocations were spiritual in nature and required that they know the word of God, these men had different motives. These men desired to kill Paul. They did not care for Paul to have his day in court. They knew that they could not get to Paul as long as he was in Caesarea, but they hoped if Paul was brought to Jerusalem, he could be killed as he traveled along the way.

For two years Paul had been out of their sight unable to preach to the Gentiles. Yet their hatred for Paul was so great that time did not allow them to forget about Paul but instead caused them to continue to seek for ways that they might destroy Paul.

God knew the thoughts of the Jews and HE did not allow them to have the opportunity to kill Paul. God caused Festus to determine that judgment for Paul should remain in Caesarea. Festus told the Jews that if they wanted to judge Paul that they should travel with him to Caesarea and he would hear their complaint. God protected Paul from an evil that he was not aware of. God protected Paul from an evil before Paul even had an opportunity to pray about the situation.

You would naturally assume that the high priest would have a close relationship with God. You would think that they would know the law of God and strive to do that which is right in the eyes of God. You would presume that the religious leaders would be thinking upon the things of God and thus have applied virtue to their life. You would be wrong.

Just because one is religious, it does not mean that they are living for God. The high priest and the chief of the Jews may have been religious but they did not have virtue in their lives. They may have been pretending that they served God but their actions revealed that their thoughts and hearts were not right towards God.

There are people all around you who appear to be religious. However, Jesus warned you that you will know them by their fruit. You may not be able to read someone’s mind or comprehend the feelings of the heart, but you can see the actions that flow from their heart and mind. You cannot simply look at the stated believes of an individual but you must instead look at their actions.

You are commanded to add virtue to your life. To add virtue to your life means that you allow God to take control of your heart and mind to control what you feel and think. However, just because someone appears to be religious, do not assume that they have taken the time to add virtue to their lives. Not every person who proclaims to serve God loves the Lord with all their heart, with all their soul and with all their mind. Until an individual is willing to put God first in all aspects of their life, they will not be able to add to their faith virtue.

II Peter 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue;

Faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity are eight qualities that Peter calls the great and precious promises. These eight qualities are a gift from God to enable you to be partakers of the divine nature. However, these eight gifts are not passive in nature but require that you diligently apply them to your life.

For the last year, you have been studying the first of these eight precious promises, faith. It is your duty to God as HIS child to increase your faith to draw closer to HIM. However, faith is not the only precious promise that you are to obtain. All eight precious promises should be sought and obtained by you and applied to your life so that you might live a life pleasing unto God.

You understand the importance of faith in your life. You understand that it is by faith that you please God. Faith is taking the time to develop a closer relationship with God so that you may hear HIS voice and obey HIM. How can you expect God to bless you if you do not take the time to draw closer to God?

Imagine a chief executive who is attempting select an assistant. This chief executive has a choice between two qualified individuals. They both have similar education and experiences. However, one individual has taken the time to develop a relationship with the chief executive and taken the time to understand the goals and purposes of the chief executive. Which individual is the chief executive likely to choose? The answer logically would be the individual who took the time and effort to develop a relationship with the chief executive so that he would be better equipped to serve the chief executive. So too God is looking to promote and use those who strive to hear HIS voice and obey HIM.

If you desire to be used of God, you must learn to live by faith. Living by faith will never be easy, yet the spiritual rewards that accompany a life of faith will be worth it. However, do not focus your entire attention upon living by faith. In the same way that you have a balanced diet of bread, meat, vegetables and dairy, so too must you learn to balance your spiritual life with all of the precious promises. Faith is a very important element of the Christian life, but it is not to be your soul aim for spiritual existence.

By faith you abandon your burden in order to take up the yoke of Jesus Christ. By faith you learn to follow the will of God for your life. By faith God will work through you to do the impossible so that world sees HIS power through you.

Faith is taking what you know in your head and learning to apply it in your heart. Just as a little child does not worry about the cares of this world, so too must you learn to have that same faith that enables you to put aside the your troubles, trials, and turmoil in order to live your life for the glory of God.

You must make a conscience effort to live by faith. Faith is a daily commitment where you choose to serve God. Each day you must decide whether you are going to trust God and do those things that are pleasing to HIM or do that which is right in your own eyes. If you could understand faith, then it would not be faith. God is asking you to step out and trust HIM; faith is the first of HIS precious promises for your Christian life.