Taking Responsibility V: Guard your heart

Message 18 September 2016 Taking Responsibility V: Guard your heart

Proverbs 4:20-23 - My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.  Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.  For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.  Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues (boundaries, source, outgoings), of life. 

A car owner hired different mechanics to fix his car at home. They all failed to get the engine to run. The problem persisted despite the owner being asked to by one new replacement part after another. I advised him to call a garage I believed could solve his problem. His car was towed. They told him the problem was the car’s computer control unit. When it was replaced the car was back on the road. He in fact did not need to have replaced the parts he had purchased previously. No matter what he changed - even if he changed the whole suspension or engine it was as helpless as changing the paintwork, the car would still not start as long as the control unit was faulty. The digital instructions for how the car should run were in that unit.

The human spiritual heart is just as the car control unit. If it is faulty one can change churches, incomes, places of residence, bible versions, prayer time and still fail to fix one’s life. That is often why people hold all-night prayer,  call fire and fury down yet wonder why nothing is happening. The heart of the matter is the heart. 

Left to its whims the heart of mankind is desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). To fix human life and to deal with humanity God sorts out the heart and evaluates human life by looking at the heart. David was chosen based on the quality of his heart and was commended for serving with skilful hands and integrity of heart (1 Samuel 16:7; Psalm 78:71-72).

The person who qualifies to ascend the mountain of the Lord and stand in his holy place has clean hands and a pure heart (Psalm 24:3-4). How can a person purify his/her heart? A pure heart is a heart full of faith – One that does ‘not trust in an idol.’ At the prayer meeting today we were encouraged not to let our hearts be troubled but instead to believe.  An unguarded heart is one empty of faith. A hard heart is one that refuses to be ruled by the word. Faith comes from the revealed word of God about Jesus (Romans 10:17). Meditating on God’s word renews the mind and heart. When the word fills the heart the heart is filled with faith. The word washes away sin (anything not of faith) from the heart. The word in the heart keeps it healthy. A pure heart is important because from it comes clean hands. Clean decisions, attitudes, and actions.

Proverbs 4:20-23 exhorts readers to guard their hearts because the hearts bring forth issues of life.  Out of the heart come forth the dimensions, source and outpourings of life. The word of God  must be kept at the center of the heart – ‘keep them in the midst of thine heart.’ Guard your heart, means don't allow the wrong seed to find root in your heart. It does not mean hiding away from a sinful world. But being in the world but not being of the world. Not being conformed to the world but being transformed by the renewing of your mind by God’s word. As salt and light and God’s yeast and voice in all situations, some are called to shine the light in difficult careers or life situations. So the issue is not so much where you are but not allowing your heart to be defiled. Influence every unfavourable environment for Christ as his ambassador and refuse to become a victim or casualty of it. However if a situation is not supporting your faith and there is no grace for coping secure your heart by running away with your life as Joseph had to do when he could not stop sexual advances of Potiphar’s wife.

The passage in Proverbs referred to three ways to guard the heart. These three avenues to the heart that must be guarded are eyes, ears and experiences. The three are the access points or doors that require control to ensure only what feeds faith goes into the heart. What you allow into your mind find its way into your heart when entertained.

Guard the ears

Incline your ears to God’s word. As much as within one’s control be selective with what you pay attention to and listen to. This includes the music, videos and conversations you entertain. It also includes messages that distort your view of God and that of you in God. The content you listen to brings either food for faith or poison to your heart. Instead create opportunities to listen and read the word of God from the bible or other communication means.

Guard the eyes

Let not your eyes depart from the word of God. Be selective and wise with what you allow your eyes to see. Look at what casts faith images on your heart and builds your faith. Job said he had a covenant with his eyes not to behold a woman. Avoid looking at and watching things that bring fear, temptation and defilement of heart. This includes the things you watch on TV, postings on your walls and the websites you visit.

Guard the experiences

Do it with all diligence. Do everything possible to fill your heart with God’s word in order to neutralize any negative effect from the world around you  (Psalm 119:11). The word when dominating neutralises sinful seed that enters the heart. Be wise in the places you go to, the company you hang out with and the things you expose yourself to. As encouraged at the prayer meeting, always ask, ‘Lord what are you saying?’

You will not avoid hearing or seeing evil but can protect your heart by being richly indwelt by God's word. Compensate for times you spend in worldly work situations by exposing yourself to fellowship with believers and the teaching of God’s word to refill and refuel your heart during times you are off work. 

Additional Notes:

Above everything else, guard your heart diligently. Do not sleep nor slumber.
1 Samuel 16:7 God looks at the heart. As you prepare to physically look good to people. What are you doing daily to look good to God?
2 Kings 22:19; Mathew 15:19; John 15:3; Ezekiel 11:19; Mark 11:23; Romans 10 - you believe in your heart.
God speaks to the heart and a renewed mind hears it. People speak to the mind and meditation sinks it to the heart. Listen to your heart of flesh with a right spirit. When unsettled, listen it's the referee.
Psalm 51:10
Mathew 6:21 Where your treasure is there will your heart be also.
To keep your heart in Gid give the things you treasure to God. Abraham and Isaac. Alabaster breaking

Message by Dr. Kurai Chitima.

Faith Ministries – Johannesburg Faith Life Center.

First Floor Dhando House,

66 Eloff Street Extension,

Village Deep,

Johannesburg,

South Africa 

Taking Responsibility IV: Faith Response

Taking Responsibility IV:  Faith Response

John 11:40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? 

Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace

Without knowing Jesus you cannot know yourself. You cannot know and realize your nature, abilities, and rights in Him for they are revealed in him. When you look into God he mirrors to you his best for you so you can aspire and receive it. It is only when you give God his place that you will find your place in him. As Paul our life goal should be to know Christ and the power of his resurrection.

All that God has done and made available to believers can be described by one word - Grace. Grace is God's trust in humanity (man). Faith is man’s trust in God. God trusts that man will respond well to what he has done for them. He is so confident he chose you for his race. He even boasts of you as he did about his servant Job. On the human side, believers trust that the provisions God has provided without merit are enough for  all the needs for life and godliness. Grace is what God has already initiated and established.  What God has done in the past is sufficient for all your future requirements. That which happened by Grace in the past we make happen in our world by faith today. Even though grace by nature is unmerited it is however more than just favor. It is God come down.  It is God's presence. It is God's hand extended towards humanity. It is God self-revealed. 

When God makes a move it is done.  Human core business is to respond well to access and benefit. Responding well to what God has done is called faith. Faith is therefore the human response to Grace.  The Christian makes choices to respond to God in relationship with people and situations. For you, God has believed in you and made a move in your favor. Your business is to also believe in him and move in his favor. He has extended his hand of grace and your business is in turn to extend your hand of faith. God has acted and spoken also act and speak the same. Give thanks for what he did for you and take corresponding action.

The bible says a pure heart and clean hands qualify a person to go up God's holy hill. A pure heart is a positive condition and attitude of faith.  So faith is an attitude of believing whereas clean hands are the works that show faith.    Faith works and faith is seen by works. From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks and choices are made. Faith is therefore not complete without corresponding confession and action. If the attitude of faith does not result in action it is dead. Note, without works faith  is not absent but dead.. unresponsive, unproductive and lifeless. Corresponding action gives life to faith and puts it to work (James 2). Faith in action is evidenced by for example, changed lives, taking a stand for righteousness and good works. The challenge of faith is to express or demonstrate your faith. To act on God's word for the miracle – seeing God at work.

Often we have learnt faith from many Bible, historical and contemporary characters. What can be learnt from God? He created the universe by faith.  Out of faith in himself he spoke things that were not as if they were (Hebrews 11:3). Let's also learn faith from Jesus the author and finisher of faith (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus is the best example of a person who lived by faith. He demonstrated that taking actions of faith can raise dead situations.  When Jesus was confronted with an impossible situation of Lazarus’ sickness and subsequent death he showed faith in the following ways (John 11:1-44).

He had a divine agenda. Faith needs a divine agenda. Faith is substance of things hoped for (Hebrews 11:1).  Faith is informed by Gods will.  For every fear  and worry God has a word of peace to calm the threatening storms. Jesus boldly said the sickness was not unto death but for the glory of God.  He understood it was an opportunity to serve the purpose of glorifying God.  Jesus declared a plan to glorify God and a goal to wake Lazarus up from death.  God’s plan for humanity is a good plan to give hope and a desirable end (Jeremiah 29:11). Jesus had confidence in his strengths and capabilities from trusting God. When Jesus says yes nobody can say no. Is clear, is unstoppable. He declared the plan in advance when there was no guarantee it could happen except by his word.  He did the same when he declared what he was going to accomplish by the anointing on his life (Luke 4:18). He knew that nothing can say no when God said yes. Nothing was impossible to him who believed. He world not call him dead but asleep. Faith will not call it what it is not. It's not hopeless when God hasn’t said so.

He let nothing stand in his way. Faith involves risk and requires commitment. Jesus’s credibility was now on the line. He had already said the sickness was not unto death yet the person was now dead.  He overcame threats to his opportunities.  He would not allow the crisis to prevent what he had to do where he was. He was so calm about the disturbing news that he even took two days to round off his business before going to Lazarus. Going to raise Lazarus was a high risk choice Jesus made.  So risky that even His own disciples tried to dissuade him because last time they were in the area the people there wanted to stone them.  But Jesus was committed to going anyway.  If you have faith to raise the dead you might as well have faith God will protect you.  Nevertheless, the threat was so real that Thomas the worst candidate to encourage anyone encouraged the disciples to go along with Jesus so that they could die with him there.

Walking by faith is not always easy. God himself demonstrates faith by sending his son (John 3:16).  God can move anything, pull down any barriers, fight any battles, make any sacrifice, and pay any price to reach people with his love.  Further they had a long walking journey to take to reach Lazarus’ house. Nothing will stand in his way. He watches over his word to perform it.

He wept. Faith works by compassion. Jesus did not have to weep since he was to raise Lazarus from the dead anyway.  His heart was however touched by the hard experience people affected by the situation were going through. He acknowledged it was hard to go through the night even though joy comes in the morning. 

He perhaps may also have reflected on his night on the cross that was coming.  Jesus may have also been touched by the much suffering God’s people go through only because of failing to believe. He also wept over how lack of faith blinded God’s people from seeing God’s glory. He reminded Martha, ‘did I not say, if you believe you will see the glory of God’. 

He reopened a closed case. Faith sees opportunity NOW. To the people at Lazarus house it was over regarding Lazarus - the bus had left. It was too late and they could only wish things had happened differently.  If only Jesus had been there Lazarus would not have died. Wishful thinking did not help what they needed was faith.  Martha also believed in the resurrection but at some future date. She relegated her miracle to the future.

Jesus reopened a closed case because he knew he was the resurrection NOW. God is the great I AM, the now God not the I will be God.  He believed God could raise Lazarus but also that the time was ripe. Lazarus was dead and buried for four days but that was not the end of his story. Jesus still believed what he declared when he first heard about the sickness - his sickness was not for death but for the glory of God.

He took action. True believing results in action. The action brought about the miracle.  Jesus asked to be taken were they had buried Lazarus. He told them to remove the tomb stone. He prayed and called out, Lazarus come forth. He risked embarrassment. He broke graveside silence, decorum and decency. Sometimes as blind Bartimaeus showed, the choice is as stuck as you forget about people’s opinion and shout in faith for your miracle or be blind for the rest of your life.  

Loose him and let him go. Faith frees people.   Lazarus came out wrapped in grave clothes. It was however not enough for Lazarus to be alive he also had to be free to be what God created him for. Jesus’ faith freed the lives of other people. Faith is not just for self-consumption but for the loosing of people.  Jesus could have made Lazarus his slave but respected his freedom.  Faith takes away grave clothes and lets you go free. Faith will undo heavy burdens.  Faith will break yokes of bondage.

If you can believe you can also bring dead situations back to life. If you believe, you will see the glory of God in your situations. In your body, in your bank account, in your relationships, at your work place, in your ministry, and everywhere else every time. You will see waters part. You will see God rain manna and send the ravens to feed you.  You will move mountains and kill giants. You will see the glory of God. You will reveal the glory in gloomy situations.

Message by Dr. Kurai Chitima.

Faith Ministries – Johannesburg Faith Life Center.

First Floor Dhando House,

66 Eloff Street Extension,

Village Deep,

Johannesburg,

South Africa 

Taking Responsibility III: The Span of Authority

Message 21 August 2016 Taking Responsibility III:  The Span of Authority

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.  And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.  - Genesis 2:7,8

Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.  And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him;  Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples feet and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.  - John 13:1-5

Recap:

In the last message we saw that the first responsibility is obeying God and living for his glory. The highest is knowing and worshiping him.

The ability to make choices on something is the foundation of responsibility.

Next we saw four things responsible people don't do. They don’t avoid, neglect, abandon nor deny responsibility. Responsibility is easy to claim when things go well but hard to take when things are not going well and stakes stakes are high. Any responsibility avoided , neglected, abandoned, or denied will appear later as a ghost.

The reason for whatever God gives is to provide capacity to serve Him and fellow humanity. God expected Adam to be available in the garden to serve as his agent and not to be hiding in fear as happened when he disobeyed God. When you receive from God you must understand the reason and the scope of what you control – your garden. The perimeters of what was assigned to you. Failure to do so will result in loss of the authority as  was the case with the first Adam.  The last Adam Jesus demonstrated the proper attitude and  use for God’s provisions. Your garden is the circle of needs within your reach with the God given capacities you have. The scope of responsibility is as far as the needs in your garden.

 In John 13:1-5, he set an example with the basin and towel that responsibility and its authority are delegated from God for the benefit of others. He fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecies that referred to him as the faithful servant. Jesus was able to serve because he understood certain things about himself that defined the scope of his responsibility.

>> He knew who he was. ‘Knowing where he was from and was going’

He knew where he was from and where he was going. Because he knew the identity he already had he was not trying to gain one by avoiding lowly tasks.  When he came as the savior his invitation was give me your identity so you can gain mine. One’s identity defines the scope of  one’s responsibility.  Legitimate exercise of authority begins with understanding your identity, expectations for your role, rights and privileges. 

Identity can be core as in being a child of God or derived as from role/ ministry/profession defined. A kid wont be deemed irresponsible with actions, speech, and stuff adults can’t get away with. Presidents can't say anything because of who they are. Their words and actions have wider consequences that demand certain care. The same for parents, managers, and citizens. God held irresponsible shepherds accountable - “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves!”

>> He knew what was his. ‘Knowing he had been given all things’

Jesus knew what he had title to and therefore understood the extend of his responsibility. He had legal rights of ownership, possession, and custody to all things. He knew he had received all things. He had nothing to lose by serving but everything to give. His flame lost nothing by lighting another. You cannot have responsibility over what you haven’t received control over. And the magnitude of what was received marks the scope of responsibility.  It matters what you do with what God has placed in your hands and under your control. Jesus assumed responsibility. If you don’t accept, assume and defend responsibility over what is yours you lose it.

 He directed  his authority over all things to serve. He accepted responsibility for meeting a need.  We see no humiliation in humility. Unto whom much given much is required. We have received all things in Christ and also have nothing to lose by serving.

>> He knew the time. ‘Knowing his time was up’

God is a God of seasons and times. Jesus understood his set time. It was time to demonstrate what he had taught his disciples for three years. The summary was humbly serving others. There is time to sow and time to harvest. Responsibility is honouring the season by acting in line with its demands. One who does not sow in the time of sowing can be deemed irresponsible. It is time to share Christ and bring in the harvest of souls.

>> He walked in love. ‘Having loved his own’

Jesus was motivated by love. To him loving his neighbour included loving the stranger half dead on the Jericho road.  Love places responsibility as far as the needs within your reach.  It is responding to needs within your means and reach. Wherever there are dirty feet. Why didn’t each wash their own feet?  Self-service and do it yourself technologies such as mirrors  have deprived people of opportunity for serving in relationships. 

Jesus is the model of ministry and life. The extent of Jesus’ responsibility was determined by knowing his identity, his entitlements, his time and his love. He told his disciples to do what he had done implying that they also could know of themselves what he knew of himself. Believers have similar span of control and capacity to serve. The kingdom in your heart implies a responsibility to show joy, peace, righteousness and power in the Holy Ghost. Receiving the right to be a child of God (John 1:12) implies a responsibility to live as a child of God. Being full of the Holy Spirit implies the responsibility to be witnesses for Jesus. God gives authority because there are dirty feet somewhere.

Message by Dr. Kurai Chitima.

Faith Ministries – Johannesburg Faith Life Center.

First Floor Dhando House,

66 Eloff Street Extension,

Village Deep,

Johannesburg,

South Africa