WHAT IS IN YOUR HEART?

 

    "Then God said to Solomon: "Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life-but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge my people over whom I have made you king- 'wisdom and knowledge are granted to you and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.'" 2Chronicles.1:11-12.
Have you taken time to ask yourself why we sometimes crave for something and eventually lose it to the hands of people who do not even care or bothered about it? It all bothers on the state of the heart.
The condition of your heart can go a long way to dictate the kind of fortune you will attract, and define your eternal destiny. That is why the Bible warns that we should guard our hearts with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.

    Following the passage of the scripture administered for this piece of exhortation, especially from verse.1, you would assume the secret behind Solomon unique favor from God was his magnanimity, generosity, and giving attitude, but while that may be a contribute factor, it is expedient I impress in your heart that God is not primarily persuaded or pacified by offerings and sacrifices when dealing with us like the position of our hearts. The condition of man's heart has been the oldest and relevant yardstick and factor God considers when allotting people for positions of power and distributing His blessings. Therefore, in order to always be on the advantage, it is imperative to pray until your heart is sieve off every rottenness; tried, trimmed, and tested to conform totally to the will of God.

    Looking at the golden text highlighted above, you would have confused the previous verses for this major factor if care is not taking, thinking that Solomon's sacrifice is what fascinated the interest of God to lavish such a unique favor on him, whereas, the question of making a request God posed to him was just a reflection or mirror of his heart cry. God does not relate directly with our physical or outward life dispositions, but our heart. He has already seen the holy hunger in the heart of Solomon and dialoged with his spirit man to bring to light what his hidden intention was.
The best place to get the true picture of man and his original intention is in the spirit realm. Our heart is connected with our spirit, and for you to capture the true picture of man's heart condition and intention over a particular matter of concern, you will have to connect with his spirit man. It is at that point you filter every emotional and carnal infatuations. That is why it is always advisable to be spiritually conscious and sensitive over issues. Otherwise, you may mistake ordinary emotional passion and selfish ambition, which does not see the light of reality to the correct situation of things. Don't forget, The heart of man is desperately wicked, who can know it.

    I remember an experience I had similar to the matter I am justifying here, it was a revelation that preceded my final vacation from the house I stayed while in my former church. I received a leading from the Lord to separate for a new ministry, and having sought the face of the Lord in prayers from different sources to confirm the veracity of the new instruction, the council of elders of the church prayed with me and sent me out on the mandate. The night preceding my final move out of the apartment I lodged, the Lord spoke to me while in revelation saying, "Ask what you want me to do for you?" I replied, "Lord, you have promised to use me for the propagation of the gospel around the the world, just help me to be fulfilled in it and make heaven at last." Then I woke up. This was just a direct reflection and revelation of my heart in reference to the mandate. If I seems to be overzealous and unbent on my affection for God and passion for the gospel, it is that I might live fulfilled on earth and embrace eternal home with joy and a full sense of fulfilment. Who knows probably that is what God noticed to have approved one for the mission. It has nothing to do with age.

    However, God having scanned the picture of Solomon's heart said, "Because this was in your heart..." The verb 'was' in that phrase hold another significant point worthy of note, this wasn't just a new observation to God, He had already seen it, only to Solomon and many others who may want to query God's justice and impartiality He deliberately pinpoint it so that we wouldn't be in darkness of what He saw in him and provoked Him to lavish His goodness on him.
The Lord further stressed on the purity of Solomon's subconscious longing and heart desire, saying:"...and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life-but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king..." It is important to take a critical examination of Solomon's silent hunger for power and authority, and his approach to the royal throne of his fathers, though he was not in the right position by virtue of birth to assume the position, but his approach to the noble position earned him the approval of God for the throne, and not only that, attracted the rare favor and blessings of God to him. Even though he had weaknesses, yet that could not hinder or rather blindfold God's eyes to this uniqueness of his heart desire. His selflessness and readiness for service in the fear of the Lord caught the attention of God and bestowed upon him a unique blessing, granted his heart desire and made him one of the heroes of faith.
Some of us are too greedy or rather selfish in our ambitions and petitions in the place of prayer. Whatever will not directly yield personal gain for us we are not ready to invest or sacrifice for it. We have a whole lot to demand for ourselves that the prayer of intersession is dying a natural death on our altars and gradually set on extinction, and that to our detriment. We often forget that our insatiable longings for self grabs can't even quantify or equate God's magnanimity and kind gesture when we center our heart focus within the circumference of His good will. I mean-aligning our hearts to beat and our desires to flow and respond at a rhythmical influx with that of God. It is then we could be acquainted with the operatives in heavenly places far above principalities and powers, and accessible to the secret things of God.
However, this and many more have compounded the admonition of James in one of his epistles to the church saying: "Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war, yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "the Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"? But gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."" James.4:1-6.
Now, let me ask you a question, God said to Solomon, "Because this was in your heart..." What is in your own heart right now? What are those ambitions and passions consuming your entire thought life and permeating your body system on daily basis? Do they have any relevance with the original plan and purpose of God for your existence? For Nehemiah, it was to rebuild the dilapidated city of God and his fathers.
Daniel could not eat or drink for good 21days in protest for the deliverance of his people, and as a matter of fact saw beyond the old testament. Every characters both in the Bible and our contemporary times that left their good impact upon the slate of time in their generations were men with hearts void of selfish ambitions and eschewed self-centered life. They were men with a resolute for God's will to be done and not theirs.
Don't forget, it was the heart condition of Cain that rendered him and his sacrifice unacceptable in the sight of God, and eventually inherited curse from God.
The condition of Saul's heart made him missed out of the throne and conferred premature death upon himself and his entire family.

   Abinadab lost out of his birth right and was rejected from the sacred oil of anointing for a royal seat because of his unregenerated heart.
Amman, out his greed for position, power, and material possessions requested for half the kingdom and power for Mordecai, thinking he was the choice of the king to be honored and promoted, but unfortunately to his folly dug his grave and inherited the judgment he meted to Mordecai because his heart was wrong.
Judas Iscariot was replaced, fell headlong, die an accursed death and lost forever because his heart was not right with God.

   The Holy book is filled with a list of them for our lesson and if I want to continue enunciating one after another the whole space may not contain them. It is now your turn, what will be the reaction of God to the condition of your heart if you are to be checked? Already, God knows that thought so paramount in your heart and taking away your sweet dreams, but the fear is, is it in line with the will of God? Does it has any eternal value at all? You better check it and ask Jesus like the psalmist who said, "Create in me a clean heart, o God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence. And do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me by your generous spirit." Psalm.51:10-12.

    Until the psalmist prayed this prayer and returned to God wholeheartedly, he could not become a man after God's heart and obtain the eternal promise of an everlasting throne. Your heart is your life and the tabernacle of God on earth, if you preserve it and make it pure you will become the resident of God on earth, but you must also remember that God doesn't identify with filthiness and impurity.
"But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." James.3:14-18.
I pray for you today, the Lord will visit your Heart with His refining fire until it is purified from selfish and lustful ambitions. The cloven tong of fire that descended like a rushing mighty wind upon the disciples of Jesus at the upper room and sat upon them until they were truly redeemed and sanctified in heart will come upon the tablet of your heart in Jesus name.
God bless you.

____Babatunde Israel