Matters of the Heart

David prayed to God to ask for forgiveness, after the prophet Nathan confronted him about his sins with Bathsheba. David lusted after a man’s wife, slept with her, got her pregnant and tried to cover it up by getting her husband drunk, so he could sleep with her. When his attempts at a cover up didn’t work, David killed the man. What would lead David into such a depraved condition? Lust, envy, covetousness, adultery, deception and murder. These attitudes which David displayed are all works of the flesh. David was referred to as, ‘a man after God’s own heart.’ What led him from such devotion to God, to this place of sin and defilement?

Psalm 51 gives us the answers as David poured out his heart to God. His heart had become unclean and impure. Many psychological theories would suggest that, perhaps David was experiencing a mid-life crisis. He was a skilled warrior and during the height of a battle, he was sitting at home. He had valiant warriors who were on the battlefield, to bring home the victory for Isreal. Whatever the explanation that we might come up with, the bible is clear about what leads to sin. James explained that God does not cause anyone to be tempted. “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire” (James 1:14). Desire then gives birth to sin and sin leads to death.

David was not guarding his heart and had taken his eyes off the things of God. Over-confidence can also cause people to fall into sin. Paul said that we should, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test” (2 Corinthians 13:5)! What this means is that lifestyle changes, loss, grief and other significant life changes can cause people to veer off course. Regular spiritual examination is as important as going for routine health checks. Consecrating ourselves before God will help us to examine and test ourselves.

Weeds, doubts, fears, deceptive voices are all tools that the enemy uses to constantly wear away at believers. Most people don’t backslide in a day, but are gradually led away and enticed by the things of the world. Our hearts and spirits need constant maintenance, to ensure that no foreign entities have entered in. Our inner circle also needs regular maintenance and examination. People can be sent to infiltrate your inner circle, who have familiar and other spirits lying dormant. Once they get close enough to cause damage, these spirits are then be activated to carry out their assignment. Don’t allow sentimentality to cause you to ignore warning signs, that people have become unsafe and are being used as agents of the devil.

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (Proverbs 4:23).

A.P.-Y.