A Heart Right with God (Test Your Heart)

In Acts 8:21 Peter uttered the following words to Simon who was in his company, “Your heart is not right in the sight of God.” (NKJV) How important it is that the heart be right with God. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matt. 5:8 NKJV) Simon could not be saved without a change of heart. It is imperative that we know all we can about the human heart of which the Bible speaks and which we each possess. Knowing the heart is not always that easy for, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9 NKJV)

But, know our heart we must for God testifying in Jeremiah about the deceitfulness of the heart goes on to say, “I, the Lord, search the heart.” (Jer. 17:10 NKJV) God knows the heart, “So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them.” (Acts 15:8 NKJV). He knew the hearts of the children of Israel who came out of Egypt. “They always go astray in their heart.” (Heb. 3:10 NKJV, see also Psalms 95:10) “God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.” (1 John 3:20 NKJV) The Bible says, speaking of Jesus, “But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, ‘Why do you think evil in your hearts?’’ Jesus could read a man’s thoughts and knew their hearts. We cannot hide from God for, “There is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Heb. 4:13 NKJV)

There is no use trying to think about hiding your innermost thoughts, feelings, or desires from God. You can lie to God but you cannot get him to believe it no more than Ananias and Sapphira could in Acts 5. He cannot be fooled. God sees right through a man even when a man “deceives his own heart” (James 1:26 NKJV) and yes, a man can fool himself. “All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weights the spirits (‘motives’ in the NASU – DS).” (Prov. 16:2 NKJV) Such a man is clean in his own eyes for he has convinced himself his motives are above board whether true or not.

I think one of the most fearful statements found in the Bible is this one: “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool.” (Prov. 28:26 NKJV) Why do I say that? Because based on what I hear it seems most in Christendom are trusting what their heart is telling them about their relationship with Christ and it seems it is telling them all they are in good shape all the while they remain divided believing and teaching different doctrines. That fact in itself ought to tell everyone there are a lot of hearts out there that have been deceived.

We know the Pharisees had heart problems; we know the children of Israel who came out of Egypt had heart problems; we know Judah and Israel had heart problems. Yet, I ask the question, had you of asked any of them how their hearts were in God’s sight what do you think they would have said? How would they have answered? Generally speaking I think we know the answer. Who do you think the Pharisees thought had the heart problem – themselves or Jesus? “All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes.” (Prov. 16:2 NKJV) We are quick to justify ourselves.

Bible history confirms the truth of inspired scripture, “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool.” (Prov. 28:26 NKJV) Jesus spoke a parable specifically, although applicable to all to profit from, “to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous.” (Luke 18:9 NKJV) This was the parable of the two men who went up to pray. Every person you read about in the Bible that transgressed God’s law thinking it would be all right, God would accept what he was doing and he would get by with it, was a person who trusted in his own heart. Some who come to mind are King Saul (1 Sam. 15), Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10), and many of the kings of both Israel and Judah.

I am really not much interested in having any man or woman telling me how his/her heart is right with God or in what their heart is telling them about their relationship with God. I am content to let God decide that for himself in the last day. How much better it would be to take the route Paul proposed?

Paul said, “I do not even judge myself. For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but he who judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.” (1 Cor. 4:3-5 NKJV)

We ought to be content to let God reveal the counsel of the heart instead of going around telling everyone how our heart is right with God. Yes, we need a heart right with God but we are not the judge of even the nigh near perfect heart we feel we have. I hope you see my real complaint here is about the self assumption people have and the bragging. Trust God and let him praise you in the last day. If your heart is really that good he knows and I do not need to know. I need to know about Jesus, not about how pure you feel your heart is. Tell me about him.

If our heart is deceitful, if we can fool ourselves, how can we ever be sure our heart is what it needs to be? There is only one answer: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” (Prov. 3:5 NKJV) Well, what does that mean and how do you do it? To trust God is to trust his word. God has revealed himself in his word. Yes, nature and observation tells me of God’s great might and power, of his infinite wisdom and understanding, but it tells me nothing about what he desires of me. Only through his word does God reveal his will for me and my life, only in his word do I know his commandments and expectations of me.

It is not about my feelings, not about my emotions, not about what I think God ought to be. God made man, man did not and cannot make God. I am his creation, he is not mine. God has always measured man (man’s heart) by man’s willingness to obey for a man is willing to obey just as far as his heart is attached to God’s heart. A man who loves God is a man who is obedient to God. “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.” (1 John 5:3 NKJV) “He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me,” says Jesus. (John 14:21 NKJV) “He who does not love me does not keep my words.” (Jesus, John 14:24 NKJV) A man loves with his heart. “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor. 13:13 NKJV)

Do you really want to test your heart - just read your New Testament and every time you come across a verse that gives a command ask yourself the question am I obeying this command. If you are not why are you not? If you are not what does it say about your heart? Do not make excuses for yourself for we are all either obeying or disobeying. Do not ask yourself if you can see reason in the command. If you are only obeying commands that seem right, that you can reason some sense into, that go along with your ideas of what seems reasonable and right, then you have set yourself up as God and you are obeying yourself, not the God in heaven.

We need to have the heart of David. “He raised up for them David as king, to whom also he gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all my will.” (Paul, Acts 13:22 NKJV) I want to ask a question that is easily answered just by rereading the verse you have just read. What does a man after God’s own heart do? He does all God’s will.

Hear David in Psalms 40:8, “I delight to do your will, O my God, and your law is within my heart.” (NKJV) How many people can really say that is true of them? Oh, there are a lot of commands we are fine with. It is those that cause trouble that we do not like. Those that cause conflict and confrontation are not a delight when we do not have the heart of David. Secondly, how many can say God’s law is in their heart? One has to become a student of the word, a serious student, to know God’s law let alone lay it up within one’s heart. When we delight to do God’s will, all of it, not just the smorgasbord approach, and have it stored within our heart we will be heading in the direction of the kind of heart God is pleased with.

I believe Psalms 119 was written by David but I cannot prove it beyond doubt. Be that as it may Psalms 119 depicts the attitude that a man after God’s own heart will have toward God’s word. The Psalmist says, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalms 119:11 NKJV) Do we worry about sinning or do we just take the casual attitude God will always forgive and so do not worry ourselves about any strict obedience that much? While it is true God will forgive the penitent the heart that takes that kind of casual attitude toward sinning against God is not a heart that is right with God.

“Give me understanding, and I shall keep your law; indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.” (Psalms 119:34 NKJV) “I trust in your word.” (Psalms 119:42 NKJV) “I will delight myself in your commandments, which I love.” (Psalms 119:47 NKJV) “I entreated your favor with my whole heart; … I made haste, and did not delay to keep your commandments.” (Psalms 119:58-60 NKJV) “I will keep your precepts with my whole heart.” (Psalms119:69 NKJV) “Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.” (Psalms 119:97 NKJV) “I love your commandments more than gold, yes, than fine gold!” (Psalms 119:127 NKJV) “Rivers of water run down from my eyes, because men do not keep your law.” (Psalms 119:136 NKJV)

“Your commandments are my delights.” (Psalms 119:143 NKJV) “My eyes are awake through the night watches, that I may meditate on your word.” (Psalms 119:148 NKJV) “My heart stands in awe of your word. I rejoice at your word as one who finds great treasure.” (Psalms 119:161-162 NKJV) “My soul keeps your testimonies, and I love them exceedingly.” (Psalms 119:167 NKJV) “Your law is my delight.” (Psalms 119:174 NKJV) “I do not forget your commandments.” (Psalms 119:176 NKJV)

In what I have quoted from the Psalmist you will find the heart of God, the heart that is right in God’s sight. Jesus had the same attitude toward the word of God while on earth. What commandment did he ever call a little thing or say it makes no difference to your salvation? You will hunt 10,000 years and come up empty in searching the pages of the Bible if you are looking for a man after God’s own heart who did not deeply treasure the word of God (every word) and obey it as fanatically as a human being can taking into consideration all the frailties that go along with being a man. How is your heart today, how is mine, and what are we going to do about it? That is the real question is it not?