A Poverty of the Heart!

Isaiah 51:7-8
“Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation."
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There is that subtle conflict that faces a man doing his best to follow the ways of righteousness and order his life according to the laws of God.
Deep in his heart he knows that what he is doing is the correct thing. It is the lasting and eternally profitable thing to do. But then the rest of the multitudes around him are making fun of him as if he is the stupid one.
They make him feel as if he doesn't know what he knows. They deride him as if he's behind, he's backward... he's outdated. The pressure often comes from the fact that he is alone and they are a multitude. He alone sees the value of what he is standing upon; all the others see value in something else. Worse still, the multitude can readily point to the benefits of their own way but he has to tell one long, lonely story of someone else, somewhere who benefited from this his own righteous way. And he and his principles look unreal, unreliable and in all sense unreasonable. That is the problem. That is the pressure. That is the source of the "fear" that God was talking about.

Yes, the righteous way is a lonely way.
The godly route is a narrow route, it doesn't accommodate the multitude.
It doesn't, most times, accommodate “collleaguing”! It doesn't allow conferencing!
No! It doesn't allow comparisons and competition with mates and acquaintances. Those that must go that way must look straight on . . . focussed, only on Jesus and His demands. And that is a real pressure on mortal minds like ours.

Many times we wonder if God "understands" this pressure. Many times we wish He will just allow us go the multitude way . . . and, as God, still bring His will to come to pass, after all He can do all things. Can He not?
Why doesn't God work through the normal easy way of least resistance that the world and her multitude normally advocate? Simply because, God is not a man! And he is not like the sons of men that will eventually buckle under pressure! He knows the way of the multitude is the way of man . . . slippery and untrustworthy! He knows that one day, these same confident boasting crowds of men will come around to repent and say "I'm sorry, I goofed, after all, I'm only a man". So instead of bending to our cry to save us from the pressure of shame and kindred resistance, He simply looks us in the face and says . . . .

Isaiah 51:12-13
“I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?"
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Who are you . . . that you should be afraid?
I think that is where the problem is. I think that is the real issue! Most righteous men do not realise who they are. They probably know the value of the principles they try to live by, but they do not know the real value of being a righteous man!
That's why God asks the question . . . "who are you? Or better still . . . "who do you think you are?" Let's get the question is simpler English . . .

Isaiah 51:12-13 - Bible in Basic English
“I, even I, am your comforter: are you so poor in heart as to be in fear of man who will come to an end, and of the son of man who will be like grass? And you have given no thought to the Lord your Maker, by whom the heavens were stretched out, and the earth placed on its base; and you went all day in fear of the wrath of the cruel one, when he was making ready for your destruction. And where is the wrath of the cruel one?"
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Are you so poor in heart? Are you so unaware of the riches of Grace available to the righteous man? Are you so in disconnect from the reservoir of divine resources available in God and available to whosoever follows Him?

Why are we so poor in heart? . . . And has so undervalued our heritage? Why do we fear the multitude . . .? and shrink under their mockery and reviling? Is it not because we have lost sight of who we are and lost sight of who our God is? Is it not because we have forgotten His antecedents? The Fear of man is poverty of a kind, a poverty of the heart!

Our poverty in heart is a reflection of our poverty of memory.
The simple matter is that we forget.
We forgot our Red Sea and the "standing wall of water" for us to pass!
We forgot that He did it again in Jordan by another way . . . So He can be trusted to do it again and again in a million and one ways, if He says so!
We forgot the Manna which our fathers freely ate and knew not how it came!
We forgot the water flowing from the Rock inside an acclaimed Desert!
We forgot the pillar of cloud by day, for shade; and the pillar of fire by night, for protection!
We forgot, we forget. That's the problem. We always forget! And so we focus on the wrong things and fear the wrong person!

Why fear man if you fear God?!
Why succumb to Man's pressure if you have yielded to God's command?!
Why shrink under the multitude's reproach, if you have accepted God's assurances?!

Our poverty of heart is often also a poverty of faith and confidence in God!
We believe men more than we believe God. We fear more than we have faith.
Meanwhile, Fear is faith in the opposite direction.
Fear and Faith are equal and opposite.
Faith says, "I believe God is able to do what He has promised.
Fear says, "I believe the Devil is able to do what he has threatened.
Fear is the exact reciprocal of Faith.
As Fear is increasing, Faith is decreasing.
As Faith wells up in the believer's heart, Fear ebbs out from his thoughts and emotions! As you feed your fear with the words of men, you starve your Faith of the Words of God. So, really, its up to the righteous man to decide what to allow to fill his mind.

So, let's do a turnaround today!
Lets give honour to WHOM honour is due and fear to WHOM fear is due!
Let's change the focus of our heart and redirect the thoughts of our meditation.
Let's dwell on the law of God hidden in our hearts. Let's dwell on the righteous principles we already know. And the fear and the reproach of the multitude will soon lose their pressure on us.

Isaiah 8:12-14
“Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.
Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem."
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IF YOU ARE SERIOUS, THEN ACT LIKE IT!

Colossians 3:1 “He Is Your Life” - Message Translation
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1. So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides.
2 Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ--that's where the action is. See things from his perspective.
3 Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life--even though invisible to spectators--is with Christ in God. He is your life.

So, if I am really serious about being spiritual, about being a Christian; if I am serious about being a mouth for God and serious about being His servant . . . then I must ACT LIKE IT! I must consciously live like that. It doesn't happen in a dream . . !

No! My son! It doesn't happen in a dream. It doesn't just happen. It doesn't just fall on a man. It takes the will of that man. It takes conscious effort. It takes a deep commitment to live that kind of life. If you want it, you must will it, just remember that ONLY I, THE LORD CAN make it happen!
Living a holy and spiritual life takes a deliberate exercise of the individual's will even though that man must not think that it is purely by his own will.
It is not just your will, because your will is not strong enough, neither is it self sufficient in all the resources needed to live the Christian life and be My servant. Moreover, it cannot be by just the will of man, lest any man should boast. YET, YOUR WILL IS THE CHANNEL THROUGH WHICH ALL OF SUCH MY RESOURCES FOR LIVING THE SPIRITUAL LIFE ARE GOING TO PASS.

If I want to live victorious and provide the platform and the atmosphere to be my channel of revival, I must consciously live like it. I cannot just relax and give myself to whatever comes along and hope to turn out spiritual. In this evil and adulterous generation, what easily comes along will always be evil and adulterous. It will always be contrary to the will of God. It will always drag me down . . . to the earth, earthward, carnal and worldly!

Colossians 3:2 “Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ--that's where the action is. See things from his perspective.” - Message Translation
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I cannot just be going on, doing and getting involved in everything or giving myself to anything that comes along and hope that somehow, I will remain spiritual. No! That will constantly lead me to death, death of my spiritual life.
I cannot just listen to every talk and chatter of worldly colleagues and hope that somehow their discussion will lead to God and spiritual things. In this high tech sophisticated, self loving world, discussions hardly go that way!
I cannot just laze around the TV, watching movies or even CNN and hope that the desire to pray will come spontaneously! If they don't fill you with lust from watching loosely dressed women, they will most certainly fill you with fear from scenes of suicide bombings!
I cannot just eat and drink and be merry at every opportunity and think that spiritual power that comes from abstinence and fasting will attend my ministerial effort. Only they that seek Him, find Him!
If I leave my biblical knowledge and understanding of God to just what I hear from the pulpit on Sunday or the occasional message on Radio, I deceive myself if I think the Word of Christ will richly dwell in me in all wisdom.
I cannot just shuffle, lazily along, eyes to the ground and on things of the earth, simply getting into everything and anything that comes my way and hope to live the resurrection life of Jesus. No! It doesn't happen that way!

Oh Lord, pls help me!

If I want a Devotion, I must devote myself! . . . Consistency in life doesn't just happen.
If I want a Meditative heart, I must pause, withdraw and meditate! . . . Thoughts of God won't always barge in on my earthful thoughts!
If I want my mind filled with the things of God, then I must SET my heart, TUNE my thoughts and KEEP my mind STAYED on God and His desires!

I must look up.
I must lift up my eyes, my heart, my thoughts, my focus, my desires, my pre-occupation . . . from things around me, from the immediately visible and reachable . . . . and reach for the heights, for Heaven, for God and for His issues. And having attained it, I must keep my thoughts there!

Isaiah 26:3-4 “People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole, Steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don't quit. Depend on GOD and keep at it because in the LORD GOD you have a sure thing.” - Message Translation
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Lord! Pls set my mind on You.
Keep my thoughts on You.
Keep me at it, relentless and unyielding to pressures around, till I am completely consumed in thoughts of You, Your program and Your purpose for my life!

Keep me keeping at it. Not quitting. Depending on the Lord!
These instructions are the antidote to gradual backsliding into carnality and worldliness. No one just lies down and become spiritual. No one becomes spiritual by default. I must consciously pursue spirituality. I must strain to keep exercising my spirit. I must keep keeping at it.

Oh Father! Keep me at the things that will keep me spiritual!
Keep me at diligent all-day Meditation.
Keep me at voracious Word study.
Keep me at pursuing consuming burdens of Prayer.
Keep me at pursuing the spirit of Praise and Worship.
Keep me at pursuing deeply convicting utterance in Preaching.
Keep me at pursuing passion for raising up lives in Discipleship.
Keep me at pursuing! Lord!

Deliver Me From Earthwardness!

Lord, I found my passions going the way of the earth. Earthy desires, like those of the men of the earth, conspire to make me heavy towards you. Earthly attachments, earthy longings, earthward attractions still show themselves in my natural mien. I seem to battle, some of the time, with a force of gravity pulling me towards earth's activities and earth's concerns and earth's matters. When Lord, would I actually be free to soar the realms above?

Beyond sinful lusts and worldliness, I found a general mental earthwardness that makes me yet more comfortable with the men of the earth than with the eternal beings above.

Why is it that I prefer to talk with men than to commune with God! Why do I feel it an uphill to go plunge in the labour of prayer and intercession for the things of Thy kingdom? Why am I more relaxed, capable of consuming precious hours in the fraternity of humans than to spend a mere day alone with God? Why should I rather more easily plunge into hours of discussion with my wife, chatting with my brethren, disciples and men than to sit alone and have HIM come pour into my soul instead?

Why do I prefer Counselling to Communion? Teaching to Meditating on the Word? Ministry to Devotion? Why should earthly labour, even if for God, seem to be the sweeter than being with Him? Am I not earthy, earthly and earthward?

Earthly labour, earthy chores, earthly concerns, earthy cares . . . legitimate, not even sinful, seem to more easily carry the day to the detriment of returning and resting in the holy presence. Why do I go through the endless cycle of running out and running in, burning out and coming back for refill? Why do I prefer to be refreshed than to remain ever fresh?
I detest this earthwardness! Lord please break it hold over me!

It was David the King that cried . . .

Psalms 119:5-6
“O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!
Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.”
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And for me, I much the more want to cry . . . .
O that my heart was Pre-conditioned to seek Thy face!
O that my reins would evermore long for Thy presence!
O that my mind, my thoughts and imaginations are perpetually fixed on Thee!
And my words, my deed, my daily traffic, all completely centred on You.

While I am bound in this earthly, earthy and earthward tabernacle, Lord, may I yet daily relish the secret ecstasy of Divine communion. May I possess as my permanent possession, the joy of living, moving and having my being in you. Let the rejoicing of my heart, the merriment of my soul and the excitement of my laughter be of finding You and feeling You in the centre of my bosom.

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.”
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