Today we are going to continue to study about the heart of man. So far we have learned that God wants to give us a new heart that is one heart, stayed on him. A double hearted person has multiple problems through out life because of the uncertainty of their heart. Also we have learned that the issues that we have in life do not come from our circumstances. Our issues spring up out of our hearts. When your heart has issues, this world can toss you around like a rag doll. But, when your heart has been kept, and the issues in your heart are healed, you will be able to go through anything and keep the faith. Today we are going to look at what kind of issues are in the heart of mankind.
The first issue we will look at is the heart of Cain. Jealousy was an issue in his heart. Was it Abel's fault that Cain killed him? After all Abel was over there being a show off wasn't he, offering up a more better sacrifice. I'm sure that is the way Cain saw it. But the LORD said to Cain.
Genesis 4:6-7 And the LORD said to Cain, Why are you wroth? and why is your countenance fallen? If you do well, shall you not be accepted? and if you do not well, sin lies at the door. And to you shall be his desire, and you shall rule over him.
Cain was unhappy, and he wanted to blame Abel, but the issue was not anything in the physical realm. The issue was an issue of Cain's heart and had NOTHING to do with Abel. Cain didn't offer the required offering and jealousy rose up and made an issue in his heart.
Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.
Those issues that you are facing right now, they are not there because of your circumstance, they are there because you have issues in YOUR heart. Someone wants to argue that they have been wronged, it is the other person that is the issue and not your own heart. What about Stephen who was stoned. I know that YOU have been done wrong, but you certainly have never been STONED TO DEATH. Stephen had his very life taken from him. Look at his circumstances. Yet, he was able to pray, "Lord, Lay not this sin to their charge" Why was he able to do this? Because he had no issues in his heart. Cain had an issue, he was jealous, and sin taking opportunity laid upon that jealousy and caused him to hate Abel for doing well.
You have to understand that just because you have a bad circumstance, does not mean you have to have an 'issue' as well. A bad circumstance doesn't have to send you into a tail spin of doubt, fear, anger, rebellion and hatred. If these things rise up in your heart, it was because those things were in your heart before the circumstance ever even came up. The circumstance only brought those things up to the surface, they did NOT create those things in your heart. The idea that you would be happy if your circumstance changed is false. Why? Because you are not going to be what you should be in God until you get all of those issues out of your heart. The circumstance is just the trigger that pulls them up. While we are so busy blaming others like Cain did, our own heart grows darker and darker. Until I stop blaming someone else, and I ask God to get my heart to a place where it is WITHOUT SPOT AND WITHOUT WRINKLE, I will continue to perish.
It is time to stop blaming our circumstances and blaming others for our bad behaviors and bad moods. If Paul can sing at midnight when he has been arrested, though he had committed no crime, we can be happy where we are in life too. We just have to get rid of some issues, and those issues are in our own hearts.
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