Bible Verse of The Day – 11-9-20

Jeremiah 17:9 (NKJV) 9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

It’s not uncommon for people to ask God to change them, make them a different person, with less faults and shortcomings.

This is usually a sincere request on their part. They want to live differently, in a way that’s more pleasing to Him.

There is a flaw in this, though, that is usually overlooked. And this flaw causes people to ask God over and over again to change them because they see themselves continuing to do those same things and being disappointed with themselves.

It can be fixed, though, And here’s how.

We need to stop asking God to change us, and ask Him to change our heart.

You see, the heart of a person is where things emanate from. It’s the source of our thoughts which lead to our actions.

So, if we’re asking God to change us, but our heart stays the same, we will be stuck in an endless loop, like a hamster on a wheel; doing a lot of work, but going nowhere.

Let’s dig a bit deeper and see what is meant by this verse.

The word “deceitful” is the foundation of this one.

Deceitful: guilty of deceiving or misleading others. Dishonest, untruthful, lying, perverse, untrustworthy.

Not very pretty, is it?

Now, not only are we told that it is deceitful, but that it is more deceitful than anything else (above all things). That’s about as bad as it can get.

The next phrase used to describe our heart is this one; desperately wicked.

The original Hebrew for this means “incurably sick”.

Various translations use the following phrases; exceedingly perverse and corrupt. Severely, mortally sick. Extremely sick. Beyond cure.

This makes it pretty easy to see why our heart needs to be changed if we want our person to change.

This sounds pretty dismal, doesn’t it?

But here’s the deal. God, the Creator of all we see, and the One who breathed life into us, offers us hope!

How?

You see, David got this. He understood it.

He saw his own depravity after committing a terrible sin (several of them, actually). And he knew that the only way he could change was to ask God to change his heart.

Psalm 51:10 (NKJV) 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

So, David spoke these words and then endeavored to walk uprightly from that day, forward, keeping God above all else.

And if we look back at history, we see that God held David up higher than all other kings for that very reason; he never worshiped other gods, and was a man after God’s own heart, unlike just about every other king after him.

So, if we are longing for change, and we’re tired of asking God to change us, maybe it’s time that we do it right!

Ask Him to change our heart. And then give Him permission to do it, setting Him free to lead and guide us through the process.

Then we will see our lives change, a little at a time as we follow His leading.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

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