Declaration of Readiness to Receive the Word

In Acts 17:11, Dr. Luke records the account of the noble Bereans who were so willing to learn and grow.  They received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if what Apostle Paul said was true.  I picture this eagerness as on-the-edge-of-your-seat readiness, with your spirit fully active and alert to receive everything Holy Spirit wants to say to you as you hear the Word.

Below is a declaration of readiness to receive the Word with eagerness.  I mined the gold of this declaration from the words of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 13:9-18, 35.  Apply this treasure by declaring it for yourself whenever you are preparing your heart to hear God’s Word, both before your own daily Bible study and in corporate gatherings.

In the Name of Jesus, I declare…

I have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to His Church.

I receive from Jesus the knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven.

As I hear, I hear and understand.

As I see, I see and perceive.

My heart is soft.

My ears and eyes are open.

I see with my eyes, hear with my ears, and understand with my heart.

I turn to Jesus, and I am healed.

Blessed are my eyes for they see.

Blessed are my ears for they hear.

Blessed is my heart for I understand.

Many prophets and righteous people longed to see what I see and to hear what I hear.

I will listen then to what the Word means.

Holy Spirit, I ask You to seal this declaration of truth and cause it to become fully true in my life as I receive Your Word with eagerness.  In Jesus’ Name – Amen!

Head & Heart - Soulmates

"Would you quiet your whimpering?!? I'm trying to think," Mind growled with an intellectual indifference.

"I can't help it. This is just so moving!" His companion, Heart, emotionally retorted, wiping away tears.

I promise you, my head and heart do not have audible conversations within my soul; however, I’ve learned there must be peaceful balance between them. As a follower of Christ, I’m called to think and feel as the Lord Jesus does.

The first week of this semester, I learned more about the balance between head and heart. In music class, my professor taught that the arts diverge into two braches: classic, which is orderly and logical, and romantic, which is free and more emotional. Head and heart have arm-wrestled throughout music history.

In preaching class, my professor taught that ministering the Word is both a science, involving mental discipline, and an art, requiring the Holy Spirit’s influence on the preacher’s heart. Head and heart must cooperate under the unction of the Holy Spirit to deliver an effective message.

John 1:12 speaks of both receiving Jesus and believing in His Name. The LORD, through John, explains there’s an experiential and an intellectual component to becoming born again as a child of God through Jesus Christ (Jn. 3). We believe the truth of the Gospel and turn from lawbreaking to follow Christ.

I was baptized as an infant and grew up in a church where I learned about the Bible. My head was full of knowledge, but I hadn’t encountered the Risen Christ. He hadn’t yet pricked my heart with a godly sorrow that brings repentance (2 Cor. 7:10). When I heard the Gospel call to repent and be saved, the Holy Spirit brought conviction of sin and my need for Jesus. I received and believed.

I heard Apologist Josh McDowell explain on the radio that it was not just intellectual doubt that kept him from faith. Deep emotional wounds from his earthly father hindered his heart from believing in the Heavenly Father. He was convinced an Almighty Father would only cause him more pain. The Holy Spirit used both the love and the intellectual evidence of those who witnessed to McDowell to draw him to Jesus.

Everything done well in this life must involve a redeemed head and heart. When we act only from the head, we cause pain. When we’re simply moved by the heart, we cause trouble. The unregenerate “heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” and the mind must be renewed (Jer. 17:9; Rom. 12:2).

Neither emotion nor reason is inherently evil. They are gifts of God, evidence that people are handcrafted in His Image. There’s an element of reason and emotion required for every wise decision, drawing from learned Scriptural principles and listening for the Holy Spirit's still, small voice.

This balance between head and heart is not something I dwell on or am introspective about. I listen to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to convict me. When I act unwisely or uncaringly, He convicts. When He puts His finger on a specific sin, I turn from the sin to Jesus and move forward.

Will head and heart ever get along? Through the cleansing Blood of Jesus, they sure can. We must eagerly desire both Christ-like thinking and feeling. The head and the heart are, after all, soulmates.

A call for discernment of God’s will

Junior year at our public high school, English class included a unit on media and society. I was surprised when my teacher, a Christ-follower, showed an episode of a popular cartoon television comedy.

It was appalling. The pseudo-humor denigrated women, depicted soft-core porn, cursed, blasphemed the Lord’s Name, badmouthed family, dishonored parents, and spit in authority’s face.

Suddenly, I realized my teacher’s wisdom: what a clear way to portray the poisonous effects of ungodly media on society. I couldn’t wait for group discussion; now my classmates would certainly understand.

However, to my utter dismay, the majority confessed they enjoyed the episode and hoped we’d watch another next class. After all, “it might not be good for children, but it’s perfectly fine for me.” I was troubled by their double standard.

Most of these class members were not believers in Jesus. But many professing Christians similarly lack discernment. It’s disgusting and dangerous.

In Philippians 4:8-9, the Holy Spirit speaks through Paul: if it's true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy let it into your head, so you can think about it (vs. 8). Whether you like it or not, what you let in your head sinks down into your heart and begins to flow out in what you say and do. If you put Christ-honoring things into your head and into practice, God will be with you (vs. 9).

Should the Philippians passage serve as a filter for Jesus-followers? That depends on whether or not you want God to be near to you. It depends on how much you desire to walk closely within His will for your life.

Christian liberty and grace are not licenses to love the things of the world, pursue youthful lusts, or naively believe everything we hear (Rom. 6:1-4; 2 Tim. 2:22). I’m sounding the alarm and calling for discernment.

Discernment is not only required for entertainment choices. It enables believers to judge teaching and counsel. We must hold every truth claim up to the standard of the Bible, as the Bereans did (1 Thes. 5:21). They didn’t even take Paul’s word for it; they tested his teaching according to God’s written Word (Acts 17:11). We should not believe all we hear. We cannot do everything unbelievers do.

If you follow Christ, ensure His message is never compromised. Guarding your heart yields a clear mind to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice (Prov. 4:23). Then you can discern the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God (Rom. 12:2). When you discern His will, you ready yourself to carry it out.