The Thoughts and Intents of the Heart
By David J. Stewart
Psalms 119:9, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.”
The Bible knows you—the faults and intents of your heart. We all live in a false world. We put up a little facade. We all have a little thing where we think people see us a certain way and we try to maintain that image. We don't want anyone to know what's in our heart. And when we find someone that does, we usually don't like them. So we find an excuse not to like them.
We don't want people to see us as we really are. Dr. Do-little and Professor Do-Hickey cannot answer your question. Dr. Fat-Bottom and Professor Know-it-all cannot replace God's Word in your life. The problem with the Bible is that it tells it like it is, even when you don't want to hear it. If you go to Dr. Do-Hickey, he'll let you express your own opinions and views; but God will tell you the way it is in 30-seconds, period! We want to be psycho-analysts, intellectual, educated and philosophical. We want to take 6-months of counseling sessions to deal with what God answered in one statement. That's why folks don't like the Bible. The Word of God won't cut you any slack.
I don't care if you've been preaching for 40-years, the Bible speaks the same to everyone. God is no respecter of persons (Romans 2:11). You're either doing right or wrong. We don't like that dogmatic black or white thing. We all want some input, some control over our own destination. Proverb 3:5-6 says to acknowledge God in all our ways and HE SHALL DIRECT thy ways. It's that “He” that we don't like! The Bible is brutally honest! You can't get better counseling than God! The fastest way to ruin your life is to do it your own way instead of God's way. When all else fails, follow the instructions!
The best way to lose a good church
member is to be their counselor. Why do they do that? It's because you know
too much about them and now they're embarrassed. They come to you when they
have financial or marital problems and want your help; but then when things
get better, they are embarrassed because you know too much about them and
they leave. It happens often. When people know that you know what's in their
heart, it's hard for them. That's why people hate the Bible, because it sees
right through them!!! The Bible is not interested in your feelings or what
you think. God knows what you're thinking, what your planning and discerns
the thoughts and intents of your heart.
You Won't Find Any Claptrap in the Bible!
I learned a new word today, claptrap! The Bible is not interested in the superfluous rhetoric of your never-ending chatter. The Bible is not interested in all the things you say to your friends, parents and relatives to sound good and make them sympathize with you and take your side. The Bible couldn't care less about all that claptrap (claptrap: Talk or writing intended to attract notice and impress others; creating an impression; Pompous or pretentious talk or writing). You won't find any claptrap in the Bible.
So many times, when a person wants to commit sin (such as filing for divorce), a person will go around clap-trapping. They contact various ministers, co-workers at work, friends and family, trying to generate sympathy for their decision to divorce. The fact that they are seeking sympathy from outsiders evidences that they know they're doing wrong. Divorce is wrong, always wrong. There are NO Biblical grounds for divorce. There were no disclaimers in your marriage vows. None!
The Bible is the last place that people want to go for answers. Do you know why? It's because the Bible knows us! James 1:23, “For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass. For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.”
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The Bible has all the answers! You can read a dozen books and they'll all say the same thing; it doesn't matter if it's Bible commentaries, books on counseling or psychology books... they all say the same thing. There are only so many positions that a person can take. Of all the books you read, most will quote the same sources, quoting each other, and going in circles. The Book knows you!!! It knows your weakness, your reasoning, the faults and intents of your heart.
We like to be dirty. We don't want to be too clean. I witnessed to a devout Catholic woman. As I spoke the plain truth of God's Word, she said “I don't want to get into the Bible that much. I just go to church.” She wants religion without truth. She wants churchianity without Christianity. She wants the eyeglasses of religion, but she doesn't want for the Lord to open her eyes. She's a fool and content to travel the religious highway to Hell.
The Bible tells the truth. The Bible won't allow you to believe a lie if you take heed therewith as Psalm 119:9 teaches.
Psalms 119:9, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.”
