But not in there! Please don't go in there!

But not in there! Please don't go in there!

by David Brenneman 

What always amazes me every day is when and what I am instructed to write about.  For those who read til the end, you'll note that there is now a used by permission note that's linked to the Lockman Foundation.  That's at their request.  I reached out to them, wasn't them to me.  Have had the letter of permission for many years, just figured out how to add individual links.

That being said...on we go...

In Jeremiah 29:13 we read what the Lord Jesus Christ said to him.  That if we seek Him that we will find Him if we look with all our heart.  

By what we know of the word "all", it means...well...all...everything, every aspect, every part, every portion.  No excuses, no exceptions. 

But how often do we actively keep pointing Jesus to allllll the other rooms in our hearts that we have been obedient to let Him into and yet know that we're trying to keep Him out of certain places, certain parts. 

We all do it.  Our sin nature is predisposed towards selfishness.  To keeping back something we really don't want to let go of.  Either from embarrassment or from selfish desire, it's been tucked away.  Yet Jesus wants in to that room that we keep pointing Him away from. 

It matters not how faithful we are in everything else we do in Christ. 

He wants all of our hearts. 

We can pursue Bible studies, new Christians to hang out with, new churches to attend.  Can be intentional on serving.

If we're going to resist in giving our whole heart to Jesus we have a significant problem. 

"For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all." James 2:10.

We need to realize that no part of our old self is making it to Heaven.  There's no part or portion that Jesus is going to keep of our sin nature.  

We need to read between the lines of "If someone says, “I love God,” and yet he hates his brother or sister, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen." 1 John 4:20.

Some of the most poignant moments in Heaven must be when Believers only then realize just what they held onto for no Heavenly good reason. That relationships, marriages, families, friends, etc. were broken because of their own disobedience...that had Jesus been given access to their whole heart...it wouldn't have happened. 

It doesn't matter how obedient we are in this here this now...if we are keeping account of wrongs suffered...we are sinning.  If we are holding grudges...we are sinning. If we are secretly doing things we ought not to be that are against God's Word...we are sinning. 

Sin, willful, sin keeps us separated from God.  Sin, practiced sin, intentional sin, keeps us separated from God. 

It's our choice and we bear the consequences of that choice in a broken relationship with Jesus. 

Our all must be on the altar.  Even in the Old Testament examples of bringing offerings...only the best and WHOLE offering was to be brought.

What parts of your life are you trying to keep Jesus from going into? Do you foolishly think that He doesn't already know? That He doesn't already see your song n dance attempts at distracting Him?

Don't you see how foolish it is to try to deceive yourself let alone the Savior of your life?

It was an amazing description that I read in a book yesterday.  We may obey in the aspect of the Communion with foot washing.  When Jesus got up and proceeded to wash their feet Himself...it wasn't at all like we experience today in remembrance.  Those were some really dirty, encrusted feet. Yet He washed them clean as only the Lord Creator God would do. Even those feet of the one who would betray Him. We, today, would be embarrassed to show up at a Communion with dirty feet knowing there was going to be a foot washing. 

We read and in most cases at a Communion are warned to only partake if we have examined what? Our hearts.

Our whole heart.  We can sin in partaking of Communion with a heart that's not right before Jesus.  Even if it's not the whole Communion and is only the Bread and Cup, our whole heart must be right before partaking.  

We are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works that we might walk in them.  It's more than implied that our whole being, our whole heart, must be accessible to Him.  

It's heartbreaking to hear of Believers treating other Believers with animosity, anger, in every type of way that Jesus would not treat His Disciples.  

We are never going to grow in Christ if Christ doesn't have all of us to work with. 

We may have to put off our life choices to get right with Jesus.  He is to be the Lord of our lives, heart and soul and mind and spirit.  He may bring us back to what we are holding onto, He may not. 

Only Trust Him, Only Trust Him only trust Him now. He will save you He will save you, He will save you now. 

I like old hymns because they contain reminders that my life is not my own. They remind me that no matter what joy I think of in living life, Jesus has much more in store. 

Do you have rooms in your heart that you have been keeping closed to Jesus?  Are you, truthfully, disobedient in your life because you are indeed demanding your way and not His for your life?  Refusing to let go of something is a guaranteed thing that He will make you let go of it. Your only decision left will be either you doing it willingly or unwillingly. But it WILL happen.

You may be pouring as much Godly teaching into your every waking moment and are disobeying, willfully, in one area...it will hinder you. Guaranteed. 

When we willingly are stubborn about not letting go and letting God, it's what the Bible says is a hard heart. It's the Old Testament name for stiff-necked.  

We are never to harden our hearts against the will of God for us. 

My Dear Reader, open your whole heart to Jesus today.  The Spirit is going to keep on with convicting until you do.  The possibility always exists that your disobedience will cause Him to remove you from this world.  The Name of Jesus is to be held in highest honor.  He will not allow it to be tarnished by disobedient children.  He has us here in human history to reach those who would come to Christ for salvation.  Not for personal sake or satisfaction.  Not for human goals or human dreams.  Paul, Peter, John, the others did not get the life that they wanted in life.  They got what was promised if they would come to Christ for salvation. They were obedient and millions of people have been reached for Jesus because they gave up their life for the sake of the Gospel. 

Are you giving your whole heart to Jesus? 

All Excerpts of the NASB95, NASB are used by permission, the Lockman Foundation