The Heart Is The Center Of Our Will

3. The Heart Is The Center Of Our Will

Our hearts are able to be hardened to where we will refuse to do what God commands (Exodus 4:21), We have the ability to yield our hearts to God (Joshua 24:23), We can intend to do things in our heart (2 Chronicles 6:7), Our hearts can be devoted to seeking the Lord (1 Chronicles 22:19), We can desire to receive from the Lord in our heart (Psalm 21:1-2), We can have a heart that is turned toward God’s statutes (Psalm 119:36) and also a heart that wants to do something (Romans 10:1). All of these things take place in the human will.

The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. Genesis 6:5-6

I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve. Jeremiah 17:10

The two previous scriptures show us that not only are our hearts wicked without God, but that our hearts will be examined for what they truly are by God himself.

Now that we know what the capacity of our hearts are and we see the evil that they can be and the good that they can be, let’s weigh out both sides between the good and the bad and see what is to our advantage and our disadvantage.

To begin with we must first believe that all scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Because we read in 2 Peter 1:16, that they did not follow cleverly invented stories when they told us about the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus

Christ, but that they were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

Secondly we must believe that beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great:

• He appeared in a body
• Was vindicated by the Spirit
• Was seen by Angels
• Was preached among the nations
• Was believed on in the world
• Was taken up in glory

As stated in 1 Timothy 3:16 and affirmed in the gospel of John 1:1-4, 14

Thirdly, if we believe these things to be true then as in Romans 10:9 we must confess with our mouths that “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, and we are saved.