Unbolt The Door To Your Heart

Tag: transformation

  • Vacant Space

    “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation”. Matthew 12:43-45 KJV

    Jesus is speaking directly to people that proclaim to be followers of Him.  Jesus is talking in parable form, yet He is very blunt.

    Merely stopping a behavior or habit is not enough. An outward moral reform or cleansing of one’s life is not going to do any good. You are just living a life that looks good. Whitewashed and clean on the outside and giving the appearance that the inside is clean and swept.

    You cannot just stop doing harmful habits or behaviors. You must actively start another behavior or habit to fill the mind and heart with the presence of God.  If you just stop the habit and do nothing else, Satan sees that you are only doing it to show outwardly that you are good and He will then come back with even greater force than before. You become vulnerable to a greater collapse.

    You must actively invite the Holy Spirit to come and live inside your heart and mind. The problem arises in that the Holy Spirit is in the business of transformation. He is not interested in just living in the space you provided.  He wants to demolish your desires, habits, and thoughts and build a new mind and heart dedicated to the glory of God.

    This is why Jesus said the road is narrow.  Most people do not want or desire to change. They will not allow complete transformation.  Yet, Jesus says you must be reborn again to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

    You can come to God as you are, but you cannot remain as you are.  You must give up total control and hold on to nothing of the past.

    Today, fill the mind and heart with the activities that bring about a complete change.  Stop doing what the world does, stop doing any activity that promotes worldly thoughts. Give total control to God.

    “O taste and see that the Lord is good” Psalms 34:8 KJV

    Remember it is not a religion it is a relationship.

    Prayers and Love for all.

    Larry

  • The Best Method

    How would you complete the sentence: “The Son of Man came . . .”? The Son of Man came to preach the Word? The Son of Man came to establish the kingdom of God? The Son of man came to die on the cross?

    There are three ways the New Testament completes the sentence, “The Son of Man came . .  “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45); “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10); “The Son of Man has come eating and drinking . . .” (Luke 7:34).

    The first two are the purpose of His coming. He came to serve, to give His life as a ransom for my sins and to seek out and save the lost. The third statement is His method. He came to eat and drink with people.

    In his book “Eating Your Way through Luke’s Gospel” Robert Karris says, “In Luke’s Gospel Jesus is either going to a meal, at a meal, or coming from a meal.”

    Luke’s Gospel is full of stories of Jesus eating with people:

    In Luke 5 Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners at the home of Levi

    In Luke 7 Jesus is anointed at the home of Simon the Pharisee during a meal.

    In Luke 9 Jesus feeds the five thousand.

    In Luke 10 Jesus eats in the home of Martha and Mary

    In Luke 11 Jesus condemns the Pharisees and teachers of the law at a meal.

    In Luke 14 Jesus is at a meal when he urges people to invite the poor to their meals rather than their friends.

    In Luke 19 Jesus invites himself to dinner with Zacchaeus.

    In Luke 22 we have the account of the Last Supper.

    In Luke 24 the risen Christ has a meal with the two disciples in Emmaus, and then later eats fish with the disciples in Jerusalem.

    “But wisdom is proved right by all her children.” Luke 7:35 NIV.  This is the next verse that tells you that the proof His methods worked was the radical change or transformation of the people He was eating and drinking with.

    One of the best examples is Zacchaeus.  We have no idea what was said over lunch, but Zacchaeus was completely transformed into a new individual when lunch was over.

    “But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Luke 19:8 NIV

    “Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.  But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:12-14 NIV

    Jesus is trying to tell you and me that the best way to share is not in a sermon, preaching, condemnation, fear of damnation or exclusion.  It is eating and drinking with people.

    Effective discipleship and outreach do not require complex programs, just a table, food, and an open seat.  Prioritize listening and genuine presence.  You are not there to talk about yourself.

     By eating with tax collectors, outcasts, and acknowledged sinners, Jesus offered tangible acceptance and forgiveness which then brought about a complete transformation. Dining together acted as a living picture of God’s banquet, showing that outsiders were welcomed into God’s family, which irritated the religious elite of the day. 

    Jesus’s method of evangelism and ministry centered heavily on sharing meals and table fellowship with people from all walks of life.

    Is your heart and house open to allowing the Holy Spirit to work through you to transform others. People don’t want to be invited to your church to be introduced to God. They will be happy to attend a church where they have a friend. 

    “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” Psalm 23:5 NIV. Even in the presence of darkness and evil, Jesus wants to eat and drink.

    Remember it is not a religion it is a relationship.

    Today open your house and share God with others by your friendship of eating and drinking.

    Prayers for all.

    Larry

  • Isaiah 6

    Isaiah Six is a very powerful chapter on the transformation of the prophet Isaiah and the same transformation that must take place in every believer.

    Isaiah starts by seeing and experiencing the Holiness of God. The Lord is seated on the throne in the temple. The train of His robe fills the whole temple.  This is symbolic of the Lord’s infinite majesty, supreme authority and is showing that God’s glory is greater than any earthly king and it leaves no room for anyone else to rule in the temple or the universe.

    Above the Lord were seraphs and they were constantly praising God with song and voices. Verse three tells us what they were saying and verse four tells us how they were proclaiming the Holiness of God.

    The sound of their voices shook the doorposts and thresholds of the temple.  Oh, what a worship service and witness it would be if your praise at church shook the ground for the neighborhood to hear, see, and feel what God is doing for You.

    Immediately in verse 5 Isaiah recognizes his sinful condition and that he is not worthy of standing in the temple or the vicinity of God. When we realize the holiness and greatness of God and His presence, the more we realize our sinful condition. God’s absolute purity acts like a bright light that exposes even the smallest flaws in our hearts.

    “When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” Luke 5:8 NIV

    Isaiah realizes that he has no right to be in the presence of such holiness and purity. He shouts out in fear of being put to death, for he has experienced the presence of the Lord.

    “Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Isaiah 6: 6-7 NIV

    This is where the transformation starts.  You realize your sinfulness and impurity. You humble yourself before the Great “I AM”.  God’s presence in your life brings about complete surrender and humility. You realize that there is nothing you are going to do to become clean.  You cannot wash yourself.  No amount of working at scrubbing is going to get you ready for the presence of God.

    Immediately upon being touched by the coal Isaiah is clean. “Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Isaiah 6:7 NIV

    The coal was radiant white with heat from being in the altar before God.  That whiteness of that heat brought complete forgiveness and atonement to Isaiah. God accepts the Purity  of His Son to bring Purity to you and me.

    This cleanliness changed Isaiah. He immediately hears the voice of God asking, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Isaiah 6:8 NIV

    This is such an important part in the transformation of a person from believing that they are worthless to being forgiven clothed in the white robe of Jesus. Don’t underestimate this part of the transformation. 

    The change is once he hears God’s calling to witness unto others, to take the message to others. Isaiah stands up and starts shouting “Here I am, Send Me”. Isaiah 6:8 NIV 

    This is how it should be in everyone that has accepted the saving grace of God.  You should immediately be so excited to share this wonderful message with all. You have been forgiven and cleansed and you cannot wait to share it with everyone. It is shown in your personality, the glow on your face and the love in your eyes for everyone. In your daily interactions in person or on social media. There is no more negativity or condemnation in anything you do. You did not deserve to be touched by the hot coal and forgiven. God saved you because He loves you. No act like it and live a life worthy of what God has done for you.

    “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes”. Romans 1:16 NIV

    God then tells Isaiah to go and tell but gives a warning. In verse nine and ten God explains that most people will not listen because their ears will not understand because their hearts have become calloused. They only want to hear what tickles their ears and gladdens their hearts.

    This is the problem with believers.  They hear the saving words, but it does not change them. They are believers that hear the word, the seed, that the workers have cast upon the ground.  They hear and sprout up only to die when the heat hits because they did not change their behavior and put down a foundation deep into Jesus. It was just a surface religion.

    Isaiah asks how long he should continue to spread the good news of salvation. God’s response is until the end of time. 

    God then gave some good news.  He has reserved a tenth of the population that has never bowed down a knee to the world and its ways. Those people shall be the holy seed that goes forward in the name of the Lord.

    What a wonderful promise of eternity is in this chapter for those that accept the saving grace of God the Father and accept the changes that this brings. They allow this saving Grace to change their behavior, words and actions.

    Read this chapter every morning.  Let it sink deep within and let the Holy Spirit transform you. Surrender all to Him and go forth today in a manner that brings glory to God.

    Remember it is not a religion it is a relationship.

    Prayers and Love for all.

    Larry