EVIL HEART- Open heavens devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Matt. 18-21
EVIL HEART Saturday, February 27, 2010
MEMORIZE: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9 ) READ: Jeremiah 17:9-11 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9). The human heart is capable of taking on a positive or negative form. Like a chameleon, it blends with the environment - the spirit that hovers around it for long. Where is your heart tilted presently? The deceitful heart is one that deceives its owner. It sees the owner as an enemy and seeks to destroy the fellow. When your heart assures you that you won’t get caught if you indulge in a particular sin, it is operating in deception. Almost everyone who got into trouble and started regretting their foolishness in following their heart, had been deceived by their heart. Some people say “Follow your heart” when it comes to taking certain decisions. Sorry: your heart can deceive you. You have to pray against deception or deceptive tendencies of the heart or else you will become its casualty. Another negative nature that a heart can lean towards is pride. “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished” (Prov. 16:5). Anyone with a proud heart is a candidate for divine rejection, demotion and destruction. If you have a proud heart, it will show in your words, comportment, attitude, over -bloated ego, etc. The proud rubs shoulders with the Most High God. There are some people with a proud heart who feign humility. They fail to know that their words and works are defined by their heart. The most humble words said from a haughty heart will still have elements of haughtiness. If you have a proud heart and feel you are better than everyone else and so only your voice should be heard; don’t start by refining your words; start from the heart. Learning to talk like believers in Christ cannot change your heart. True transformation starts from inside out and not vice versa. On the other hand, if you are fond of devising mischief, evil thoughts and negative inspirations or ideas, you have a wicked heart. Such a life will be full of wickedness. Is any of these in your life? Call upon the Lord to deliver you today! Ask God to remove every evil heart in you. ACTION POINT: Ask God to uproot every evil heart from you. Also ask the Lord to rekindle His fire in all ministers during the Solemn Assembly.