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A Heart With A Mind Of Its Own
by Dale Linton
9/06/2010 / Bible Studies
The heart is an amazing spiritual mechanism. We know this because God has one and we are created in His likeness. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit our heart may be led into purity, but under its own control it is extremely dangerous. Our creator hasn't left us in the dark concerning what we must know about our heart. Lets see:
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
This Verse Suggests The Following
The heart of man has many characteristics and many functions, however this verse suggest the predominant characteristic as being deceitful.
The question, "who can know it?" implies that we may not recognize this deceitful activity even while it's happening.
This same question suggests a limitation that even if we do realize the deceitfulness, we haven't the power to change our heart in a positive way.
Additional Limitations Associated With the Question "who can know it?"
It is impossible to transfer feelings to another heart in an attempt to communicate what it feels like to have children or to be married.
It is impossible to retain what summer time temperatures feel like such that they can be used in the winter to make cold conditions more comfortable or vise versa.
It is impossible to know what the thoughts and feelings of choices made today might evolve into in the months and years to come
The phrase "desperately wicked" means without cure. Here is the same Hebrew word translated differently in the book of Job.
Job 34:6 Should I lie against my right? my wound is incurable without transgression.
The flaws that are resident in the human heart are beyound our ability to rectify. There is no magic switch that we can flip that would correct our hearts and heal that which is being described in Jeremiah 17:9.
Features of The Heart
Intellectual----Thoughts
Emotional----Feelings
Will----Choices
The Operation of The Heart
Two features of the heart are meant to operate together in harmony. These two features are embodied in and are commonly used in the English language:
The Term:
" Follow your heart" = An Emotional Function
The Term:
"I know that story by heart" = An Intellectual Function
These two features, (intellectual and emotional), are so inter-twined that operationally they tend not to separate. In other words: you can't have a thought without attaching some emotion to it and you won't experience an emotion without attaching some thought to it.
If someone is asked, "How do you feel about that?", there will be an associated thought about the question.
If someone is asked, "What do you think about that?", there will be an associated feeling about the question.
Through this process of thought and emotion the heart exercises its most important feature:
This Is Called The Will
Luke 23:25 And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.
This Verse Reveals This Truth
The thoughts and the emotions of the heart operate together, arriving at a desire to which the will is delivered. In other words; whatever someone wants or desires they generally will do.
The Heart Equation
The Heart Is : (Thoughts + Emotions) = Will ( Decisions or Choices )
To Be Continued
I have a desire to see the body of Christ edified. Within the broad spectrum of edification I feel there exists a great need and opportunity for spiritual education at foundational levels. Please contact me about speaking at your church. Dale Linton 410-378-5035 or [email protected]
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