Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts (Proverbs 21:2). God doesn’t take what a person says or does at face value; He looks for the motivation behind their actions.

Absalom is a great example of someone who appeared to have a generous heart but was a deceiver and a manipulator. His intentions weren’t pure and holy; they were selfish and greedy. Absalom had a grudge against his father, King David, so he devised a plan to turn the hearts of the people of Israel against his father.

One day, Absalom rose up early and stood by the way of the gate so he could intercept people who were coming to see King David with a dispute. Absalom greeted each person and asked where they were from. He then told them that he belonged to one of the tribes of Israel so they would think he was one of them.

Absalom made it sound like he was sympathetic towards the people’s problems and wanted to help them saying, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed [appointed] of the king to hear thee. Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice! (II Samuel 15:3,4).

Absalom was trying to steal the hearts of the people of Israel away from his father, but God knew Absalom’s heart. The question is: Did Absalom know his own heart and where he stood with God? Did he realize he was traveling down a path that led to destruction?

Examine Your Heart

After Absalom’s sister was raped by their brother Amnon, his heart was full of hatred and revenge; and he plotted to avenge his sister by killing Amnon. That revenge festered in his heart for two years. Then he finally succeeded in having Amnon killed.

Did Absalom regret killing his brother or repent for taking vengeance into his own hands? The Bible doesn’t say, but my thought is that Absalom was full of himself. The Bible does tell us, In all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him (II Samuel 14:25).

Many people become popular because of their looks, so being attractive can be a hindrance if you’re not careful. It can tempt you to use your looks to manipulate people into doing what you want them to just like Absalom did, so the question is: What motivates you?

God wants you to examine your heart and know where you stand with Him, and the only way you can do that is through the Word. Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates (II Corinthians 13:5)?

You Must Forgive

The Word of God is the mirror of truth. What kind of reflection do you see when you look into that mirror? Are you holding a grudge in your heart against someone? The Word says, Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you (Ephesians 4:31,32). Is your heart full of bitterness, wrath or anger? Do you say unkind things about someone who has wronged you?

When you truly forgive someone, you will not gossip and say things about them to others. If you do, what is your motive? Do you want to make the person look bad? Are you trying to make yourself look good? Those things don’t make you look good to God.

The Bible is clear on how you should handle yourself when someone does something against you. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses (Mark 11:25,26). If there is any unforgiveness in your heart, it will prevent the Lord from forgiving you.

Don’t Be a Hypocrite

Do you want to serve the Lord with your whole heart, mind and soul; or do you just want to appear like you are? The Lord knows if you are playing the hypocrite. The Pharisees were notorious for doing that, and Jesus wasn’t afraid to call them out. He said, No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (Luke 16:13).

The Pharisees scoffed at Jesus’ words, so He went on to say, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God (Luke 16:15). God knew the Pharisees’ hearts were full of greed and that they were hypocrites.

No matter how you might appear to people on the outside, God knows what is in your heart; and one day, it’s going to be uncovered. Always desiring human praise will weaken your heart toward God, and that is what happened to many of the Pharisees. They observed the Law in public to appear pious before men, but their hearts were far from God.

The devil doesn’t want you to know your own heart. He wants you to be wrapped up in pleasing man instead of God. Paul wrote, For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ (Galatians 1:10). Are you a man-pleaser or a God-pleaser?

No Vain Religion

One day, some Pharisees came to Jesus and asked Him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands (Mark 7:5)? Their question wasn’t sincere; they just wanted to criticize Jesus, but Jesus didn’t defend the actions of the disciples. Instead, He pointed out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees’ hearts saying, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do (Mark 7:6-8).

The Pharisees were worshiping the Lord in vain. The Bible says, If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain (James 1:26). You can be deceived about your own heart, so you must always examine it and see it as God sees it.

Tame Your Tongue

If you have trouble bridling your tongue, study the third chapter of James. He writes, If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body (James 3:2). When you are able to bridle the whole body, then you have the Holy Ghost living inside of you; and you are under His leadership. If you never come under His leadership completely, you are in trouble.

James also said, But the tongue can no man tame (James 3:8). The Holy Spirit is the One who can tame the tongue; and when He can tame yours, He has all of you. Christians who refuse to seek the baptism of the Holy Ghost haven’t given all of themselves to God. They are holding on to something that’s keeping them from being obedient.

Jesus commanded all of us to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. He told the apostles, I send the promise of my Father [the baptism of the Holy Ghost] upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49). That promise is extended to all believers.

Peter told the people on the Day of Pentecost, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call (Acts 2:38,39). When you accept Jesus Christ into your heart, you must go on to seek the baptism of the Holy Ghost. He will enable you to stay in step with Jesus and be ready when Jesus comes back for His Bride.

You Need the Holy Ghost

It takes humility and complete surrender to God to receive the precious Holy Ghost. He won’t live in vessels that are full of self, only vessels that are full of humility and yielded to Him. When you receive the Holy Ghost, your heart is one hundred percent tuned in with the Godhead. Your desires match God’s desires, and you have picked up your cross to follow Jesus.

Once you receive the Holy Spirit, you must never grieve Him; but you can only accomplish that if you are sensitive to the Spirit. Staying home from church when you could be there grieves the Holy Spirit. The Bible says, Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching (Hebrews 10:25).

People will work forty hours a week, but they can’t spend a couple hours in church. You can’t do your own thing whenever you feel like it. You have to yield to the Spirit. The Early Church assembled together even in the midst of danger. They were in the unity of the Spirit, and great things happened.

On the Day of Pentecost, about 120 people received the baptism of the Holy Ghost in the Upper Room because they all were in one mind and one accord with the Spirit. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:2-4).

The Holy Spirit wants to be in harmony with all His children, and it grieves Him when they’re not. How many times have you grieved the Holy Spirit because you were focused on what you wanted for your life and not on what God wanted? You stepped out of God’s will to do your own thing and lost the unity with the Spirit.

Let No One Discourage You

What is in your heart will motivate you to serve either the Lord or self and the devil. You may be able to cover up what is truly in your heart to others, but you can never deceive God. Unfortunately, there are many people who play church and take advantage of the giving heart of a true child of God. I have witnessed sinners going through the motions of repenting; but later, you find they have no real intention of serving the Lord. They just wanted a handout and then went right back into their old ways.

If you are a true child of God, you may have found yourself being taken advantage of by a person like that; but don’t let that cause you to lose your godly compassion for the lost, weak and needy. Paul said, I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).

How many people went to Jesus just because they wanted a miracle or a healing but never intended to serve Him? Did that make Him stop having compassion on others and healing them? No. And you can’t stop helping others either.

Be a Servant to All

Jesus is our example; and He said, Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great (Luke 6:30-32,35).

How many times did God use someone to help you in your time of need? Do you have a generous heart, or are you always looking for what’s in it for you? You must want to be a blessing to others and to help them in their time of need.

Jesus instructed, Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 6:1). That goes for helping others as well. Would you extend a helping hand to someone if no one else was around to see it?

The parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-37 shows the true intent of the hearts of three men through their actions. The priest and the Levite in that story should have been the ones to show compassion for the Jewish man lying nearly dead on the street; but instead, they passed by on the other side.

The Samaritan man who passed by was someone the Jews looked down upon, yet he was the one who was willing to take time to extend a helping hand to the man in need. He didn’t do it to receive praise and glory from men; he did it because he had compassion for those in need. You will never be an effective soul winner if you don’t have compassion for humanity.

A Heart of Betrayal

Do you think Judas knew the condition of his heart when he betrayed Jesus? Judas was one of the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus; and at one time, he was right with the Lord. He had prayed for the sick and the devil possessed, and they were delivered; but Judas’ heart changed somewhere along the way. He lost his first love, and he started caring more about money than he did about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Six days before Jesus’ last Passover, Jesus and His disciples were having dinner with Lazarus and his sisters when Mary began anointing Jesus’ feet with very expensive spikenard ointment. She had a generous heart and wanted to honor Jesus.

Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein (John 12:4-6). Judas didn’t really have a compassionate heart at all. He was a thief who would manipulate and deceive others to get what he wanted regardless of the consequences. A thief who gets caught rarely learns a lesson and instead tries harder not to get caught again the next time he steals. Only the blood of Jesus can truly change the heart of a thief.

Judas’ heart was so taken over by the devil that he never considered the price Jesus would have to pay when he betrayed Him. All he could think about was the money he was going to receive. Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him [Jesus] unto them. And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money (Luke 22:3-5).

Jesus had tried to show Judas the condition of his heart when He and the disciples were taking communion at the Passover supper. Jesus said, But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed (Luke 22:21,22).

After Judas betrayed Jesus, he lost everything—the money he had received for betraying Jesus, his life and his soul. Judas is in hell today, burning in an everlasting, tormenting flame; and I’m sure money doesn’t matter to him anymore. How do you want your life’s story to end, in Heaven or in hell?

See Yourself in the Word

Once you receive a transformed heart at Calvary, you must grow in grace through the Word of God. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works (II Timothy 3:16,17). The Word of God instructs you in how to grow spiritually into the image of Jesus.

When you look into the mirror of truth, the Word of God, do you see an image of yourself or the image of Jesus? Perhaps you avoid going to God’s Word because you don’t want to see the truth about yourself or what your heart really looks like to God; but eventually, you will have to face it whether you want to or not. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God (I Corinthians 4:5).

You can’t hide your heart from God. He knows it better than you do, so it is critical in this final hour to know who you are in the Lord. It can mean eternal life or eternal death for your soul. It's not God’s desire for you or anyone else to fail. He has given you all the tools you need to have a perfect heart, but it’s up to you to use those tools. He gave the blood of His Only Begotten Son to transform your heart, and He gave His precious Holy Spirit to help show you what is in your heart if you will receive Him. Let the Spirit reveal your heart to you through the Word and accept it.

God Must Be First

And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:24,25). You can’t live that way if you are pleasing self because you can’t please both self and God. Does your heart desire to put the Lord first or self first? Who do you really hold up first in your life? Jesus is our example, and He always put the will of the Father before His own will; but there was a time when Jesus didn’t want to suffer. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed to the Father, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: (Matthew 26:39). But Jesus still wanted to do His Father’s will; so He continued praying, Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt (Matthew 26:39).

Are you willing to lay down your life and do the will of the Father? If you have a meek and mild heart that is full of love, your answer will be yes. Jesus said, Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls (Matthew 11:29). A yoke is a harness worn by oxen or other animals to help them share the work of hauling a heavy load. In the same way, when you are yoked together with Jesus, your heavy burden will be lighter because you are working side by side with Him.

You have to learn to turn everything over to Jesus because when your heart becomes anxious and worried, you will fall out of step with Him. When your heart is full of fear, it can cripple you physically, spiritually and mentally. Jesus never gave in to fear because He was perfect in love. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love (I John 4:18).

Unity Is Crucial

You must keep your eyes on Jesus in this final hour. When you’re concerned about what others are doing and saying, you’re taking your eyes off Jesus and what you need to do for Him; and that is one of the easiest ways the devil uses to get into someone’s heart. You can’t be more concerned about the business of others than you are about what God wants. Jesus said, Follow me (Matthew 16:24). Are you doing that with your whole heart?

Paul suffered more than any human being except Jesus. When he got saved, he went from being a persecutor of Christians to being persecuted; yet he never stopped following Jesus or sacrificing to further the Gospel. He knew the importance of helping people who were struggling in their walk with the Lord. Paul wrote, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:1-3). Paul was trying to keep the unity of the Spirit in the churches.

The devil will work in your mind to twist and magnify what people say and do so you will become disgruntled in your heart. The Bible tells us, God is not the author of confusion (I Corinthians 14:33); but the devil is. The devil wants to slowly poison your heart against others in the body of Christ because he knows it will make you weak. That’s why Paul wrote, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others (Philippians 2:2-4). When people in the body of Christ are in one mind and one accord with the Spirit, great things can happen.

Never Lose Your First Love

Jesus told the church at Ephesus, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love (Revelation 2:4). In the beginning of that church, the people were in one mind and one accord with the Holy Spirit; and He was working through them. Then somehow, the devil got in; and they lost their zeal for souls. When you lose your first love, the devil can get in and cause you to fail.

Jesus went on to tell the church at Ephesus, Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent (Revelation 2:5). Losing your first love is dangerous.

Let this sermon persuade you to search your heart to find out where it stands with the Lord. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23,24). There’s nothing worse than being deceived by your own heart.

There are many people today who claim to be Christians, but their hearts are far from God. The Bible says, He that saith, I know him, [Jesus] and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him (I John 2:4). Is the truth really in you, or are you deceived about yourself?

If you have a bad physical heart, you will do everything you can to make it better; but do you put the same care and concern into your spiritual heart? How many souls are in hell today because they didn’t know their own heart? Good works and kind deeds will not get you into Heaven, and pleasing people won’t get you there either. Only a heart that is pure, clean, holy and washed with the blood of Jesus Christ will take you to Heaven.

Salvation and Healing Can Be Yours

Friend, if you have lost your first love, it’s time to repent and do your first works over. Jesus is coming back for His Bride, and you must be ready to make that one flight out. I want to give you this opportunity to receive Jesus Christ in your heart right now. Pray with me and say, Oh, God, save my soul. Forgive me for my sins. I have come home to serve you for the rest of my life. I believe the blood of Jesus washes away all of my sins. Come into my heart, Jesus. Come on in, Jesus. Amen.

Friend, if you meant that prayer, you have Jesus Christ in your heart. Now, it is your responsibility to let everybody you can know about Jesus. Be a witness for Him and let your light shine to others. If you have a prayer request, let the Lord move for you. It doesn’t matter what your need is or what sickness or disease is in your body because God already knows all about it.

Friend, let’s pray now for God to move for you in a great way. Raise your hand as a point of contact and let’s pull down Heaven together. Lord, Heavenly Father, you know what these people need. Break their bondages and set them free in the blood name of Jesus Christ I pray. Let everything come to normal in their bodies. Lord, heal them and give them the strength they need. Heal! in the holy, blood name of Jesus. Set them free, Lord. Bless them and keep them and let them be a blessing to others. Amen.

Friend, look for every sign of improvement and let the Lord move for you today. Then write, email or post a message on one of our social media pages to tell us what God has done for you. Keep trusting in the Lord and you can receive so much.