Psalm 86:11-13 New International Version
11 Teach me your way, Lord,
that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths,
from the realm of the dead.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
In today’s societies very few people have an undivided heart.
They seek many different things all at the same time.
Often they are loyal to something for a moment, then a few days later they drop that loyalty and begin to be loyal to something else.
Pick up any magazine at the drug store, notice the incredible diversity of their titles and their incredible efforts at maximizing their front cover graphics to draw your attention only to them – fads come and go constantly with change.
These can be found in the multiple things people do, play with, listen to, or use.
What is popular today, soon becomes old tomorrow because of divided hearts.
People will genuinely struggle with what they really want to aim for.
They want a little bit of everything and often end up with a whole lot of nothing, because they are uncertain of their priorities, badly divided in their loyalties.
Psalm 86:11 David prayed to God, David wanted God to teach him His way, so that he would be able to know and rely solely upon God’s great faithfulness.
Considering all of the intrigue which surrounded his day to day life, He wanted to have a undivided heart that would be fully dedicated to God and God alone.
While the world struggles with divided hearts, many believers also struggle.
They struggle with whether or not to fight for things to provide for themselves and have their kind of fun, or to follow, trust in God alone for what they need.
The sinful nature inevitably rises up inside of many, causing them to become impatient with themselves and God and so want to go back to old sinful ways.
They become divided in their hearts, seeking to find success, or pleasure in sinful ways, rather than seeking purpose and life in God and His ways alone.
Going back and forth like this, causes a divided heart.
Directional Faith
James 1:5-8 New International Version
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
God has a way of changing us deeply through various crisis points in our lives.
But what happens when God strings together a long series of crisis points?
Eventually the trail of change-points will lead somewhere, like stepping-stones crossing a river.
As we realize this, our collection of snapshot crises starts to become a movie with a story line.
But how does one tell where the story is supposed to be going?
That’s not easy.
God assures us that he has plans for our lives, but it can be hard to tell where those plans might lead.
Sometimes it would be nice to have a burning-bush episode like Moses had—something concrete we could see through the fog of life’s busyness (Exodus 3).
Why is it so difficult to determine God’s direction for our lives?
Sometimes it’s simply because we forget to ask.
It’s surprisingly easy to charge into the events of a day without bothering to ask God what he wants from us that day.
Sometimes that can prompt God to allow a minor crisis to pop up as a wake-up call to pull our attention back to him.
When was the last time you asked God to show you his plans for your day?
How about asking him right now?
Why?
Because …
A divided heart make a person lukewarm, whom God will in the end reject.
The believer needs to be sold out to God alone, focused on serving Him alone.
Jesus said there cannot be two masters, but only one–God.
Examine your life and see where your loyalty lies.
What is it that you are focused on, you are aiming towards?
Seek to know God and His way for your life.
Trust in His faithfulness alone.
As you find satisfaction in serving God, you will be able to live for God alone.
In living for God alone, you will no longer have a divided heart that goes back to the old sinful ways.
Temptation to live in sin will lose its grip upon you when you are sold-out to God alone.
Ask God to reveal His faithfulness to you and to give you an undivided heart that will be loyal to Him.
I pray today that you the reader will know the faithfulness of God; that God will reveal His path for your life; that you the reader will trust in God alone; that you will have a heart sold out to God; and that God will give you an undivided heart.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 19 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Works and the Word of God.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
19 The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
2 Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
4 Their [a]line has gone out through all the earth,
And their utterances to the end of the world.
In them He has placed a tent for the sun,
5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber;
It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.
6 Its rising is from [b]one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the [c]other end of them;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7 The law of the Lord is [d]perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether.
10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them Your servant is warned;
In keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults.
13 Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins;
Let them not rule over me;
Then I will be [e]blameless,
And I shall be acquitted of great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 