Issues Of Life - Part Two

- Part Two –

Review of Part One –

Proverbs 4:23

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.

Your heart determines the health and well being of your whole body and your soul.

The heart - Governs the life and death issues for both physical and spiritual matters.

There are those who are like

- Moses who are willing to listen to what the Lord is saying. - Pharoah who refuse to listen to the voice of the Lord.

Moses’ heart was once so hard that he killed a man.

But God had a plan for Moses so He softened Moses’ heart.

As a result, Moses was willing to go back and face his past, and the problems he had once ran from.

Question: Why is knowing this so important?

The answer is simple. GOD WANTS TO SOFTEN YOUR HEART AND CAUSE YOU TO BE MORE OF WHAT HE IS WANTING FOR YOUR LIFE!

Explanation:

Moses was at one time a hot headed foolish young man that at a moment of passion killed a man, and thought he was justified in doing so. Nevertheless – God had a plan for his life. The softened heart of Moses found:

Wisdom and obedience - (in hearing from God).

Authority and boldness - (in leading God’s people).

Likewise – there are areas in each of our lives that God wants to change. Taking in God’s Word will make the difference.

God can and will speak to us and do great things in our lives if we first allow Him to soften our hearts.

The condition of our heart is determined by how much of God’s word we have in our lives. We need the Word of God.

We all are very busy. Life can be hectic. But we should be careful to remember that hearing the Word of the Lord must have priority in our lives.

Let’s face it. It’s easy to listen to what other people (in your life) have to say to us. Others can easily get our attention when they speak. They speak and you listen.

Listen – I love to preach, but I can only tell you so many times what you should be doing with your life. On the other hand if I teach you God’s Word with depth and clarity, and you choose to listen and take heed to God’s Word, your life will naturally and supernaturally change.

Thus maybe you won’t be like Moses, that is, “hot headed” or “foolish” with how you live your life. The most foolish people I have ever met are those who typically don’t like teaching.

I have even met some of God’s people who have told me they didn’t enjoy listening to someone teach them about the Bible. They had just rather just go listen to some good old fashioned preaching.

Learning things should not become so difficult for us as we grow older but it does. Sometimes, the older we get the less we want to have to learn things. Our mind is oftentimes made up on certain things and sometimes this is the way we get with the Word of God. This is not the will of God…

Proverbs 4:20 tells us,

My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.

As an example –

As a child we were taught how to do this at an early age. Many mothers know that if they want to speak to their child, they may have to first take them by the hand and say,

“Sweetheart, listen to what I am saying…”

It is the same when we listen to God’s Words.

God speaks and we may or may not hear Him.

We may even hear Him, but often will not listen to Him.

The health of our heart relies on how much we choose to hear from God. God’s voice is sometimes loud and clear. While other times it may be soft and intimate.

Regardless, our hearts must hear and sense the power and presence of God.

Tonight, I want to again look at our heart and the “Issues of Life” by looking at another great man of God.

His name was King Solomon.

Text: I Chronicles 29:25

Prayer:

Solomon was to become the greatest king Israel had ever known because of his wisdom. Thus all of the world has heard and known of the - “Wisdom of Solomon”.

Many great men down through the ages have recognized the accomplishments of this man, King Solomon.

Even Jesus referred to Solomon in Matthew 6, when Jesus taught on the provisions of God:

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:

…and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory…”