Thursday Thoughts on... Good Behavior and a Sinful Heart

We look at a person's behavior to determine their relationship with Christ... GOD looks at the heart.

Good Behavior doesn't make up for a sinful heart.

When did I learn that my behavior is more important than what's in my heart?

It is amazing to me how God peels away layers and adds layers to make me who He created me to be.

I'm not okay with policing my behavior any longer. My prayer is "Create in me a clean heart, oh God." As soon as I started praying that prayer, God showed me areas of my life that are in contradiction to His will for me. Letting go of things I WANT and trusting God to replace those things with what I NEED is still hard for me to do. I let go of some things I've grown to love; things that give me comfort; things that reassure me and give me hope...that was painful. Very painful. Even though I KNOW that anything outside God's will is going to cripple my relationship with Him, I still WANT those things that comfort and fill me now...while God wants me to trust HIM to comfort me, to give me peace, and to fill me up.

I don't want to keep fighting against what I want to do. It's exhausting.

 I want God to change my "Want To."

I want to want what God wants. 

I want to love what God loves. 

I want to see people, things, and situations (including my own) through God's eyes. I know that this is impossible this side of heaven, but nevertheless, that is what I want.

I want more God. I want God in me to out shine any shadow Satan tries to cast on my life. I want to be completely all in for Christ, with no hesitation or doubt. I want to live for Him freely.

I want to put off all the old sinful stuff  that I've leaned on for so long and put on the righteousness of Christ Jesus. I want people God puts in my life to see Christ in me... not just good behavior.

Goodness knows, God has brought me through so much... I want to live for Him. I want to live a victorious life characterized by the Fruit of the Spirit.

I am convicted that "good behavior" impedes this. I believe that we all put so much effort into behaving the way "a good Christian" should, we miss the work God wants to do in our hearts.  If we just stop and allow God to change our hearts, our behavior will flow naturally out of HIS goodness in us.

I WANT that.

Scripture says that what's in my heart IS gonna come out.

I want my heart changed so that what comes out is God's goodness.

Just my thoughts...
K