Category: Spiritual Restoration

“As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ So he arose and followed Him.” (Matthew 9:9).

Without knowing what the future would bring, Matthew surrendered and followed Jesus with faithful obedience because He desired that Christ rule His life. Because of their love and dedication, sheep always obey and follow their Shepherd.

The only gift we can give to Jesus is our hearts. The believer with a converted heart reveals a heart filled with love, loyalty, and a spirit of humility, inviting Jesus every day to rule. Who else can lead and keep us on the Path of Righteousness?

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you.” (Jeremiah 31:3, Amplified Bible).

Because our love differs according to our childhood and personal experiences, many do not understand our Heavenly Father’s Amazing Love and Forgiveness. And for that reason, they refuse to give their hearts to Christ.

In Jesus’ earthly Ministry of Healing, He told many parables that gave hope to individuals whom the Jewish Rulers and Pharisees considered worthless and not deserving of God’s Love and His promise of a Heavenly Home.

In Luke 15, “The Forgiveness and Restoration of the Prodigal Son” reveals God, the Father’s Overwhelming Love for humanity, which exists today.

The Demand: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.” (Luke 15:11-12, NIV).

The Prodigal Son’s Mindset: “In his restless youth the prodigal looked upon his father as stern and severe.”

“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered [wasted] his wealth in wild living.” (Luke 15:13, NIV).

The Consequences: But once he spent all of his inheritance, the wayward son found out that the same people who loved his money abandoned him when he had nothing.

“So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.” (Luke 15:15-16, NIV).

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!'”

The difference between today’s Believers and the prodigal son is that we are not wasting money. No, we are putting all of our efforts into the acquisition of wealth, material possessions, and successful careers.

Sadly, the division that once existed between believers and unbelievers no longer exists. Our lifestyles, marriages, and relationships reflect the world’s pursuits and values of “You only live once.” We think, act, and live as if this Earth is the Forever Home, Jesus promised to us.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19, 21).

The pursuit of wealth, success, marriages, and relationships with unbelievers, which also includes individuals who believe that God exists, and may attend church but have no real connection to Christ, reveals a “Me First” mindset.

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24, NIV).

The human heart can never be divided. Our decisions, choices, and pursuits reveal who is sitting on the throne of our hearts. It’s either Jesus or ourselves.

When we can willingly sin against God and feel no remorse, our hearts have changed toward God. Satan knows that he can easily deceive and tempt us because of his success with Adam and Eve, who were created with sinless hearts.

God’s Truth: “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). God tells us that His Word is a Sword, and this is a Sword Scripture!

The believers who deny the true condition of their hearts and feel that attending weekly church services is enough to save them easily fall when tempted.

Satan is not Omniscient—He cannot read our minds or know our thoughts until they are reflected by our actions, and our secular lifestyle.

For those who are pursuing their heart’s desires, they have been deceived by Satan to embrace one or both mindsets:

1.  They perceive God as harsh and selfish, giving us too many commands of “don’t do this, and setting Righteous Standards that we can never achieve.”
2. Or, they believe that we can live as we please, chase our desires, and still receive our reward of Eternal Life.

Jesus asks, “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” (Mark 8:36, NLT). There is no reward for disobedience.

Because Satan, the master deceiver, is evil, he also chases the “I surrender all to Jesus” Christians who pray, study the Bible, ask daily for God’s will to be done, and strive to obey.

Dedicated believers with converted hearts still struggle to overcome the internal conflict between their hearts’ desires and the external opposition of temptations.

Victory is gained because they continuously rely on Christ’s strength: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” is their continuous prayer.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” (Matthew 7:13, NIV). Because God is Love, our Heavenly Father has no desire for His sons and daughters to continue on the wide road of destruction.

Jesus Is Still Knocking At the Door of Our Hearts: We always receive a Spiritual Red Flag message, warning us of our heart’s true condition. The Holy Spirit, aka the Spirit of Truth, speaks to us, revealing that we are no longer traveling on the Narrow Path of Righteousness, and to return to Christ.

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.'” (Isaiah 30:21, NIV).

Restoration Requires Repentance: “I will set out and go back to my Father and say to him: ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his Father. (Luke 15:18-20, NIV).

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).

“So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20, NIV). When the prodigal returned to His Father, “How different his conception of [His Father] was!”

God’s Commandments and Righteous Precepts are not restrictions! We are in a spiritual war, and Satan is determined to tempt us with earthly trinkets and short-lived success so we will abandon our relationship with Jesus Christ.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship…”

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1-2, NIV).

We Must Fight the Good Fight of Faith! In the Name and Power of Jesus Christ, we can overcome all desires and temptations. Give Yahweh the gift He deserves: Every day, proclaim, Jesus, You rule my heart!

Bible Study: Luke 15

Lord God, we ask for the forgiveness of nurturing a Me First heart. Like Matthew, we desire to follow Jesus in our earthly journey. Lord, in faith, we give you our hearts and renew our covenant of obedience to surrender to your will and plans. Lead us, protect us, correct us, and redirect us, and give us the Divine Strength to overcome when we are mesmerized by the temporary treasures, success, and pleasures of this Earth. In faith, we ask this prayer in the Loving and Holy Name of Jesus, Amen.

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