An Honest Heart

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To escape from sin and its grasp, we must have an honest and open heart before God.

Because Yahweh is all-knowing, discerning the thoughts and intentions of man's heart, we could not hope to hide our innermost person from Him anyway (Psalms 139:2).

But as we consciously let go of what stands in the way of an open communication with Him, we will find ourselves better able to confidently come before Him, knowing He hears us.

19And by this we know that we are of the truth, and persuade our hearts before him, 20because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21Beloved, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have boldness toward God; 1 John 3:19-21

The apostle John prior to these words was speaking of loving in both deed and truth in addition to in word (1 John 3:16-18). He shows that true love acts accordingly with how one is inside. There is no duplicity. When a believer behaves so, their heart is free from judgment and they have faith to receive whatever they ask of God.

However, when our heart "condemns us," God is greater than our heart. καταγινωσκη ("condemn") is a telling word, meaning to find fault with, to blame, to note against. It comes from the two Greek words meaning "down/against" and "to know." When our heart "condemns" us, it has knowledge against us. It recognizes something contrary. John is reminding us of a simple truth—if we are aware that our heart condemns us for our actions, isn't God even greater than us? Doesn't He know much more than we? If we know we come in a deceitful way, how much more does our Father know?

I liken this experience to imagery of a person covered with all different kinds of clothing and other items. They weigh the person down, they encumber them, they cover their true self... and when they come to God beneath all of that junk, they simply cannot sense His presence shining upon them. They do not receive for they are already full.

When we decide to let go of our vain thoughts, of the kind of ritualistic coming before God with which the Gentiles have always been guilty, those many coverings drop off. We do not attempt to hide behind our many soulish inventions, whether it be saying certain words, following some specific man-made formula in prayer, or pretending we are OK when we are not. We do not cover up our faults, which our heart is telling us exist; but just as God taught through the Law of Moses, when we are confronted with our sins (by our heart), we must confess and not deny (Leviticus 5:5).

All of these things prevent us from having the kind of powerful encounter with Yahweh that we need to live rightly. And it did not come about recently, but has been happening since the first sin of man.

6When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took some of its fruit, and ate; and she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate it, too. 7Their eyes were opened, and they both knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made coverings for themselves. 8They heard Yahweh God’s voice walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden. Genesis 3:6-8

We must lay down these needless coverings, and open our hearts before God without any deception.

5I acknowledged my sin to you. I didn’t hide my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah. Psalms 32:5

23Search me, God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts. Psalms 139:23

13He who conceals his sins doesn’t prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Proverbs 28:13

There is tremendous power and a wonderful release that cannot be known until this experience is entered. The many coverings you have put upon yourself only separate you from your Lord. They do not accomplish any good. But in removing them, your Healer will be able to apply the necessary healing ointment, the salve that soothes your wounds.

28“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Realizing that letting go of these walls will not harm us, but rather bring us unto the One Who can heal us, we have no reason not to drop them. We do not come unto a hateful god that rejoices in destroying his creation, but we come unto Yahweh Who takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23) (Ezekiel 33:11).

Come then, having let go of your needless coverings, and allow your Father to restore you, and love you as the child of His that you are!

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The Good Message

As you read this site, you will hopefully come to know Yahweh more fully.

But all of this continuing knowledge is useless unless and until you come into union with Him. I use the word union because it is truly a marriage. It is that deep connection we all seek, for which we most often look in other people. However, the truth is that our hearts will only be fulfilled when we enter that union in fullness with the One Who made us.

This is the grace of God, that He has not stayed distant for us only to worship as Creator. But He has come unto us, even become one of us—in His Son, Christ Jesus—in order to share an intimate union with us. He desires such closeness that it truly will envelope our entire life, transforming us into something new and wonderful.

You may have already entered this union with Him and only seek to know Him better through reading here. But if you have not, as you do read, let this Gospel sink into your heart as you read it now.

God loves you, and has cast your sins into the sea. He has sent His only Son as the Savior of the world—that includes you.

That Son, Jesus Christ, was born as a man through a virgin who had given her life to Yahweh; He lived without sin, reflected the glory of His Father, God, in all His words and deeds, and was persecuted even unto death because of it.

His death upon a cross was the powerful explosion that separated you from your life of death. It remains for you, now, to enter into that death with Him. As you die to the one you are now, a person separated from God from your many sins, you will be born anew, with a nature predisposed to live rightly. This gift is free to you, with nothing you can do to earn it. It is the mercy of God to offer it to you, as He loves you so much! All you must do is receive it by trusting Him to have delivered you. Simply place your life in His hands and embrace the freedom that came through that death on the cross.

The Gospel is that Jesus did not remain dead, but rose again on the third day after His crucifixion! Death could not hold Him, as He was without sin. And so death will not be able to hold you, as you identify with Him fully through your trust in Him. Let go of yourself and confess Him as Lord of your life. The power of His death and resurrection will work in you all that your Creator has destined for you. You will truly enter a new life and experience that intimate union you have been seeking all of your life.

So ponder these words as you read here of this great God—Yahweh—and all that He has revealed to His creation. Let His Spirit testify to your heart that these words are true, that God is Love, and that He sent His Son so that you might receive the life that is unbound by time and space. As you feel that witness in your heart, simply believe and receive what He is offering to you, even now, and begin your new life as a child of God.

Please write to me and let me know when you take this step, as I will be your brother in Christ—we will be one in Him!