The Importance of Constantly Checking The Motives Of Your Heart!

Today we are going to talk about checking the motives of your heart and why it’s imperative to your walk with God!!

For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts. “

1 Thessalonians 2: 4 NLT

What God Reveals About The Heart

Everyone’s favorite saying is “God knows my heart!” Oh yeah? Well, let’s see what He says about the heart.

The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
I, the Lord, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings.
Jeremiah 17:9-10

Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.
Proverbs 4:23

Any time an individual says God knows my heart, that person nine times out of ten is doing something they know God doesn’t approve of and is using that phrase as an excuse to keep doing it.

God judges the motives of our heart constantly and we will be judged by it! Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. You can always check your heart by your conversation. 

Every sin starts in your heart first and this is what Satan uses to get you to carry out the sin. 

Matthew 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

So check the motives of your heart before God checks it. God always gives us a chance to correct ourselves before He does it. 

With every situation in your life, get into the habit of asking yourself why did I handle this situation like that? Why did I respond like that? Even if it was a good response. Doing this will help you sort your strengths and your weaknesses. One thing God taught me that will stick with me forever is, always identify the error in you first. Game changer!! 

If you can’t detect the error, ask God are you in error, then ask Him how to fix it. If you are not in error, then pray for the person who is, unless God tells you to go to them and get the ought with your brother right. 

This practice develops character. It put you in alignment with the word of God, and it makes sure you are in right standing with God. 

How To Check The Motives Of Your Heart

Always check your “why” behind what you do and how you respond to people.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7

As in water, face reflects face, So a man’s heart reveals the man.

Proverbs 27:19

Getting to the root of every issue in your life should be a priority for you. Your ways and how you handle your day to day activities and people comes from your heart. What’s in you will always come out of you. Whether it’s good or bad. 

After each conversation with the people in your life, ask yourself, why did you respond or give the advice that you gave? Did your response develop from a place of hurt, trauma, or unforgiveness? Did it develop from a pure heart, the word of God, and love? 

Think about Haman’s heart toward Mordecai. Once Mordecai refused to bow to Haman, he formed hatred in his heart towards not only Mordecai but every Jew in the land. 

The Jews that he wanted to wipe out did nothing to him. So let’s break this down and check the motives of his heart. His motive was to get back at Mordecai. The root was pride. The symptom of his motive was to destroy all the Jews. Little did he know, his intention and plan to assassinate the Jews backfired and ended up being his demise. 

This still happens to this day. Therefore, the Bible says to pray for your enemies (the human enemies). Bless and do not curse them. 

When you began to check the details of your heart, this will start the cleansing process to cast out those deceitful and evil spirits. Remember this is a process! It will not happen overnight. It pleases God that you are seeking to take things that are not like Him out of your life. 

If you find that you have deceitful ways, try to think back where and when it originated. If you can pinpoint where it came from, journal the experience and get all of your feelings out about it. Ask yourself when the situation happened, what feeling arose for you and how did you allow it to shape your outlook on this type of situation in the future. 

Did you develop those feeling to protect yourself in the future? 

Whatever it is, if it has developed into a trait that is ungodly, be honest and repent to God. Cry out for Him to help you eliminate it. Whatever instructions He impress upon you, do it! You will not be able to rank up in the spirit realm unless you deal with your heart first. 

There will be some heart issues that you thought you’ve dealt with but will come up again. If this happens, ask God to help you eliminate it. You may have to go through self deliverance. Heart issues are the easiest sins to hide, and they are the most common reason that Christians miss Heaven. Some heart issues can be strongholds, like gossip and unforgiveness. These two strongholds have to be handled in prayer and fasting. You have to make a commitment to not do it. 

The devil is going to present the opportunity for gossip to come up. Don’t do it and don’t listen to it. He will bring up the thoughts of what an individual did to you, so you can ponder on it and go through the emotions of unforgiveness again. Cast down those vain imaginations and say out of your mouth, I forgive them! Then pray for the blessings of God to fall upon that person. This works! When you are trying to forgive a person, pray for them until you don’t feel the emotion of unforgiveness anymore. If it takes praying for them every day, do it. 

Do any and everything it takes to free yourself from bondage.

Be intentional about every word that comes out of your mouth and what you allow yourself to listen to. Be intentional about checking the motives of your heart every day, and your deliverance will come.

Check The Motive Of Your Heart During Prayer

Corrupt motives equal corrupt prayers. If you are praying for a bigger home because your ex spouse just got a new house, and you want to show them you can do better without them, then I got news for you!!! You are wasting your time, your motives are corrupt, and God will not answer your prayers.

Always strive to keep your heart in check

Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.

Matthew 5:8

If you go back to checking your motives behind everything you do, then you’ll most likely check your prayer life to understand why you are praying for the things you are praying for. 

I’m reminded of Ananias and Sapphira. They sold a piece of land and lied to the Apostles stating that they were donating the entire sum of the money to the church, but they kept some for themselves. 

When asked about it, they lied and died on the spot. What was the motive behind lying? They could have told the truth and lived. They wanted to appear like they were noble and all in for God. 

You have to have integrity when dealing with the things of God and souls. When you pray for things, and you are trying to make it seem like your heart is pure, and it’s not, you are playing a dangerous game because God does know your heart. You cannot manipulate God. He always knows the motive behind what you are praying for. 

Try this, write your prayer list down and then write why you are praying for each thing or person. Whatever you write, make sure it lines up with the word of God and God’s will. If it doesn’t scratch it off the list. 

Let’s always get into the habit of praying God’s will, even it’s not what we want. 

Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, Lord, not my will but let your will be done. Jesus was about to die, and He was asking God to take the cup away from Him, but ultimately He went with God’s will. Even in the time of death, He checked the motives of His Heart! Thank God He did because where would we be if He didn’t.

Be willing to choose God’s will for your life instead of your will. Remember to become intentional about checking the motives of your heart when doing anything in your life. This is going to cleanse your heart and help you renew your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God! What is good and acceptable and perfect in His sight! 

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I hope this blesses you,

Your Sister Tiffani!