dealing with our heart so that we may receive help when we come to the Word

What the Word of God is to us when we come to read the Bible depends on the condition of our heart. The letter kills, but the Spirit gives us life (2 Cor. 3:6).

If we have the proper heart and we are in the right condition when we come to read the Bible, we will receive much help, enlightenment, and life.

Actually, the law and the word of God are channels through which we can receive the divine life and substance as our supply and our nourishment.

We need to be those who deal with our heart to have a proper heart when we read the Bible so that the Word of God would render us much help and nourishment.

Not failing to receive help from the Word

Many people throughout history have read the Bible, and there have been millions who received so much help when they came to the Word of God.

However, due to the condition of our heart when we come to the Bible – for instance, reading the Bible out of a sense of duty – many times we do not receive help when we read the Bible.

Just as the parable of the sower shows (see Matt. 13), we need to have a proper heart so that we may receive the Word of God and that it may grow and bear fruit in us.

We cannot change our heart, we cannot change ourselves, but we can pray over these matters and allow the Lord ground in us to deal with us and change us from within.

The righteous requirement of the law is being fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit (Rom. 8:4) – there is NO problem with the Word of God, but there may be problems and issues with our heart when we come to the Word of God!

We need to learn to open our heart and turn our heart to the Lord so that we may receive help when we read the Word.

Dealing with our heart when we come to the Word

There are at least seven items that we recently enjoyed concerning our heart and dealing with our heart so that it may be proper and pure when we come to the Word of God.

Of course, these items are not only for when we read the Bible, but even in our daily life we need to deal with our heart continually to have a good heart, a pure heart, even a heart that loves the Lord and loves man.

Here are at least 7 points related to the condition of our heart in coming to the Word of God and how can we deal with our heart.

1. No exercise of heart – if we do not exercise our heart when we read the Bible, we will not receive help when we come to the Word of God. You may read the Bible regularly out of a sense of duty, according to a schedule, but the real help comes when you have a heart to read the Bible. Lord, give us a heart for Your Word! Cause our heart to love the Word and love reading Your Word!
2. Having a divided heart – if we love many things, our heart is divided, and even reading the Word will not help you. Don’t come to the Word half-heartedly because if you do, you may not receive the blessing from the Lord. We need to learn to deal with our heart that it may be single and pure, so that when we come to the Word of God we would come with our whole heart and with a single heart!
3. A lack of heart – this is a serious problem, having no heart to come to the Word of God. We may come to read the Bible – even as believers – but we may be like “dead wood”, to which nothing happens no matter how much you try to impart life to it. Lord, cause us to have a living and loving heart for You when we come to Your Word! Give us an apetite for the Word and a love for the Bible!
4. There can be coverings, hindrances, and frustrations when we come to the Word. There may be problems related to certain things that cover you, frustrate you, or hinder you. An unconfessed sin that possesses you will hinder you from receiving the Lord’s blessing. Being unwilling to forgive someone who offends you is a sin, and if we refuse to forgive, we will not receive any help! We need to deal with anything in our heart that is negative or causes any separation between us and the Lord.
5. The Bible demands that we put ourselves aside, humble ourselves, put aside our self-confidence and self-assurance. We shouldn’t have the attitude that, “I heard that”, “I read that”, “I’ve been there”… – NO! Lord, I humble myself when I come to Your Word. Have mercy on us, Lord! We should not presume to have the assurance that we have no problems with the Lord; rather, we should humble ourselves before Him to receive new light from Him.
6. The reason we receive no light is that we have too much confidence in ourselves. O, Lord, I have no confidence in myself, and I don’t want to insist on anything! I open to You, Lord, and I want to simply receive from You! It is crucial that we would humble ourselves before the Lord and not insist on our own opinions, concepts, past experiences, or previous knowledge… We need to ask the Lord for His mercy so that His word would be full of light to us.
7. We need to open and use our entire being – body, soul, and spirit – when we come to the Word of God. We need to use our eyes to read, our mouth to sound out what we read, our mind to understand the reading, our emotions to love the Word, our will to take God’s way in His word, and our spirit to be strengthened and nourished! When we properly exercise our whole being in coming to the Word we will receive much light and life supply from the Lord!

Lord Jesus, we give You our heart. Lord, we just open to You! Deal with our heart, Lord. May our heat be open to You and loving You as we read Your Word. Lord, may we receive help every time when we come to the Bible. Cause the law and the word of God to be living and life-giving as we read it and enjoy it. O, Lord, we open our heart to You to be shined on by You and transformed by You daily! 

References and Further Reading

• Sharing inspired from brother Ed Marks’ sharing in the message for this week, as partially quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on the Crystallization-Study of Psalms (2), week 20;
• Hymns on this topic:
  # In dealings with the Lord as life / We need a proper heart, / That of His riches, in His grace, / We fully may take part.
  # Remove my covering, Lord, / That I may see Thy light, / And be deceived no more, / But all things see aright.
  # Whenever the heart shall turn to the Lord, / The veil shall be taken away. / So turn your heart to the Lord all the day, / And the veil shall be taken away.
• Picture source: reading the Bible.