Hearing Aids, pt.2: The Honest Heart

Satan works by deception. In the beginning, he deceived Eve. In the end, he will have deceived all the nations of the earth (Revelations 20:10).

Satan is a liar and the father of all lies. His only goal is to kill, steal, and destroy. He uses lies to accomplish his goal.

When a person lies, he is speaking Satan’s native language (John 8:44).

God hates lying so much that he lists them with murders and the sexually immoral—those that will experience the second death, those that will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelations 21:8).

A liar pushes himself away from Jesus, Who is the Truth (John 14:6).

Lying is not possible in heaven. And Jesus prayed, “…your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10b). Jesus prayed that we would be as truthful and as full of the truth as those that are in heaven.

When we speak the truth, we are speaking God’s native language, and we can communicate with Him.

There was a Samaritan woman that was a social outcast1. During his conversation with her, Jesus told her to go get her husband. Although she was living with a man, she responded with honesty and said, “I have no husband.”

Jesus replied, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."

Twice in his reply, Jesus pointed out that she spoke the truth.

When God points out something more than once, it’s like He’s saying, “Make sure you get this! Understand this!”

It was the honesty of this woman’s heart that enabled her to get spiritual truths from Jesus and as a result, many from her town became believers and they were even visited by Jesus Himself:

 “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.” (John 4:39–41)

God works and speaks only in the truth (Psalm 33:4). When our heart is honest, it is ready and fertile ground for the seed of His Word to be planted. The honest heart makes the ears ready to hear the voice of Him Who speaks only the Truth.

How can we get an honest heart?

First, ask God to reveal any dishonesty in your heart and to give you an honest heart. He desires truth all the way into the deepest recesses of your being (Psalm 51:6). In fact, His desire that you have an honest heart is greater than your own desire! You will be amazed, as was everyone else who has gone down this path, what lurks in the deepest, inner parts of your heart.

Listen to the words that you speak. What is in your heart will come out of your mouth (Matthew 12:34b). If you have a tendency to lie or to embellish the truth, you do not have a completely honest heart. If you speak nothing but the truth in any situation and under any kind of pressure2, you have an honest heart that is perfect soil for ears to hear His voice.

Jesus plainly stated that “Everyone who is of the Truth [who is a friend of the Truth, who belongs to the Truth] hears and listens to My voice.” (John 18:37b, Amplified)

Honesty is critical to having ears that can hear God’s voice.

It is my prayer for you that Father will continue to help you to hear His voice, and more and more frequently.

With God’s grace and in His peace,

Gary

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Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

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