Welcome to “Going Deeper with the Word.” In this segment, we welcome people of all backgrounds, religious or not, to review the Word of God. The Word of God provides guidance, direction, and instructions for living our lives and walking with God.
Today, we examine how God’s Word provides clear guidance and direction about opening your heart to Him
Let’s review examples of God’s Word that can lead and guide our steps and back up the principles we learned in today’s message. I will be reading scripture today from the Amplified Bible.
If you are watching this message online, we invite you to share your comments as we review each verse.
Here is our first verse.
I will give them a heart to know Me, [understanding fully] that I am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.
Jeremiah 24:7
In this verse, God speaks through the prophet Jeremiah, explaining that He has actually given us a heart that is -designed- to know Him intimately. Interestingly, this is not what we know as we come into the world, but our hearts are effectively -equipped- to know God whenever we do find our way to Him. We need only turn to Him to fully realize the capacity of a relationship with God.
Question: Was there a defining moment in your life where you allowed your heart to be open to God? If so, describe the event and what led you to decide to open your heart to Him. Let us know in the comments.
Let’s have a look at another verse.
Trust [confidently] in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your heart before Him.
God is a refuge for us. Selah.
Psalm 62:8
In this verse, King David speaks of the importance of trusting in God. As we touched on today, surrender and obedience are associated with placing our complete trust in God. King David elaborates to ‘pour out’ our heart before God, which suggests a complete surrender.
Question: Think of a time recently where you had to decide if you were going to trust God with a situation or ‘handle it’ yourself? What did you decide and why? Let us know in the comments.
Let’s look at one last verse
I will run the way of Your commandments [with purpose],
For You will give me a heart that is willing.
Psalm 119:32Â
In this verse, King David elaborates on his reasoning for seeking to be obedient to God’s commandments. God gives us all a heart that is designed for union with Him and a posture of godliness. We enter the world turned away from God, but when our hearts truly find God, we can find ourselves eager to follow His guidance and direction.
Question: Describe aspects of your life that your relationship with God influences. Let us know in the comments.
Opening our hearts to God is a fundamental step in walking with God. We can trust that God knows us better than we know ourselves and, therefore, that we can give our hearts to Him knowing it is in expert hands.
We have all learned the importance of guarding our hearts with other persons in our world. Family, friends, and co-workers can show kindness and love or can cause great misery and pain. It is understandable that we have a default posture of guarding our hearts until we know someone is trustworthy.
Thankfully, we need not have this concern with God. God designed us for a relationship with Him and gave us a heart that can experience Him and His love in ways that cannot exist with other people. We can open our hearts to Him fully, knowing that in His hands, our hearts can be filled with love and joy that only He can provide.
Thank you for your time in reviewing these verses with me today. Please be sure to share in the comments how these or other examples of God’s Word have helped you to open your heart to God.
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Have an amazing week, and we will catch you next time.
Bless you.
