Mlworship#25 What holds my heart ??(1Jul2004)

What holds my heart???
(1Jul04)


We Christians are often fond of professing our faith in the Almighty God

‘Besides Me(ie God) there is no other god’
Isaiah 44:7


But in reality, for all irregardless of shades of faith,

‘Is there a god besides Me (ie God)’
Isaiah 44:8


How confused can we the imperfect human get???

For many worship ‘man-made gods’

‘those who make an image, all of them are useless and their precious things shall not profit.’
Isaiah 44:9

‘….who would form a god or mold an image. That profits him nothing?’
Isaiah 44:10

‘….. And the workmen, they are mere men’
Isaiah 44:11


‘Indeed he(ie men) makes a god(ie idols) and worships it. He makes a carved image, and falls down to it’
Isaiah 44:15-17


The truth is, man are made to worship the God(our Heavenly Father) who made us.

‘I have formed you, you are My servant’
Isaiah 44:31



All have fallen short of the glory of God.


God is saddened

‘But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob. And you have been weary of Me, O Israel. You have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offering.
Nor have you honoured Me with your sacrifices.’
Isaiah 43:22-23

‘But you have burdened Me with your sins. You have wearied Me with your iniquities’
Isaiah 43:24


For indeed I have sinned
- my heart and soul is not totally with God
- I lusts for things of the world
- I lie, I fear, greed overcomes me
- I share my obsession instead of the good news of God’s salvation
- I have not been a good steward of God’s resources
- I have seek but not listened to God


Yet, when the Holy Spirit convicts us of ours sins, as we repent, God not only just forgives, but brings us back into the glory of His relationship

‘O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me. I have blotted out, like a thick cloud your transgressions. And like a cloud, yours sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you’
Isaiah 44:22


Indeed, God brings us back into focus through His Word, through Christian fellowship, in our quiet moments, and in our difficult times.


Our focus must be on God, and God will more than meet our needs


Often, when we lose our focus on God,
- we rationalize our sins away
- we deny we ever did sin
- we ameliorate our disobedience by ‘self-sacrifice or self effort’
- we lean on our own understanding rather than obey the clear promptings of the Holy Spirit or the Word of God or the loving rebuke of God through people or events in our lives
- we mis-represent our thoughts as God’s will


We must be like the Jews in the Book of Nehemiah. When they were building the walls, they were severely challenged and even threatened by the enemies of God.
Yet, they gird their sleeves, stayed focus on God and did what gives them the peace of heart, knowing that this is God’s will.

‘Nevertheless, we made our prayer to our God….’
Nehemiahs 4:9

‘Remember the Lord, great and awesome…’
Nehemiah 4:14

‘Our Lord will fight for us…’
Nehemiah 4:20

So, like me, I have sinned, I have erred, I have disobeyed God, yet,

‘….fear not; you have done all this wickedness, yet turn not aside from following the Lord, serve the Lord with all your heart and turn ye not aside, for then you should go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver, for they are vain..’
1 Samuel 12:20

‘I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely;
For mine anger is turned away from him’
Hosea 14:4

Seek God with all your heart, acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He will make your paths straight.


‘I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will guide you with my eyes’
Psalms 32:2