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Matters of the Heart

mattersoftheheart//Lynette Hagin

Have you ever wondered why some things you have asked the Lord for have not come to pass? Many times we get discouraged or disillusioned when it seems as if our prayers aren’t being answered.

I remember my father-in-law saying, “If I’m not receiving from God, I don’t check up on His end because I know that His promises are true and He does not fail. I check up on my end as to why I’m not  receiving.” If it seems as if you’re hitting a brick wall when you pray, I encourage you to check up on yourself and find out why! Here are some areas to look at.

Walk in the Spirit!

Is your attention focused on the things of the Spirit?

One of the assignments that God has placed on my husband’s  heart and on mine is to help believers stay balanced, according to the Word of God. We realize that we must not ignore  the realities of life—the adversities that we all face at times. But as Christians, we also know that we can find the answers to those adversities in God’s Word.


In this issue of The Word of Faith, we have addressed the fact that we all have a carnal nature and we all experience the temptation to sin. But thank God, His Word tells us how to overcome these challenges. One of the most important things we can do to help us deal with our carnal
impulses is to walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:16 says that if we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.


What does it mean to walk in the Spirit? Romans 8:5 tells us, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit” (NKJV).

This verse is talking about where we focus our thoughts. Are we focused on the things of the flesh—the things of this world and of our carnal impulses? Or is our attention focused on the things of the Spirit—God’s Word, prayer, church attendance, and worshipping the Lord? The more we focus on the things of the Spirit, the easier it will be to resist temptation and live a victorious, overcoming life!

Beware of Pride

Do you remember how prideful the Pharisees were? They were always telling others how good they were and praying things like, “Thank You, Lord, that I’m not like this poor tax collector” (Luke 18:11). But the Word tells us that their prayers were in vain because they lifted themselves up. (See v. 14.) The most important thing we can do as Christians is to keep a humble spirit. James said, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. . . . Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (James 4:8, 10). Certainly God wants us to be confident about who we are in Christ. But we are to lift up the Lord, not ourselves. As these verses tell us, if we humble ourselves before God, He will lift us up! Besides, it’s not what we can do; it’s what He can do through us—through a willing vessel.

Say What?

Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. —James 4:11 (NJKV)

CONSIDER: How do you react when someone makes a derogatory remark about another person? Do you join in? Do you stick up for the other person? Or do you ignore the remark?

God’s No-No’s

We can see in James 4:11 that our prayers are sometimes hindered because we judge our brothers and sisters in the Lord. One of the biggest problems we have when we begin to judge others is that we try to categorize sins. For example, on a scale of one to 10, we might say that sins in category one—perhaps jealousy or strife—are not so bad. We think it’s OK for us to be jealous of our brethren. But sins in category 10—such as adultery or lust—are “big.” Those are the sins we believe we can’t be forgiven for.

According to our categories, it’s OK for us to stir up strife because that sin is only at category one on our scale. But it’s really not OK, is it? What does the Word say about strife?

PROVERBS 6:16–19
16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, AND HE THAT SOWETH DISCORD AMONG BRETHREN.

That’s talking about strife, isn’t it? And here it is in a list of seven things the Lord hates—a list of His “no-no’s.” So often we ignore strife and discord as if it’s OK. Yet, churches have been totally destroyed because of discord that’s been sown among the brethren. Sin cannot be categorized from one to ten. Sin is sin, regardless of what it is. But I’m so thankful that our Heavenly Father has made provision for us if we do sin. First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” And Jeremiah 31:34 tells us that God will not remember our sins!

Show Me Some Mercy!

When we look at Jesus’ ministry, we won’t find condemnation or a judgmental attitude. He always lifted people up. He always forgave people. And He admonished us to forgive. The Word says, “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy” (Matt. 5:7). God had mercy on us, didn’t He? Adam and Eve messed up royally. They doomed us all. What if God had said, “Why should I save mankind? Why should I give them a second chance? They got what they deserved”? He could have said that. But what did He do? He loved us so much that He gave the very best Gift He had—His precious Son, the Lord Jesus Christ—to redeem us. God has been merciful to us, so it’s important for us to be merciful to others and not judge each other. It’s important for us to learn how to forgive.

DO SOMETHING: Think of someone you know of who messed up really badly. That person is truly sorry for what he or she did but can’t seem to get out from under condemnation. How can you help that person understand God’s love and mercy?