"God Knows My Heart!"

  Over the many years I have heard people say, "God knows my heart!" When they speak such it generally is because of some sin practiced in their life and this is how they deal with it. It sounds as if the one is saying: "I know I am doing wrong but I'm a good person in heart and the Lord knows it!" Playing games with sin and believing one is a good person in heart is a self-deceived person! God never speaks to approve sin and never calls one who justifies their sin as a good-hearted person.

  Jesus spoke that a good heart are the ones who hear His word, they hold it fast and it bears fruit in their life (Luke 8:15). Jesus taught that "out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness." (Mark 8:21-22) Ever spoken evil of another behind their back or deceived someone? Would you be bold enough to justify yourself, "God knows my heart!"? That's the very thing Jesus said was in the heart! If you were committing adultery or flirting with someone other than your spouse (sensuality) and claimed your self-righteousness by speaking, "God knows my heart!" as an excuse for your practice, maybe the real question is do you know your own heart? God spoke to Jeremiah: "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jer. 17:9) All this evil is what is stored in your heart and what's in your heart is what defiles you before the Lord!

  Let's make this very clear: one doesn't sin because they have a good heart. One sins (as a practice) because there is something sinful in the heart. We all sin as I John 2:1 tells us but a good heart doesn't sin and excuse it with "God knows my heart!" A good heart when it sins is sensitive and goes to the Lord for forgiveness and cleansing (I John 1:9). Your heart is hidden from man but is open and bare to God (Heb. 4:13). You can hide your motives from man but God understands and sees. You can appear as godly and righteous to others even if you are corrupt in heart but God knows the truth. Jesus condemned the religious men of His day by calling them evil and self-indulgent while they looked good outwardly (Matt. 23:25). 

  Let's get this straight. No matter how many bad things you have thought or done, your heart is worse! Our heart is not better than our life but worse as we can pretend in our exterior life. God knows the little secrets, our greed and lusts, our selfishness and pride and even our bitterness and resentful attitudes. What are we to do?

  The death of Jesus along with His resurrection is where you will find your justification and sanctification. When one speaks, "God knows my heart" that should drive me to my knees and bring about a repentance before the Lord. The fact that God does know our heart should alert me that what I did came from a heart not pure and clean. The blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse should bring us joy and hope as we look away from our heart and to Him alone for cleansing. Our ONLY hope is Jesus. There is no other way around it. Be humble, be honest and look to the cleansing power of Jesus to create within us a clean and useful heart. Then the sin can be removed from my life!