Christ Leads The Way

“And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord.” – 2 Chronicles 12:14

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Many of us are people of preparation. We prepare for our careers by going to college, we prepare for class by writing papers and completing assignments, we prepare for the next work week by washing and ironing our clothes, and we even prepare for retirement. We prepare for a lot of things. But do we prepare our hearts?

The Bible says that King Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, did evil because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord (2 Chronicles 12:14). When we do not prepare our hearts to seek the Lord, we end up sinning and doing evil in the sight of God. In contrast to Rehoboam, “Ezra prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel” (Ezra 7:10). We must be like Ezra and prepare our hearts. But how do we do it?

1. Be Humble.

The Word says, “Lord you have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear” (Psalm 10:17). God prepares the heart of the humble. He also resists the proud and gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).

2. Purify Your Heart.

Only those who have clean hands and a pure heart can ascend into the hill of the Lord and stand in His holy place (Psalm 24:3-4). Purifying our hearts means clearing it from all impurities that can get in like worldliness and sin.

3. Guard Your Heart.

The Bible instructs us to “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23). We have to watch what we allow to come into our hearts (that includes our entertainment choices and who we hang around), because what goes in the heart and mind is what will come out,

4. In All Your Ways Acknowledge Him.

When we become so self-reliant that we forget about God, then we put our trust in ourselves. But God says to trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. If we acknowledge Him in all our ways, He will direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

5. Study God’s Word.

The word of God is living and powerful and it is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). If we hide His Word in our hearts, then we will not sin against Him (Psalm 119:11). So we must study His word, and even seek to memorize it to get it in our heart and minds, that we may not do that which is evil.

While we prepare for so many other things in life, let’s take time to prepare our hearts to seek the Lord. We can do this by being humble, purifying our hearts, guarding our hearts, acknowledging God in all our ways, and studying His word.

Is your heart prepared to seek the Lord?