Look Into Your Heart

Jeremiah 17:5- 10 (ESV)

5 Thus says the LORD:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man
and makes flesh his strength,
whose heart turns away from the LORD.
  6 He is like a shrub in the desert,
and shall not see any good come.
He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,
in an uninhabited salt land.
  7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose trust is the LORD.
  8 He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
  9 The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
  10 “I the LORD search the heart
and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Kaa the Snake in the Disney version of "The Jungle Book" sang a song, it went in part "Trust in me..." I always found his character interesting because he was weak, and his power lay in his ability to control people's minds into doing what he wanted. Usually what he wanted was dinner. He would lull people into a sense of trust so that he could devour them. Our desires can devour us. Our hearts are sick. Our hearts will tell us things to convince us we can do whatever we please. Our hearts tell us to take that first dip into sin. How bad can it be? Try it out! Everyone else is, and if you do it too, you'll fit in. It's pretty easy to suddenly find yourself trapped in a sin, or a bad habit, all you have to do is listen to your heart. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?"

   Your heart will deceive you until it is changed, and it can't be changed without be changed. God has done something to us and for us to take the sickness out of our hearts:

Colossians 2:8-15

 8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.  9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,  10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.  11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,  12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.  13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,  14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.  15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

When we became Christians God gave us new stuff on the inside! When we gather around the Lord's table, we remind ourselves of the change within us. Sometimes, we need a little more reminding than others. Fortunately, our trespasses are nailed to the cross, a public spectacle and testimony to the power of God. Christ died, was buried and rose again, so that we could have fellowship with God. Let us pray today and be glad that our fellowship is with God through Christ, and Satan is powerless to use our hearts against us.