Having an Open Heart to God

The Lord has taught me much in the past few days. Some of what God has placed in my heart has been a reminder of former revelations of truth that has been declared in my life but God has also revealed Himself in a deeper manner concerning my desire to pursue God regardless of what is happening around me. I give God praise in so much that I am grateful that God never stops teaching, guiding, and directing our lives. He is the consummate Father who has a great plan for His children if only His children will listen to His guidance. Pastor Dale of the Moulton church has opened every service of the Revival with words to this effect; "If we would open our hearts and allow God to speak to us, He would meet the needs that we have." The first part of his statement is the one that has challenged me the most. I am asking myself, Am I truly opening my heart to God or have I learned to participate in a "religious practice" which brings respect from those that around me? Am I more concerned about the approval of God or the approval of man? Am I more concerned about seeking after God or I am concerned about the opinions of others? I must look beyond all of the barriers that can surround me and have a passionate hunger and desire for God. A hunger for more of God must be at the top of my spiritual priority list; I must desire to reach for all that God has for me regardless of all the obstacles that the enemy may put in my path. This is time for the church in America to make some honest evaluations of our passion for God. I know that I write much about passion but we must be aware of our need to follow God with strong resolve and courage. The challenges of the hour will not afford us the opportunity to be weak in our faith walk with God. We must look beyond our circumstances and see our need to hear the Voice of God and respond in obedience. Let today be the start of a new recognition of our part that we need to "open our hearts" to the Lord and see what He will accomplish in our lives.