What is the foundation for the HT Ministry? Clearly, it comes directly from scripture. We will share & comment on the most vital scriptures that drive this ministry. In trying to choose the most prominent 5 to 6 verses, it became impossibly difficult. We are building a large concept in studying the heart.
Gen. 6:5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Clearly, man apart from God is continually caught up with some form of evil thoughts & desires. Therefore, he is condemned because his heart is set on the world and what self wants = in an unredeemed state.
Deut. 30:6 And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.
The Lord is communicating that we really can’t live a good life because our nature is inclined toward evil. It also states that we can’t just set a goal and achieve loving God becaues our Lord has to circumcise our heart, so we can “love Him with all”. Circumcise focuses on “cutting away” the things in the heart that are of the enemy & the world so that the heart can be transformed and worship God continually. Once God has circumcised the heart from what is wrong, you can truly decide to live in Him daily—not a casual decision. This circumcision by God offers us true success & prosperity of heart!
I Chron. 28:9 “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intents of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.
This is wholehearted devotion to God. The Lord searches every heart & understands our motives. If we seek Him with “all of our heart” (at all cost), we will find Him supernaturally in our lives.
Ps 84:5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in you, whose heart is set on pilgrimage.
This is the scripture that called us to this HT Ministry. It is the heart that needs to be set on pilgrimage: the sacred journey; in order to arrive in the Presence of God every day.
Ps 86:11 Teach me your way, O Lord; I will walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.
As one desires to love the Lord with “all”, a relationship between the Psalmist and God is illustrated. The Psalmist asks the Lord to teach him and he commits to walk in that truth. Then he asks for an undivided heart, so he has the capacity to revere and fear God’s name.
Matthew 22:37,38 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment.
Jesus said it all: stating the first and greatest commandment; which summarizes all others. There is nothing more important, now that we have Jesus, than to “love the Lord with everything we have”. We can’t get to where we want to go spiritually, if we do not love Him only and purpose our life to that end.
Luke 4:8 And Jesus answered and said to him, get behind me, satan! For it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.
Jesus has just been tested in the desert. He was being tempted to rely on satan and His own human flesh. Jesus had victory in this test over satan and clarifies how life should be lived. We are to worship and serve the Lord only! This is to be done daily! We should link the Lord’s purposes & power to everything we do in life.
John 14:12 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I am going to the Father.
This scripture confounds people. How can I be like Jesus and do what He did? Jesus received the Holy Spirit and this is what makes Him similar to us. He had the power of the Holy Spirit to do what He did. He is stating that anyone who believes, has complete faith, and trusts their heart to believe everything Jesus said, did and believed…will do what He has done and even more. Our Lord knows that this is possible and is inviting you to become just like Himself.
Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon on you….”
The question isn’t how you receive the Holy Spirit, but that you are to welcome the Holy Spirit and His power to be upon you for the rest of your life. Just as this power was supernatural to Jesus’ earthly body, so you should have miracles taking place because of you, as evidence that the Holy Spirit is at work in and through your life.
Acts 15:8 So God, Who knows the heart, acknowledge them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us & them…purifying their hearts by faith.
As God knows our heart, He acknowledges & accepts those who are seeking by giving them the 3rd part of the Trinity: the Holy Spirit. God, the Spirit, is the one that we are to be empowered by as we live our lives.
Romans 6:21-22 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from, and having become slaves to God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
Paul is speaking of the worthless fruit that is born when we are living from our sin patterns. He is saying that as a result of being a follower of Jesus and His being Lord; we are free from the bondage of sin. It doesn’t mean we won’t ever sin again; but if we walk in the Spirit daily, we can live sin free. Thus, we are led to holiness. This is our hope. The Old Testament people didn’t have this privilege. Jesus set us free from sin and we have the Holy Spirit to walk with us every moment in life and to be free of sin.
2 Cor. 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
As a result of being a believer in Jesus & following Him, we have unveiled faces and therefore we can reflect the glory of the Lord. Our Lord desires that we be transformed, changed into His image. As a result of being/living in the image of Jesus, we will add glory to our lives and add more glory because it is the Spirit of God that is leading us.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
As a result of being a believer and full of the Spirit of God, we get to receive from the Spirit Himself this fruit. We can’t achieve it, gain it by knowledge or hope that it will fall on us unconsciously. It is when we seek the fulness of the Holy Spirit within us that the Holy Spirit produces all this fruit within.
Eph. 3:19 …to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Not only are we to know His love, which means that we are able to continually exhibit a sacrificial love within our lives, a passionate love for our Lord, and brotherly love so that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. We can be filled with ALL OF GOD. Not that we can retain it unless we are full of the Spirit; but all that God is – being offered to us: as much as we can store and exhibit. This is only available as a result of Jesus & His Spirit so that we exhibit His love, by His power…then we get to have the greatness of God within us. Wow.
Eph. 5:18 …but be filled with the Spirit, …
This is not a positional statement that if we believe in Jesus then we will be full of the Spirit. Obviously, we all sin and we know the Spirit of God can’t sin. When we do sin, we have allowed the Holy Spirit only a small portion of our heart. Our Lord desires “all” of our heart in the form of our heart being filled with His Holy Spirit. When filled with the Holy Spirit, we can do the things Jesus did & more (John 14:12). If we want to succeed and have prosperity of heart, along with many other Godly blessings; we must stay “full”; then we will flourish.
Col 2:6,7 As you therefore have received Christ the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted & built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
This verse is powerful in many ways, but we are highlighting that as we continue living our lives “in Him”, we will be Kingdom Purposed. He is our only purpose in life. As a result of living this way: in Him, we will overflow with thankfulness for how He has made us prosperous in so many different areas of our lives. We will be overflowing with thankfulness that comes from God. When one overflows, it is like a spring that can’t be stopped. All because we are living “in Him”!
Col 3:23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
The Lord makes it clear: whatever we do, we are to work at it with “all our heart” and “for the Lord” not for men. This we can’t do unless we are walking in the Spirit. We can say we are with Him in our mind, but the real motivation is for the recognition of men and the world. God is empowering us to live this way when are in lock-step with Him. The first reward is that the Lord walks with us in total relationship; secondly is the eternal inheritance of living with Him for eternity.
I Tim. 1:5 Now the purpose of the command is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and a sincere faith,…
Living this love and experiencing it from the Lord is not only the goal but it is the strategic step (Eph. 3:19) to having the fullness of God dwelling within us. We can’t get to the fullness of God unless we get to living out the goal of Jesus’ command: to love Him and to love one another.
James 1”3,4
…knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect & complete, lacking nothing.
James is communicating that we are to have joy in our testing. Our testing is challenging our faith and growing it. It produces patience and endurance. This endurance bears fruit as well: that we become perfect & complete, lacking nothing; complete & mature in the eyes of God. This is not just in the mind but in the heart as well. Another way of saying that you have learned to walk in the Spirit, is learning to walk in the light of God with “all your life”. We get the opportunity to live & walk this way every day; it is a choice we make daily. God bless you!
God has called us to the HT Ministry of being full of God’s love; of loving Him with all our heart; with being full of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we become complete and mature, just like Jesus. When we fulfill God’s plan for us spiritually, in our own lives; we will be living out the purpose of God. We then get to receive all His rewards: now and forevermore.