I first want to start off with this verse in Matthew 6:33. It states, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Something we ought to be cautious of is seeking God only when we want something. And the thing is, God is always examining our hearts. You may think it wouldn’t be a selfish agenda but God knows and sees everything. Oftentimes, He will not give us those desires because He already knows that our hearts are deceiving us.
This is why it’s so important that we don’t get caught up in following our hearts. Jeremiah 17:9 states, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” A lot of times, people get caught up in “my heart tells me this” or “God knows my heart.” Well yes, He does but do you know?! Ultimately, whatever we pray for, is to bring glory to Jesus and a lot of times, our hearts aren’t in the right place, whether we want to believe it or not. 1 Samuel 16:7 states “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.” Be honest with yourself, has there been a time where you kept praying and asking God for something and got frustrated or angry when it didn’t come to pass? People have gotten to this point where we are treating God as a genie and when what we want doesn’t come to pass, then we get upset. That shows your heart already. God is not a genie that grants us wishes when we want them. It’s like when a 5-year-old doesn’t get want they want when they want and they start throwing a temper tantrum. You can’t put God in a box nor limit His capabilities on what He can do. He knows your heart. You always have to have a heart check and ask God if your heart is in the right position.
The things that we ask for and do ultimately should glorify God. Jesus has to be the centerpiece of everything we do and teach. Now, you’re probably wondering, how do I make sure that I am doing this. Well, one of the biggest things is to make sure that you are in full submission of the Holy Spirit every day! Because we are flesh, we do things daily that satisfy the flesh. God calls us to walk in the spirit daily and be in full submission to Christ. Here is when we commune with Him and “He will reveal to us things that we do not know” Jeremiah 33:3. Our God is a loving God and wants to commune with us every day. We are to seek Him in everything that we do. We need to constantly deny our flesh and be in submission to Christ. He will reveal to you your heart and from there be in the process to repair it.
“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Galatians 5:16-18