The Re-birth of The Human Heart

Micah 6:8

(NKJV)

He has shown you, O man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justly,

To love mercy,

And to walk humbly with your God?

Revelation 3:14-22 - The Laodicean Church (I know thy works)

John 1:12 - But as many have received Him...

What does it mean to be a son or daughter of God? Does is mean unconditional approval? Does it mean unconditional love? If God is our Father, then how does that look? How then should we walk?

Being a child of God has nothing to do with His unconditional love toward us! He loved us even when we were yet His enemies. - Romans 5:10 We are not guaranteed His approval just because of His unconditional love toward us. His approval is based on whether the Spirit of Christ is born within us!

If God is our Father, then He has overshadowed us with His Spirit and implanted His seed within us so that His character is born within us and will bear fruit that will bring Him honor and glory.

We can manipulate our character to assimilate the Character of God, but unless it has been born within us by God’s Spirit it is a trained characteristic that is by appearances godly but in reality is based in performance. I am not trying to say that we shouldn't try to do what is right, but want to make the difference clear between a born trait and a trained one. If we know our weaknesses and rely on God to give birth to His righteousness within us then it is an authentic heart change, otherwise it has been manipulated to look right.

Sometimes we pray, “show us how to move forward”. This is a good thing to pray, but I just want to point us in the direction of God’s revealed word. Are you walking in God’s revealed Word? We cannot expect further revelation if we aren't walking in what God has already revealed through His Word.

We might say yes, to the best of our ability, and that may be true; but in reality, how closely does our life resemble what is revealed in God’s Word concerning what brings Him Glory?

God is our Father, at least if we have accepted His plan of redemption. God as our Father implants His Character within us and waits for it to bear fruit, all the while nourishing it and sustaining the growth that is already present.

So how then should we walk? Walk in the character of your Father. What does that look like? In order to know how to walk before God, we need to be able to see the Father.

Philip, Jesus’ disciple ask him, show us the Father. Jesus response to him was, “Have I been with you so little that you haven't yet seen the Father?” John 14:7-11 Jesus said, “I and my Father are one” John 10:30.

Jesus on earth was the physical expression of The Word of God. His whole being was filled with who God wanted to reveal Himself to us as.

What part does surrender to God working in our lives play in creating within us a new character (God’s own character), and what importance should be placed on it?

Show us the Father

Jesus said have I been with you so little and I need to show you? I and my Father are one.

The mind of Christ is one with the Father. What the Father wills, the mind of Christ thinks, does and is!

Let this Mind be in You, which was also in Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:5; Isaiah 11

What is the Mind of Christ?

• Partakers of the Divine Nature - 2 Peter 1:3-4

• What does it mean to be partakers of the divine nature?

• 2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 3:3; Romans 6:6,14; 1 Corinthians 10:13; John 1:12; 1 John 3:9; 2 Corinthians 6:18

• Love - 1 John 4:1, John 13:35, Deuteronomy 7:9, Zephaniah 3:17, Psalm 86:15; 1 Corinthians 13

• Is love unconditional or is it contingent on whether you are able to hit it off with someone?

• Love is by nature sacrificial, unconditional, and the foundation of love will need to be something that God has done within our hearts. Love is not just something you hand out people outside your family but includes them.

• Love is born in you by the Spirit of God.

• Unity - Jesus was unified with His Father - John 10:30, John 17

• Mercy - Jesus Showed mercy - Psalm 25:6-7; Deuteronomy 4:31; Ephesians 2:4-5; Micah 6:8

• Grace - We have been offered the free gift of Grace, though we didn’t deserve it - Hebrews 4:16

• Patience/Long Suffering - Galatians 5:22; Hebrews 12:1; Colossians 3:12; 2 Peter 1:6; Romans 5:3; 2 Timothy 4:2; Ephesians 4:2

• Gentleness - Galatians 5:22

• Peace - John 14:25-31; James 3:17

• Joy - Nehemiah 8:10

• Kindness - Ephesians 4:32

• Humility - Micah 6:8; Philippians 2:8; James 4:10

• Compassion - Matthew 9:36

• A desire to bring God Glory - Isaiah 43:6-7

• Obedience - Philippians 2:8

• Spiritually Discerning - 1 Corinthians 12:7-11

• Taking our Thoughts Captive - 2 Corinthians 10:5

• Trading Bitterness for Blessing sorrow for blessing

• Having a serving Attitude - Colossians 3:23

• The Fear of the Lord - Proverbs 15:33

• Confidence - Isaiah 32:17; Ephesians 3:12; Philippians 1:6; Hebrews 4:16; 1 John 4:17; 1 John 5:14

• Living with Power - Romans 8:11

• Hope - 1 Peter 1:3

• Faith - Hebrews 11:6

• Free of Condemnation - Romans 8:1

• Honest (Integrity) - 1 Chronicles 29:17; Job 2:3; Proverbs 11:3; 1 Peter 2:12

• Truthful - Proverbs 23:23

• Living Sacrifice - Romans 12:1,2

• Awakened from the sleep of sin - Ephesians 5:14

• We will live as if we have a Father - Hebrews 8:14; Hebrews 12:7-9

• Conformed to His Image - Romans 12:2

• Trusts - Psalm 9:10; Psalm 13:5; Revelation 21:5

• Pure - No deceit 1 Timothy 3:2

• Forgiving - Luke 23:34

• Spiritually Discerning - Ephesians 1:17,18

• Understanding - 1 Kings 3:9; Colossians 2:2-3

• Wisdom - James 3:17

• Holiness - Psalm 24:3-6

• Knowledge - Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 4:6-7; Hosea 4:6; Colossians 2:2-3

• Understanding that suffering, pain and death is the seed of growth - John 12:24

• Caring about Physical, emotional, and social injustices - James 1:27

• Advocate (for the weak or those without a voice) - James 1:27

• Redeems - 2 Samuel 7:23; Psalm 4:26; Isaiah 43:1; Isaiah 47:4; Isaiah 62:12; Galatians 3:13-14

• Not seeking of one’s own glory - Humble - if we seek our own glory or praise, we will circumvent spreading God's glory and we will be battling our way to the front. That will always be a losing battle. God said “I will not give my glory to another” - Isaiah 42:8. Also “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord” - James 4:10.

• Lord of Life (Value Life, Encourage Life, Seeking Life)

• Not a Respecter of Persons - Acts 10:34

• Instructor - Isaiah 48:17; John 14:26

• Healer - Mark 10:47

• Revealer - Job 12:22; Jeremiah 33:3; Daniel 2:28; Matthew 13:11; Ephesians 6:19

• Warrior - Psalm 144

• Watchman

• Priest - Kings and Priests - 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6; Revelation 5:10

• Pursuing those at enmity with Him. To show them mercy. - While we were yet enemies… Romans 5

• Slow to anger - Proverbs 15:1

• Vision for the future - Proverbs 29:18

• Extends forgiveness - Stephen’s forgiveness of those who stoned Him. Acts 7:54-60

• Lives with authority - Romans 8:11, 14…

• Any authority you may be walking in is authority from God that is passing through you as it would a vessel. Jesus told Pilate that he would have no authority except it were given to him. - John 19:11

• Inheritance - 1 Peter 1:3

Walking with the Lord in His character will bring Him Glory. We were created for this and to walk in a way that does not bring Him Glory is to bring Him dishonor which is sin.

Walking forward in God's character can not be done solely by conditioning ourselves through character adjustments or by character management or discipline. It must be done through surrender to God and allowing His Spirit to plant His seed within us, to nurture it and further to sprout into life and newborn character within you.

Walking with the Lord entails being crucified, buried, and then resurrected with him in newness of life. Romans 6:4 Has your sin, or your negativity been crucified with Christ? When we come to the place that we know our character doesn’t line up with the character of God, we must surrender to the cross of Christ in order for our character to be redeemed. This will be a daily picking up of the cross of Christ and following Him to Golgotha.

If you are a person who has been wronged, whether you are the husband, wife, child, brother or sister; God wants you to glorify Him in the situation you now find yourself in. He wants you to be an example of Him to the offender showing them mercy and unconditional love. These characteristics are at the heart of the gospel and if they are missing from our lives, then God’s character is disrupted from flowing through us and we fail to honor and glorify His name.

Genesis 4:23-24

23 Then Lamech said to his wives:

“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;

Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech!

For I have killed a man for wounding me,

Even a young man for hurting me.

24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold,

Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”

New King James Version (NKJV)

Lamech killed someone who hurt him… was he vindicated in that? God’s plan was to have mercy shown and that is why he gave Moses the laws about an eye for an eye. That was so revenge would match what had been done. All the while God was moving his people toward offering mercy and forgiveness.

Though He slay me, yet will I serve Him. - Job 13:15-17

Having received the character of God, walk in it daily by expressing it in every situation to those around you. If we give, we will receive pressed down, shaken together and overflowing. - Luke 6:38

Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world - 1 John 4:4

By mercy and truth, iniquity is purged. Proverbs 16:6

Try living in mercy and truth (sincerity) and just see if your heart doesn't become more like it has been born of God’s Spirit. I think you will find that your character will begin to shift toward a more holy character.

If you have received the gift of God’s character within you and you walk in it by giving it to others, it will become a well of life springing up within you!

So step out in faith, cultivate your fields, and ask God for His Spirit to be born within you which will produce His character to to be born within you and then walk in it.