Richard Roberts – Fourth of four parts
The third mistake a fool makes is he tries to have God in his head and not in his heart.
Some people have a Bible on their coffee table, but God is not in their heart. I have gone into homes where people say, “Let me show you my Bible.” Then they have to go dust it off. It has been on the coffee table so long it has left a ring. It doesn’t do much good on the coffee table. They may have even memorized scriptures, but if it’s only in their head, they are going to walk around their entire life with a question mark plastered on their face.
Why, why, why? Why is life seemingly a thankless job? Why are there so many troubles, heartaches, heartbreaks, setbacks, discouragements, persecutions, criticisms? Why, why? Why sickness and disease? If God is only in your head, you’ll walk around all your life asking why. But if He is in your heart, you’ve got staying power. Your mouth lines up with the Word of God. The Bible says that out of the abundance of your heart your mouth speaks (see Luke 6:45).
When your heart is right, you want to hear the Word of God because you know it’s going to build your faith. When your heart is right, you know and believe that prayer can change things in your life. You understand that the effective, heartfelt prayer of a person who is in right relationship with God is powerful (James 5:16).
When God is in your heart, you sow seeds with expectation, knowing that He is going to open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing where there shall not be room enough to receive it. He is going to rebuke the devourer for your sake (Malachi 3:10–11), and meet you at the very point of your need.