Sacrifice Your Heart

“¹⁷The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

— Psalm 51:17 (ESV)

What is the sacrifice that the LORD cherishes the most, our heart. The LORD wants our heart before and in lieu of anything else. He wants us to give ourselves fully to Him. That is the hardest to give as it is the cherished thing we have of and for ourselves.

I have a lovely wife of 29 years in April of 2026, and all that time ago I gave her my heart and I love her dearly. But, there is another who had my heart first and in the priority ladder will always come first, the LORD. I could not devote myself to Lori if I had not given y heart to the LORD. He took me, in all my brokenness and renewed me. The LORD cleaned me up and made me presentable to Lori as the one who would devote to her and cherish her.

“¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and renew a right spirit within me.”

— Psalm 51:10 (ESV)

God has made me right. He has cleaned me up. He has renewed me. All because I have sacrificed my heart to Him to do so.

How do you look at sacrifice? Are you trying to give the LORD physical things? What if you were to give Him your heart to clean, renew and make right?

Address the King

When we are praying, are we really addressing the LORD, or are we speaking in hopes that He hears us in what we are saying and wanting?

“¹My heart overflows with a pleasing theme:

I address my verses to the king;

my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.”

— Psalm 45:1 (ESV)

Here we see the psalmist announcing his address of the king. Now, the king here is likely a Davidic king, however isn’t it a statement that all of us Christians should be making to our LORD. I asked the question in the first paragraph to draw in our thinking and admit that I may not be addressing the LORD all the time myself.

Our prayer should be directed at the LORD, not just spoken aloud as a part of a ritual or process. We should be having conversations with God, not just our oration and He listening. I think that sometimes we use God as a sounding board to get out what we want to say and expect that He will solve it all as we just move on to the next. After all, the LORD is always with us and listening for us, right.

I have to remember that yes, the LORD is always with me and is listening for me. But, He is also looking to commune with me. He does not just want to sit back and let us vent to Him, although He does do that and we should feel comfortable doing so. He wants to have a relationship with us as our father.

“⁸And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. ⁹But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’” — Genesis 3:8-9 (ESV)

Here we see the LORD walking through the garden looking to have a chat with Adam and Eve. He was not just looking to be around them, but to converse and commune with them. This is the relationship the LORD wants with you and me.

We should be addressing the LORD, not for Him to hear us, but for Him to converse with us.

How are you speaking to the LORD? Are you out there speaking at Him in hopes He hears you and takes action? What if you were to address Him and expect a conversation over petition and taking that opportunity to listen to Him as well?

Desires of the Heat

How many of us wish that all our desires come true, especially those that we desire deep in our hearts. I know that I do. There are a lot of things that I desire for to come true in my life. I desire for millions of dollars. I desire for the ability to travel the world with Lori, cause that is what she wants. I desire to be seen in the world as bigger than life and the envy of all I come in contact with. But are these really those things that are of my heart or are they of some other motivation.

“³Trust in the LORD, and do good;

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

⁴Delight yourself in the LORD,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

— Psalm 37:3-4 (ESV)

Well, as you can see in the above verse, the way to get that which we desire in our hearts is to delight in the LORD and trust in Him. I think that we are of the opinion that if we simply say those things, then He will make them come to pass. But in order to receive the desires of our heart, our heart has to be fully given to and filled with the LORD. We have to fully “trust” in Him. We have to fully “delight” in Him. We have to fully “befriend faithfulness” in Him. And then He will give us the desires of our heart which are rooted in the glory of the LORD.

“⁵Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him, and he will act.

⁶He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,

and your justice as the noonday.”

— Psalm 37:5-6 (ESV)

It is a commitment to the LORD, not just a statement to Him. I commit to Him and He commits to me. I give Him all of me and He gives me all of Him. Once those conditions have been met, the LORD will provide all that I desire as what I desire will be Him.

I know, in this world it is hard to get along without the physical things that society indicates we should have. But is it all about the physical things. I know many people that have joy abounding in their lives without all the “finer” things. They have their relationship with the LORD and He provides all that they need. When they have a desire for something, the LORD fills that desire with what He know will be used for His glory and the people know that all they have received is for the LORD and His glory.

The desires of the heart are provided by the LORD when we give ourselves to Him fully. When we are in need, the LORD will fill that need knowing that all glory will be given to Him.

What are your desires? Are you expecting that all desires are filled so that you can have it all? What if you were to give yourself to the LORD fully in your heart and allow Him to fill your heart and all the desires there that will be used to bring Him glory?

Not Just External, But Internal

“¹⁴Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight,

O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.”

— Psalm 19:14 (ESV)

How often have we been “in” a conversation, speaking and hearing, but not really there at all as we are distracted by other goings on. I know that I have and I will admit, that in my prayers and calls on God I am not always there. When I look back, I find that I may have said the right things, but in my head and heart I am distracted and not really in the conversation with God at all. I am reminded this morning that it is not just with our mouth we are to be in commune with God, but our hearts are to me fully engaged as well.

I know that I am “cherry picking” one verse this morning, and I have spoken against that in the past, but hear me out. The title of the passage in my ESV bible this morning is, “The Law of the LORD is Perfect”. That being so, why would we allow ourselves to be distracted away from Him. I know that in sports I long to see things that are identified as “perfect”, the perfect game pitched in baseball, the perfect shot in golf, the perfect pass, or the perfect routine in gymnastics. I am mesmerized in those instances and my focus in fully on the moment. I have to ask myself, if those things are identified as perfect and I am fully engaged, why would I be distracted from the one true perfect one in our LORD.

It is up to me to devote myself to the LORD and what better way to start my days than to fully engage with Him in my prayer. From my mouth to my heart, I am to be mesmerized by Him and His perfection. I am to be all in with Him and allow the LORD to be the captivator of my entire self. I should be with Him both externally and internally.

How is your prayer with the LORD? Are you going through the motions eternally while being distracted internally? What if you were to fully engage in the perfection of the LORD and devote yourself to Him with your words and your heart and allow Him to captivate you?

In Your Heart Know There is God

Notice how I phrase the title, “There is God”, not “there is a God”.

“¹The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’

They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;

there is none who does good.”

— Psalm 14:1

The verse above speaks of the “fool” keeping in his heart that “There is no God”. I found it interesting that the Hebrew word “fool” here means, according to my ESV commentary, “someone who stubbornly rejects wisdom”. It does not mean, as we would generally think, someone who is just not that bright. The writer is referring to people who consciously reject God’s existence in holding people to account for their actions. As such, they feel free to act in whatever manner they like without consequence.

This is not a “luxury” that I afford as a follower of Christ. I know in my heart that there is God and He will deal with me and my actions. I have escaped the wrath of God thanks to my salvation, but I am not immune to consequences of my actions. I still have to obey or be subject to accountability.

The LORD is looking down on me to watch over me. I can only imagine how, when I fail Him, He sneers knowing that He will have to hold me to account. But, He loves me too much to let me slide on those things. He ensures that I am aware of my faults so that I can work to avoid them in the future and carry on teaching others about Him.

Love is an emotional and actionable thing. The emotional part overlooks all accountability, where the actionable leans on accountability. I hold love for the LORD in my heart as He holds love in His heart. Both of us emotionally love one another as well as actionable. The actionable love I have for the LORD is in that He is to hold me accountable to my actions. The LORD’s actionable love for me is to hold me accountable for my actions. We are aligned here and should always be. But that alignment cannot be if I do not know in my heart that there is God.

How do you know there is God? Are you like the “fool” who chooses to reject his existence for accountability? What if you know on you heart that there is God and love him emotionally and actionable?

Shield Yourself with God

I am a sinner and as so am subject to this world. I am bound to make mistakes and sin against God and do wrong by those around me. I am worthy of His wrath and accountable to the evil that I have committed.

But God. He will surround me with his protection. He will guide me in my pursuits.

“¹⁰My shield is with God,

who saves the upright in heart.”

— Psalm 7:10 (ESV)

I may be a sinner and may continue to do wrong, but God still loves me and will shield me. I am His and He is mine. It is up to me to devote myself to Him and take Him up as my shield. I have to understand my place and ask the LORD to judge me and remove the evil from me. I have to pray to Him continually and take refuge in Him.

“⁸The Lord judges the peoples;

judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness

and according to the integrity that is in me.

⁹Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end,

and may you establish the righteous—

you who test the minds and hearts,

O righteous God!”

— Psalm 7:8-9 (ESV)

And then, once I have asked and He delivers, I have to give thanks for His shielding of little old me the sinner. Not for His making of me bigger, but for His shielding and glory. I thank Him for His righteousness and lift Him up on high.

“¹⁷I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness,

and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.”

— Psalm 7:17 (ESV)

What is your approach to God? Are you going about expecting Him to be there? What if you were to consciously ask for His shielding and then thanking and praising Him for shielding you, the sinner?

Agree with the LORD in your Heart

Recently I had a conversation about how our team of three at the office may disagree on actions, yet once we decide to take an action, we are behind it fully. Where I carry out the actions fully in expectation of success, I admit to having doubts and look for moments when I can come back and indicate that I thought there was another way when thing do not go as planned.

“²¹Agree with God, and be at peace;

thereby good will come to you.

²²Receive instruction from his mouth,

and lay up his words in your heart.”

— Job 22:21-22 (ESV)

When it comes to the LORD, our agreement cannot be on the surface. We may go along with God’s required actions of us, but there is no room for us to doubt. It is imperative that we lay His words on our heart and not just on our minds.

“²⁷You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you,

and you will pay your vows.

²⁸You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,

and light will shine on your ways.”

— Job 22:27-28 (ESV)

Expecting success is different than knowing of success. With the LORD, we can know of success and not just expect it. When we have His words on our heart, He will hear when we call. He will make success happen. No, maybe not the way we wanted things to go, but He will make success. It is in our trust of Him from our Heart that makes it so.

With the LORD, there is no room for doubt. When we are looking for the way out, we will surely find the way to failure. Maybe not in the moment, but in the end. I have to remember to be all in with the LORD. I have to hear His words. I have to agree with Him. I have to take His words and place them on my heart to ensure that I am fully on board with Him. Here I will know that success is imminent. I cannot fail with the LORD. I will not look back and have those what if thoughts. I must agree and will succeed.

How do you agree with the Word of God? Are you expecting success but holding out for the what if? “What if” you were agree with the LORD and place His words on your heart to know He will lead to success?

The LORD Will Come and Stay

What does it take for the LORD to come?

“¹³When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, ¹⁴if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 (ESV)

We have to earnestly “pray and seek” Him and His Face and “turn from their wicked ways” and then the LORD will come. So it is on us to get the LORD here. It is up to me and my full dependence on Him regardless of the circumstances. I am in charge of turning to the LORD and away from that which is evil. The LORD is always within earshot of me, and will come when I need Him, I only need to call on Him.

I think that we understand that part. Call on the LORD and He will come. But what is it that gets Him to stay with us. Well, it is the humbling of ourselves and surrendering to Him.I can and should call on Him when I need Him, yet it is up to me to reach out to Him and surrender to His glory for Him to come and stay.

“¹⁵Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. ¹⁶For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time” – 2 Chronicles 7:15-16 (ESV)

When I have devoted myself to the LORD, He will come and stay with me. Not just in earshot, but will be there walking with me for my entire journey in this world. I will have Him there to fend off the evil. He will comfort me and guide me and carry me and provide for me and bless me and fully ensure that I am taken care of in this world. It is up to me to turn to Him and away from evil and surrender to Him and he will come and stay with me.

What are you doing to get the LORD to come and stay? Are you keeping Him just within earshot? What if you were to surrender to Him so that He comes and walks with you, comforting you, guiding you, carrying you, providing for you, and blessing you?

Let Known to Serve the LORD with Your Heart

This morning I was reminded of a pretty big deal, let others know to serve the LORD with the whole heart. The context came from “David’s Charge to Solomon” (title of the passage in my ESV Bible).

“⁹And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever. ¹⁰Be careful now for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it.” – 1 Chronicles 28:9-10 (ESV)

Here we see David speaking to Solomon in front of all the officials of Israel. He had been announcing to them that a house for the LORD was to be built, but not by him but that Solomon had been chosen by God to do so. And here David is charging Solomon to that which the LORD has chosen him to do. Yet, he is also charging Solomon to do so with full service to the LORD from the heart.

I was reminded strongly that it is important to physically tell others to love and serve the LORD from the heart and not just expect that they will pick it up on their own somewhere. As a parent, when we want something accomplished a certain way or in a certain time, it is important to speak it plainly so there is no questions as to what to do. This is also important with service and love of the LORD. We should be speaking it plainly. Love the LORD with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.

David announced to Solomon that he should proceed with the building of the Temple from his heart. He should work to serve the LORD and not his own agenda. And, David is speaking this command in front of many witnesses. He is not shying away from speaking it, he is deliberate and pointed in the delivery to ensure that Solomon is aware and understands the assignment.

I may have missed the mark on this. Where I was not young when I became a father, and I had been a follower of Christ for a good number of years, I was not mature in Christ by any means. I may have not spoken to my boys as David does to Solomon here.

But, I did have brothers in Christ who were examples of David in this sense and over the past 15 years I have grown in my Christlike maturity to more of an example. I still have a long way to go, but I am more bold today and heed the actions of David with Solomon and lead more deliberately and vocally to ensure that others (including but not limited to my sons) should know and love and serve the LORD with all their heart.

What are you speaking out about loving and serving the LORD? Are you expecting others to learn on their own somehow? What if you were to speak plainly with others as David does with Solomon to love and serve the LORD with all their heart?

It is Not To Late to Turn Back to God

It is not to late to repent and turn to the LORD. This morning I was reminded of this as I read how Josiah returned to the LORD when his predecessors had drifted away.

“¹³Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.” – 2 Kings 22:13 (ESV)

“³And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant.” – 2 Kings 23:3 (ESV)

Josiah found his moment to return to the LORD and he did not take it lightly. He boldly stated the drift and then just as boldly committed to the LORD in front of all to see.

But Josiah did not just make statements, he took action as well. He torn down alters and burned bones to remove the remnants of the turning away. He was not like the politicians that say one thing then do another. He was true to his word and returned fully to the LORD.

The drift away from the LORD is slow and almost unnoticeable. It happens with little things that we compromise on and then drift into the larger things that begin leading us. But there is time to turn it all around despite the time it took to get there and those who were involved. We have to just commit ourselves to the LORD and then carry out His Word in our daily actions dedicated to bringing Him glory.

What is your thoughts on the drift and coming back to the LORD? Are you of the belief that we may be too far gone to turn back to Him? What if you took the LORD into your heart and devoted to Him and again put your trust in Him and took action to bring Him glory?