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Understanding our Natural Heart
God is our spiritual cardiologist. He helps us get a perspective and analysis of our hearts that we could not otherwise get. Many Christians have a difficult time being joyful in the Lord because they do not understand how desperately they needed the Lord. The scriptures say that we all once were spiritually dead.
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And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. (Ephesians 2:1-2).
Now it is true this verse doesn't explicitly mention the heart. He only says we were dead. I believe what this means is that we as unbelievers had no life in our heart to respond to spiritual things. We had no affections for God. Later on in Ephesians, Paul speaks more clearly, this time speaking of a blind or callous heart. They just are unable to perceive spiritual things.
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. (KJV Ephesians 4:17-19).
Our heart was caught in a web of defilement. It could only produce what we know is wrong and evil. John speaks of three means the old heart works to produce its evil work.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. (1 John 2:16).
Note how Jesus clearly condemns the heart and all it produces. "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders." (Matthew 15:19)
The apostle Paul finds agreement too.
"Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:19-21)
Please note that I have interchanged flesh with heart. We see Jesus and Paul speaking the same description, but Jesus uses heart and Paul uses the flesh. Is there any difference? We discover that when describing the evil aspect of our hearts, then flesh is an equivalent term for heart. However, if we speak of the spiritual affect of the new heart, then we must speak of the spirit (Spirit) {see Galatians 5:22-23}.
If we are unclear about the desperate condition of our old heart, then we as His children will be less touched by His extraordinary grace and often falter in our Christian lives. What is the most necessary item in order to seek God? See the next page.