This devotional clip was written by David Bowden author of When God Isn’t There. You can read more of this devotional through YouVersion titled Rewire Your Heart.
What is God after? What does He want from us? Is He after a song on Sunday or a really good prayer at night? I think we all know the answer is no.
God is after our hearts.
One of the clearest moments in the Bible where we learn this truth is in Isaiah. God is describing through his prophet a siege that is coming upon Jerusalem.
However, no matter how much the people hear of Isaiah’s words and God’s revelation, they will not really listen. They will be like a person who is given a book but cannot open it and like one who is given a book but cannot read (29:11-12).
So why this coming punishment? And why can’t the people understand the visions and warnings from God?
Here is where we get our clear picture of what God is after. Here is the reason.
“Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me” (29:13).
- God is punishing and blinding His people because they are putting on a show of religion, but their hearts are not in it.
- They come to God and give Him praise and say all the right words, but God does not have their innermost selves — their hearts.
God wants your heart, not your lips. He wants your affections, passions, desires, and longings. God wants your wants. And he will not be satisfied until he has them.
Why? Because He knows that only when you desire Him will you be desiring something good. And not only will you be desiring something good, in fact the only good, but also the best good. God wants your wants because He wants your good.
And how will He get your heart? Well, how did He plan to get the hearts of His wayward people in Isaiah’s day?
He will do wonderful things (29:14). But these wonderful things aren’t pretty. These are things that bring wonder. Things like punishment and mighty acts of judgement. The reason why people were drawing near to God with their lips but not their hearts was because their fear of God was fake. It was a “commandment taught by men” (29:13).
So God would instill true fear in their hearts. This may sound harsh, but God wanted their hearts. So He would reveal Himself to them in the only way that would change them.
God changes hearts the same way today. He shows himself to us in wonderful ways. And the most wonderful way He has revealed Himself to us is also in judgement and punishment. But this time, the judgement and punishment did not come upon us who deserved it. God’s wrath came upon Jesus, who bore our punishment even though he did not deserve it.
- Is your heart far from God even though your lips are close to Him?
- Do you want to change that?
- Behold Jesus!
- See how God has revealed Himself to you in Christ!
- Let the fear and love of God pierce your heart by peering deeply into the truth of the Gospel.
In Christ I am SHE {Saved. Hopeful. Empowered.}
In Christ I am SHE 
What does God want? I’ve gotten an answer, the answer, to me not to say your answer is wrong bc it lines up perfectly with what I was showed as well♥️, was God wants to become one with us bc he loves us so much God never wants to be without us & the only way that can be done is when we are with God in body ,mind and spirit . We become one with God are are never far from God in that way , to do that we go thru these rituals and rites of passage, where we become One in body ,mind , soul and spirit . So love is only one part of the answer, together if we all pray upon a question I’ve yet to not get one , we have to understand that God does not communicate with us in words alone , most of Gods messages and communications have been visions , feelings , thoughts, ideas , dreams ,and yes I’ve had clear concise words , yet I’ve had far more communications by other ways of communication, I had to learn to recognize and align with God’s frequency and energy , I adore your messages, these really speak to my heart im so glad I found your emails and signed up for them , I forget even how I came across it , yet it really doesn’t matter , my heart has been calling out for my soul tribe and slowly but assuredly they are coming to me , I so many ways , stay blessed SIS star in Christs love . AMEN
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Isn’t is a wonder that God created mankind to have fellowship with Him. What an awesome God we serve. I cannot image my life without Him….well I guess I could but it wouldn’t be pretty! I am thankful for my salvation and want to tell th world of Jesus!! Keep growing in Christ sister. He is worth it all!!
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