YCCM PT 3 CH 7 A DIFFERENT KIND OF HEART: JEREMIAH

PART III THE HEART OF A CHILD

Chapter 7

A DIFFERENT KIND OF HEART: JEREMIAH

My Brothers and Sisters,

As we go deeper and deeper into exploring the heart, as the vehicle to change, we need to understand why our youth today continue to become enveloped by Darkness and at great risk of being destroyed.

We need to understand the tactics of the enemy in recruiting them for war, organized crime and helping Darkness to maintain a stronghold over society, through television, movies, music, radio, internet and social media.  We also need to understand how to counteract this demonic warfare intended to destroy us.

Our Father has left us detailed instructions on how to resist the enemy and how to cast him out from amongst us. First, we must examine our hearts and learn to trust and obey.

In the Book of Jeremiah, God shows us the kind of heart we must have. In choosing Jeremiah, as His prophet, God puts an unexpected opponent against the Darkness and corruption within men; an opponent with a different kind of heart--the heart of a child.

JEREMIAH 1: 1-19

[1] The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:

[2] To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

[3] It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.

[4] Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

[5] Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

[6] Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

[7] But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

[8] Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.

[9] Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

[10] See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

[11] Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.

[12] Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.

[13] And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.

[14] Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.

[15] For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.

[16] And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.

[17] Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.

[18] For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.

[19] And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.

Of course, men would dispute and fight against Jeremiah, he was a child! What would a child know? Why would God speak through a child? Why would God give a child such a great task to be a prophet over kingdoms and nations, when there were older, wiser, more notable and esteemed prophets?

Was God serious about entrusting this to a child? A prophet's role can be difficult enough, "to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant." Dangerously enough, people don't like the "to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy" part. Why would God put such responsibility upon a child?

We must remember, that with God, nothing is impossible.  He told Jeremiah:

"[18] For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls..."

God changed Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, the priest. The same Hilkiah, who found the lost book of the law of the Lord, given by Moses, and brought it to the attention of King Josiah. Could this be God blessing Hilkiah for this deed?

Hilkiah's son was no longer, just a child, but a prophet of God. God fortified Jeremiah and strengthened his heart (spirit). He set impenetrable walls around him and provided him with defenses.

Who would believe Jeremiah, a child, to be a prophet? Yes! God will SANCTIFY and ORDAIN His children in the womb!

Do you think Satan doesn't know this? Do you think he doesn't try to destroy the seed before it grows within the womb? Do you think he won't do everything he can to destroy a child?

We must take heed to guard and protect our children. Jesus said in Matthew 18:10King James Version (KJV)

10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

Children are precious to God and he watches over them. Have you ever watched a child going through a difficult, life-changing experience or battling a serious illness or disease? Their body may be weak, wracked with pain and on the verge of shutting down, but God will strengthen and fortify them, making them into steadfast warriors. He'll put defenses--the angels around them to keep and watch over them.

God sends Jeremiah out against powerful men, but He doesn't send him unprotected. Jeremiah, a child whom God prepared to be a prophet, "against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land." What would the people think? They had forgotten about God and now a child is trying to reprimand them? God knows just what to do:

When man arrogantly believes he has God all figured out;

When man believes he knows what God will do;

When man decides he will TELL God what to do;

When man believes he can neutralize or overthrow God's power;

When man believes he can manufacture his own god; and just forget about the One and only Jehovah God.

then...

God throws a monkey wrench into the machine, sabotaging and causing man's plans to fail; for out of the mouths of prideful men, come vain words they live to regret.

Jeremiah lived in a time when the priests and prophets of Israel and Judah were corrupt. Like the people, they had turned their back on God and forgotten Him. 

God needed a different kind of heart to deliver his Word; one that trusted Him, unconditionally; one that had not been corrupted by the Darkness in the world.

God told Jeremiah not to be afraid of the men that he would have to face, or He would confound him in front of the men. In other words, God threatened the child with confusing his mind and embarrassing him in front of a crowd of strangers, if he didn't do as He was told and speak.

It sounds like God is acting like a lot of other parents, who know that  sometimes, children need to be prodded.  God was teaching Jeremiah what the people of Israel no longer had...Fear of the Lord and Trust in the Lord.

There is a difference in instilling fear of man and the world into children and fear of the Lord. Fear of man is not profitable for rooting out, pulling down, destroying, throwing down, building up and planting. Fear of man will uproot you from your faith in God, pull you down, throw you down, tear you down, destroy your life and plant you in your grave. Your fear is in vain; for man cannot deliver you or save your soul.

God told Jeremiah NOT to be afraid of the men and IF he was, he wouldn't have to worry about what the MEN might do, he would have to face what GOD was going to do, because of his disobedience. 

Fear of God is what the people lacked then and now. 

God was teaching Jeremiah to put his trust in Him, alone; and to know and believe that God's promises are true.

He said, "I will be with you...I will deliver you." God does not lie like man. We have no reason to doubt His word.

We live in a world where children are sent out into a corrupt world, feeling they are alone; having no fear of God; having no trust in God; some, having no knowledge of God and the protective angels around them. 

If we would teach children to fear God, would the world be filled with so many lost people?  Would they know how to find their way, because, we've taught them that the way to be successful in life is not wrapped up in self-esteem, but in keeping their eyes on Jesus? 

Dispel the lies the world is feeding your child, at an early age to puff them up and make them believe that they don't NEED God. The lies that we have learned to live by that keep us from surrendering all and becoming One with God, through the Transformation of Rebirth. 

God is teaching us a lesson in parenting here and we would be remiss not to take time to observe and take notes, from the Father of us all. 

Debauchery is spilling over into the streets and finding its way into our homes, destroying our children. They don't obey us because they don't fear God or the punishment from us as their parents. 

We need to fight a different type of warfare, with a different kind of heart, beginning at an early age to fortify our children against the Darkness. 

If we teach them that God is always with them and will deliver them, will they be afraid to tell the drug dealer, "NO! I don't NEED that, because GOD is with me and HE will deliver me from WHATEVER may come my way! Peer-pressure won't even be anywhere near pressure to a fortified child of God! Even when curiosity wins out, fear of God can restore us and put us back on the right path. 

We cannot be afraid to tell our children what the Lord commands of us, because, we fear their rejection. 

THUS, saith the Lord to His unruly children, Fear the Lord that thy days may be long and fruitful!

THUS, saith the Lord to the parents, I have given you children, for the world has not created man, nor commanded the seed that was in you to grow. Yet, you fear the world more than me, therefore your children are devoured by the world, blinded and unable to find their way.

THUS, saith the Lord to the churches, "Suffer the little children to come unto me. Gather them from the houses, streets and byways, as the enemy does; even the motherless and the fatherless. 

Train them up in the Way of the Lord! Teach them to Fear the Lord and walk in the Light of Truth! I hold you accountable to be an example for them. Do not lead them astray, less My wrath come upon you. Teach them to Trust and Obey the Lord, that this generation will be jealous after them and cry out, "Lord, Save Us!"

My Brothers and Sisters, We can no longer be a generation of hypocrites, telling our children to do as I say and not as I do and did. The eyes and ears of our children are wide open. The Lord has cast our sins before them and they can see what we are doing. They know what we have done. It is time for us to have a different heart, obedient to God; trusting Him to guide us so that we can lead them to the narrow path of abundant and eternal life!

Bear with me Saints as I REBUKE the enemy; for I have heard the voices of the enemy cry out "NEVER!" and he is close upon the heels of the Saints, putting doubts in their mind. 

Even so, I have seen the tide change at different hours of the day and man nor the enemy controls it. I have seen the wind blow across the land and nothing and no one can hold it back; for when God is ready to MOVE, WHO can stand in His way, when the time comes upon us?! 

Listen children...closely and quietly, God is teaching us a lesson...to heal us and help us stand strong against the Darkness. He's showing us how to save our children and it begins with our heart.

God wanted Jeremiah to know, that even if they fight against you, they cannot prevail! Who can fight with God and win?! Be not dismayed, whatever betide. God will take care of you! 

Yes, He sees the wayward daughter, son, husband, wife, mother, father, relative or friends; and HE knows that they cannot prevail against Him. He sees them, but He is looking at YOUR heart. CAN He use YOU to fight against the Darkness, or are you part of the problem, because you don't fear and trust God? Do YOU know that they cannot prevail against you, if God sends you to give them His Word, or has fear overtaken you and confounded your mind? Do you trust God to deliver them AND you? Have you been made perfect in love? PERFECT LOVE CASTS OUT FEAR!!!

CAN YOU DO THIS ALSO IN LOVE?

It is easy to love someone that's like you, but it takes work to love those who are different, rebellious, filled with hate, anger and darkness; needy, cumbersome, arrogant and prideful. Yet, in doing so, God teaches us perfect love.

No doubt, when he approached these men who had rejected and forgotten about God and were covered in the stench of sin and death, Jeremiah had to bear down within himself to suppress fear, anger, pride, weariness, repulsiveness, and indifference. He came against negativity and ridicule in order to bring CHANGE (GOD) into the lives of others. God was the change that they needed. 

My Brothers and Sisters, God is still the change the world and individuals need today. It is time to BEAR DOWN and carry our cross, knowing that there will be naysayers and doomsayers; those who believe they fight with you and the flesh, BUT, REMEMBER YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Now, we have a ROCK and an anchor to grip Him! He is in the Father and the Father is in Him. May we forever sing His praise! 

We must keep these words and treasure them within our heart--the heart of a child; for THUS saith the Lord...

"I am with you! I will deliver you!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SELF REFLECTION: A Look in the Mirror

Once again, when we look at Jesus' parables, He is challenging us to examine where our heart lies. Closely examining your heart, answer the following questions.

DISCUSS your answers with a mature Believer who can guide you in your spiritual relationship with Jesus and our Father, and/or have group discussions to learn from those who have different experiences and perspectives.

QUESTIONS: Write down your questions and discuss them with a mature Believer or submit them to:

https://fssw-followers.weebly com
https://fsasw.blogspot.com

1. Take time to observe the hearts of children. 
2. Compare your heart to that of a trusting child. Do you trust God to be the head of your life? Why, or, why not?
3. What areas of your life are you holding on to?
4. How does your failure to trust God affect your ability to help others trust God?
5. Were you taught to fear God as a child? Did it help you or hinder you? Why, or, why not?
6. Does your failure to trust God in certain areas of your life show that you fear God?
7. If you have been reborn, are there times when you fail to trust God? Why? Do you still have the heart of a child?
8. As disciples and Ambassadors of Christ, we must be obedient to deliver The Good News and bring others into discipleship. Do you struggle with this? Why, or, why not?
9. Are you content to just be a member of a church and remain in your comfort zone? Why, or, why not?
10. Do you love God and Jesus? If so, do you show them by obeying?
11. Do you believe God is with you and will deliver you? Why, or why not?
12. Do you love others who aren't like you? Do you love them enough to talk to them about Jesus and God? 
13. Do you fear rejection by or embarrassment in front of your peers, friends, coworkers, family, strangers, or other Believers? 
14. Did you know that following Jesus entailed bearing a cross?
15. What does bearing a cross mean to you?
16. Do you still want to follow Jesus, knowing ALL that is required and lies ahead for His followers? What are the alternatives? 
17. Have you been made perfect in love?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~