Largeness Of Heart!

By Pastor Bill Taylor

A publication of My Father's House, inc. Volume 10/ Issue 6

God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding and largeness of heart. (1Kng4:29)

 Every scribe instructed concerning the Kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasures things new and old (Mt13:52) In Christ’s day a good scribe was already an expert on things of the Old Testament but if he was open to receive the new things of God he’d be receiving a double treasure. And that scribe who’s open to receive God’s new things is demonstrating he has largeness of heart!

One of the severe consequences of sin and satan’s influences on the minds of men is they became polluted and corrupted and their hearts were hardened. Sin causes men to have smallness of heart. You can see this in the Jews for when Jesus came to show them the new things of God’s Kingdom their hearts were too small to receive them. The majority of the Jews were in such bondage to the old knowledge they were completely blind to the new. The old treasures were their only treasures, and they saw the new as a threat instead of seeing them as an additional treasure. But there’s another error prevalent today where many contemporary charismatic “churches” have attached themselves to the new treasures in such a way they’ve come to despise the Old Testament, consider it useless and want little to do with it. Such “new christians” are locked into smallness of heart concerning what they perceive as the good of the new but they’ve missed out on the blessings of the old. Out of the heart spring the issues of life. (Pr4:23) Largeness of heart applies to everything concerning one’s life and has to do with being appreciative of things you might not have considered before but which when correctly received may have great value and worth. A person who’s small in heart won’t be able to love deeply or receive new blessings that differ substantially from what he’s already used to.

For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it’s received with thanksgiving. (1Tim4:4) Then God saw everything that He’d made, and indeed it was very good. (Gen1:31a) Everything God created, when He was finished, He said was good. You can’t take what God calls good and call it evil without disagreeing with God. And you can’t walk together with God unless you’re agreed. (Am3:3) One thing love seeks is fellowship. To love is to desire communion with the one who’s loved. To have true communion with God, you must be open to the largeness of God so He can take you into things you haven’t seen. Call to Me, and I’ll answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know. (Jer33:3) But a person who has smallness of heart doesn’t want to see new things. He’s not comfortable with new things. Try to show some great revelation from the scriptures to your average Baptist and his heart is so small he’ll see it as a threat. I’ve written for him the great things of My law, but they were considered a strange thing. (Hos8:12) He wants to hold on to his littleness and he’ll fight to preserve his smallness of heart. He thinks he has dominion over his (small) area of knowledge. He can be in control there. But what he doesn’t already know, he can’t control and he fears the new ideas will confuse and overwhelm him. It isn’t just Baptists who do this, but everyone who’s in the flesh. You offer someone with smallness of heart something new, they think you’re attacking them or trying to force something distasteful on them. To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. (Tit1:15)

Your perception of another person’s motivations is related to your ability to see the possible motivations in yourself. If you’ve a small heart you won’t see many possibilities. You’ll only see the things you yourself practice. So if you’re the kind of person who’ll force your way on others, that’s how you’ll perceive it when others offer you something new; that they’re selfishly doing what you’d do; forcing their ways upon you. In reality they may be trying to bless you. But you can’t see any truth that’s outside your own experiences if you’re small in heart.

O Corinthians! We’ve spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open. (Wide open is largeness of heart.) You’re not restricted by us, but you’re restricted by your own affections. (2Cor6:11-12) Smallness of heart is bondage. The Corinthians are in bondage to their restricted (small) affections. They think Paul’s trying to injure them when he’s trying to bless them. In reality they’re already in such bondage to their own smallness of heart, they can’t receive Paul’s blessings.

When the devil puts people into the bondage of a small heart, they think only the things they already know are good and anything new is bad. They’re suspect of the motives of anyone who’s doing something for them and they misinterpret other people’s motives because of their own smallness of heart. For example; a person with a small heart likes Lasagna. This person invites you to dinner and serves you Lasagna. He serves you Lasagna not because he wants to share something with you he hopes will be a blessing to you, but because he likes Lasagna himself. So in one way he’s sharing his Lasagna with you, but in another he’s selfishly imposing his Lasagna on you. A guest with a large heart would accept and eat the Lasagna being thankful for it! He wouldn’t even suspect his host of selfishness because there’s no selfishness in the large hearted guest! “Love thinks no evil.” (1Cor13:5) But this is what the person with the small heart does. In return, you invite him to dinner and you serve him a new dish, Beef Stroganoff, which he’s never had before. Now you didn’t choose Beef Stroganoff because you’ve a lust for it, but because you thought it would make for a very special main course and be a blessing to your guest. But your small-hearted guest may think you’re forcing something strange and unpalatable on him just because you like it. He may even harbor a resentment against you for doing exactly what he himself often does and therefore believes you’re doing also. The strange thing is the small-hearted person sees what you’re doing as sin even though he does it himself. But he doesn’t see himself as being a sinner when he does it. Therefore you’re inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things and doing the same, that you’ll escape the judgment of God? (Rom2:1-3) In truth, you’re not forcing the Stroganoff on him, but desiring to share something with him you truly hope will be a blessing. But because the small hearted is selfish himself, he perceives you as being selfish. To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. (Tit1:15) Instead of receiving it as a blessing, the small-hearted person imputes sin to you and may even hold a grudge against you for what he thinks you’ve done to him. Being selfish themselves the only motive such people understand is selfishness. So if you feed them something new, which they don’t like it must be because you selfishly want to eat it, and in their thoughts you’re completely inconsiderate of anyone else’s (their) tastes! Being themselves unacquainted with the motivations of love they can’t see the larger possibilities that you may in fact be doing what you’re doing for them out of love.

Brethren don’t be children in understanding, however in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature. (1Cor14:20) To be mature would imply largeness of heart. But the small-hearted are, Silly children; they have no understanding. They’re wise to do evil, but to do good they’ve no knowledge. (Jer4:22) “I’d like to introduce you to a food you haven’t eaten before because it’s been a blessing to me and I hope it will bless you too!” Such a thought couldn’t occur to a person who isn’t wise to do good. All he’s ever thought is how to be selfish. So when you try to do such people good, they misunderstand it. You can’t pet a cactus! The selfish turn your good to evil. They wickedly perceive what you’re doing as being selfish, even when from your heart you really have a good intention. You can’t do good for wicked people because they turn your good into evil by way of their own defilement.

The age we live in is evil But know this, in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers  of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. (2Tim3:1-4) Jesus warns us I’ve come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household. (Mt10:35-36) He’s quoting this from  Don’t trust in a friend; don’t put your confidence in a companion; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your bosom. For son dishonors father, daughter rises against her mother, daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own household. (Mic7:5-6) Micah isn’t just Old Testament. It’s a prophecy spoken in the Old, but describing the perilous times we’re living in right now. Even your wife will be your enemy if selfishness reigns in her. When you try to do good, the selfishness, not in you, but in the person you’re trying to help may often cause your good deed to seemingly backfire on you. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. (Mt24:10) To people who are polluted everything becomes evil. If the inside is dirty everything becomes dirty. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. (Mt23:26) Such people will wrongfully impute sin to you. “You’ve tried to force your strange food on me because you’re selfish!” Such a person will disrespect you in their heart because of their misperceptions of your motives.

The Bible commands wives to respect their husbands. (Eph5:23) But if a wife lets a grudge like this into her heart, she loses respect for her husband. And she can’t keep the command to respect her husband when her heart isn’t in it. There’s no way you can respect someone when you’re allowing such misjudgments against them into your heart. Such misjudgments pollute your soul. When you have misjudgments towards someone, you have an evil heart. You’ve become a judge with evil thoughts. (Jms2:4) When you judge your brother wrongly you use the law in an evil way. Don’t speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you’re not a doer of the law but a judge. (Jms4:11) The law is meant to correct you by exposing your sin so you can repent and do righteousness. If instead of correcting your own behavior you use the law only to judge others, then it never has the proper effect on you. Doers of the law will be saved, not “judges” of the law. (Rom2:13) When you use the law against others and not to correct yourself, then instead of becoming a doer you make yourself an “illegal” judge. Don’t grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! (Jms5:9) Does God need you to tell Him who to save or destroy? There’s one Lawgiver, who’s able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another? (Jms4:12) God can judge justly without your help. These things all connect to “judge not lest ye be judged.” (Mt7:1) For with what judgment you judge; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. (v2) When you impute a wrong motive to someone who’s innocent, you’ve become an unlawful judge with evil thoughts. For that reason, unless you repent or somebody successfully intercedes for you, you’ll be judged by God for your evil judging.

When the heart isn’t clean, the outside can’t be clean. Judgments concerning who to save or destroy belong to God. We can intercede. We can judge people as to who we’re allowed to fellowship with. But now I’ve written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who’s sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner – not even to eat with such a person. (1Cor5:11) We can judge matters that have to do with our making godly decisions in life. Do you not know the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? (1Cor6:2) We can “judge” in the sense of convicting someone of sin so they’ll repent. Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. (Jms5:19-20) It would be impossible to teach without judging our students as to whether or not they’re obeying the teachings properly. People in authority must make judgments concerning those over whom they rule. Bosses must “judge” the work, skills and dependability of employees. For even if I should boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave us for edification and not for your destruction, I shall not be ashamed (2Cor10:8)

There are many kinds of judgments God requires the saints to do. But in every case we must judge justly and accurately and for the purposes of protecting or saving people and not for selfish purposes. When judgments are made according to our own selfish biases or to forward carnal interests, they come from an evil heart and are often very inaccurate. You can dress your carnal life up with religious activities as the Pharisees do, but the inside won’t be clean. So much of what’s called religion these days is concerned only with the outside appearance instead of inside righteousness. But it’s the inside that true religion is concerned with. When Jesus says to cleanse the inside and the outside will be clean, He’s telling us if the invisible motives are wrong, the visible actions can’t be right. Unless the motive of your heart is clean, nothing you do can be clean. And this also applies to healing. Often a sickness is a visible outward manifestation of an invisible inner uncleanness. If you want God to heal your sickness, first cleanse the inside. Repent of your sins and be forgiven. When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk?’ But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” – He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. (Lk5:20-25) First his sins are forgiven, then he’s healed. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he’s committed sins, he’ll be forgiven. (Jms5:14-15) The healing is connected to forgiveness. If you want to be healed, you must have a clean heart.

So what kinds of things cause the heart not to be pure? One of the most common is to misjudge other people because you have a wrong perception of their motives. If your heart isn’t pure, then putting on a lot of religious works won’t help you. I’ve nourished and brought up children, and they’ve rebelled against Me. (Is1:2) Why are the people rebelling against God? They must be misperceiving God’s motives. Paul has to deal with that in the Corinthians. Open your hearts to us. We’ve wronged no one, we’ve corrupted no one. (2Cor7:2) These people seem to think Paul is trying to take advantage of them. Now for the third time I’m ready to come to you. And I won’t be burdensome to you; for I don’t seek yours, but you. (2Cor12:14) I’ll very gladly spend and be spent for your souls though the more abundantly I love you the less I’m loved. (v15) Isn’t it strange that the more good he does for them, the less they respect him? They’re thinking “he must be trying to get something out of us!” They can’t see it’s out of love he’s doing these things for them! Never-the-less being crafty I caught you with guile. (v16) This is Paul reading their minds! They think he’s trying to trick them by pretending to be good so he can capture them for some selfish purpose. It’s also not uncommon today for people to think you’re just being nice to them so you can get them to do you a favor when all you’re really doing is being nice. There’s so much duplicity of motives in this deceitful world we live in that most people can’t trust anyone without being suspicious of everything you do. (Mic7:5-6) Yet the idea that the motive of your goodness is selfish is an “evil thinking” misjudgment if it’s not true. The possibility that it’s not true is very real. It may not be common but it’s possible somebody can just love you and not be trying to get something from you. But by suspecting the motive as selfish it causes what was a good act to be received as a sinful and selfish act and maligns the person who’s actually doing good. Then David said, “I’ll show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent by the hand of his servants to comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the people of Ammon. And the princes of the people of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think that David really honors your father because he’s sent comforters to you? Has David not rather sent his servants to you to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?” Therefore Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half of their beards, cut off their garments in the middle, at their buttocks, and sent them away. (2Sam10:2-4) Here Hanun’s misjudging of David’s good motives leads to war and the enslavement of his people. Whereas, if he’d have received David’s kindness correctly, David would have become a good friend to him and his nation.

Did I take advantage of you? I urged Titus and sent him, did Titus take advantage of you? (2Cor12:17-18)  Paul is trying to show the Corinthians they’re misjudging him. He’s trying to do them good but they’re treating him like he’s an enemy whenever he tries to do something for them. Isaiah speaks of a people who’ve rebelled against God. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the LORD has spoken: “I’ve nourished and brought up children, and they’ve rebelled against Me; Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters! They’ve forsaken the LORD, they’ve provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel, they’ve turned away backward. (Is1:2,4) They evidently don’t believe God really wants to help them. They think God is trying to keep them from enjoying themselves or something like that. Their sinful hearts are too small to see or understand the greater motives of love coming from God’s largeness of heart! God’s love is trying to save you from being destroyed. Our oldest son recently went through an expensive automobile accident. If he’d have listened to God and even the good parental advice he was given it could have saved him from a very hurtful chastening. But he evidently didn’t believe our motives were righteous. “They just don’t want me to have fun,” is so often what the sinner feels! Ask our son if he’s having fun now, dealing with insurance companies, police reports, all the things that accompany an accident – not to mention the financial loss. Is that fun? It would have been more fun not to go through all that, wouldn’t it? If you understood rightly you’d see God is trying to save you from much trouble.

When you come to appear before Me who’s required this from your hand to trample My courts. Bring no more useless sacrifices. Your incense is an abomination, the new moons, the Sabbaths, the assemblies. I can’t endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. (Is1:12-13) You can’t make up for an evil heart in disobeying God, by offering the Lord a few religious works or participating in churchy activities. What does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? (Mic6:8) God won’t bless until you do good from a good heart. So He says, “Make yourselves clean. Cease to do evil. Learn to do good.” (Is1:16-17) Most people are wise to do evil. (Jer4:22) They can understand every selfish motive because they’re intimate with selfishness. They live by selfishness. But they don’t understand good because good isn’t something they value. They don’t have a large heart. To do good one’s heart has to be large enough to become involved in interests outside oneself. Most peoples hearts are only large enough to watch over their own interests. They don’t have room in their heart to do good for others. And if there’s no such good in them, they can’t see it in someone else. All they can see in others is the things they know of themselves. That’s why most Baptists won’t receive the truths we give them. Their hearts are so small and selfish they can’t believe we have a pure motive. They can’t see the pure motive in us because there’s rarely a pure motive in them. Their motives are selfish, so ours must be. The selfish will gather with other selfish people so they can work together to advance each other’s selfish purposes. This is like the Sadducees and Pharisees. They have very different doctrines but both parties want to kill Christ. They can join together to forward a mutual interest in spite of the fact that generally they’re very disagreeable with one another. Selfishness can work together with selfishness where the self-interests of both parties are being advanced. But what can’t work with selfishness is love. Love and selfishness can’t get along under any circumstances.

The scriptures say “learn to do good, seek justice, reprove the oppressor, defend the fatherless, plead for the widow, come and let us reason together,” says the Lord. (Is1:17-18) The Lord is reasoning with you right now. He’s opening your eyes to learn about largeness of heart so you can be more like Jesus. If you’ll allow God to show you the way Jesus thinks, it will expand the possibilities of the ways you can think. In order for God to show you however, you’ll have to allow a man of God to show you because God doesn’t usually speak to people directly. Most people’s hearts are too small to listen to His Spirit. Therefore He sends Godly men who have large hearts to speak to you audibly. God speaks to men with large hearts because they can hear His Spirit. Then in return we speak to you. If you have humility you’ll listen. A humble person understands this: there’s a possibility that I might be wrong so I must find the truth by testing to confirm what I’m thinking.

He who answers a matter before he hears it, it’s folly and shame to him. (Pr18:13) When you judge me as trying to do evil to you when what I’m trying to do is good, you do that because you’ve never asked the most important witness in the trial. You never asked me what was really going on and I’m the witness you should be talking to. No man knows the things of a man except the spirit of a man. (1Cor2:11) You can’t know for sure what’s in my heart unless I tell you. You can make a judgment of what you think is in my heart. But if you’re doing that without talking to me, the primary witness, then that’s like trying a man in court in absencia without letting him testify for himself. That’s similar to what they did to Jesus. He knew there was no sense in trying to testify because they wouldn’t listen to Him. “If You are the Christ, tell us” they said. But He said, “If I tell you, you’ll by no means believe. And if I also ask you, you’ll by no means answer Me or let Me go.” (Lk22:67-68) Why? Because they’ve already judged Him. When like these wicked Jews, people prematurely pass judgment, then they don’t want to hear the truth. They just want to proceed with their accusations and punishments. That’s very much what Matthew 7:1 is about. You may think you know what’s going on so you’ve passed judgement! But often you haven’t even asked the person you’re judging their side of it, and when they try to speak you won’t listen. If such is the case you’re not a righteous judge but a wicked judge. A righteous judge doesn’t render judgment until he’s heard all the evidence.

One of the most important evidences is the testimony of the person being accused. If you’re judging a person guilty without listening to what they have to say, then you’re a kangaroo judge in a kangaroo court! You don’t have the love of truth in you. You’re jumping to wrong conclusions. Often these people jump to conclusions in such a way they’ll demonically repeat over and over what they perceive is your sin and never even let you get a word in to answer. These wicked judges aren’t seeking truth or justice. But because they hate the one they’re judging, they’ll try to come up with any accusation they can to destroy him. If you’re the one they’re after they don’t want to hear what you have to say. They’ve already judged you guilty. They’ve rendered this judgment in the little courtroom of their own evil mind with their own little jury of demons. They’ve no interest in examining any new evidences to confirm their verdict because the trial is already over as far as they’re concerned. They’ve reached their decision. These are the people who God warns over and over in the scriptures that if they don’t repent they’ll go to hell. Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you’ll kill and crucify, and some of them you’ll scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. (Mt23:33-36) You can’t reason with such people because their minds are petrified by their wicked pride. They’ve come to an evil conclusion in an attempt to support the very narrow and selfish biases of their very small and hardened hearts. Such people haven’t gone to God’s law school, but to the devil’s. They don’t know how to be a fair judge because they always render judgements only in such a way as to support their own selfish interests and they’ll promote their selfish interests even at the expense of truth and justice. The smallness of their selfish hearts blinds them to the larger possibilities of truth! If you want to know the truth you must be willing to sacrifice your personal interests for the greater good of others. Only a large heart can do that! Then if you really want to find the truth you must examine reliable witnesses to confirm what you may think you’re seeing or expose whatever you may be seeing wrongly.

The person who wants to find the truth must be open to the possibilities they can be misinterpreting what they’re seeing. They must be willing to consider that what they think is going on may not really be what’s going on. Selfishness and pride rush to judgment and jump to wrong conclusions but the humble will patiently check up on what they think, and look for confirmations or other possibilities before rendering judgments. The humble don’t judge by “appearance.” (Jn7:24) Until they have solid confirmations of what’s really true the righteous won’t reach a decision. That’s what a good judge does and that’s what makes him a good judge. That’s how you get the log out of your eye so you can see to help your neighbor. (Mt7:5) You can’t help your neighbor if you’re misjudging him. You have to see the truth about what’s really happening. To do that you must be large in heart and patient. You must do for others what you’d have people do for you if you were in a similar situation. So often wicked “judges” involve themselves in things that aren’t even their business, but sometimes it’s necessary you render judgment in a situation; for example, people in authority are often required to judge those they rule over or supervise. Authority wouldn’t be authority if it wasn’t permitted to and even required to judge. But if you’re required to judge be careful to give the “accused” the same consideration you’d expect if you were in their shoes.

Repression is not forgiveness! Sometimes a believer thinks they’re behaving in a Christian way when they overlook what they percieve as an offense against themselves, in the sense that they don’t mention it or talk about it to the one who’s offended them. It’s like someone has done something to hurt me, but I’m a Christian so I’ll ignore it. Only in one’s heart the offense sits there and festers. The injury hasn’t been “avenged” but it hasn’t been forgiven either! As time passes other injuries may be added to it, and then one day the whole thing just blows up. Jesus says there’s nothing hidden that won’t be known. (Lk12:2) Every secret thing will come out. If Jesus says it’s going to be revealed, it’s going to be revealed! If you have secret grievances in your heart, you can’t keep them hidden. They’ll come out. But even before they’re exposed, they’ll damage your relationships with God and others. They won’t let you behave like someone who loves. When resentments build up they make life painful. They strain your relationships. They’ll cause you to think people are doing you evil when they’re actually trying to do you good. Because of past grievances even when someone tries to help you, you may receive everything they do as another attack. If you consider them an enemy due to past hurts, you’ll not believe they can have a beneficial interest toward you in anything they do. So in your mind, even their good must be evil. 

  Do you really want to have fellowship with God and to enjoy His company? Then you must let Him take you places you haven’t been. He wants to expand your heart. He won’t limit Himself to fellowshipping in the little box you live in just to make you happy. Your little world is too small for God. The universe isn’t big enough to hold Him. That little space you’ve created as your comfort zone isn’t big enough for Him. God wants to have fellowship with you because He loves you. But to do that He must open up the door to your little heart and get you out into His big hearted universe. In your little box He can’t show you anything you don’t already know. He can’t give you any experiences you haven’t already had. If you stay in that little box you’ll never change. That isn’t the way God works with men. He wants to change us to make us like Himself. By making you like Himself, He can have true fellowship with you and that’s love. Now if you want to make Him like yourself, you’re trying to fit Him into your smallness. That’s not love. That’s bondage. To put somebody into prison isn’t love. But to free someone from their bondages is love. What does the Bible say? He also brought me out into a broad place; he delivered me because He delighted in me. (Ps18:19) That broad place is where He can love you best. That’s where He has the greatest freedom to show you His pleasures and treasures; new things you’ve never before seen or experienced. Every creature of God is good. “Is broccoli good?” When God created broccoli, He said it was good. When God created the ingredients of sushi, they were all for man’s good. When I was young, most Americans thought eating sushi (raw fish and rice) was uncivilized. Today there are several sushi shops in almost every city in America. A lot of people now know sushi is good. Whatever foods that are enjoyed by people in various nations and cultures God created them for man’s good. Nothing is to be refused (1Tim4:4-5) Anything that thousands of people in some country can eat and enjoy, God created it for their good! It’s good if it’s used ordinately. You can’t call it evil just because it’s not something you’re used to. If you’re calling it evil, you’ll cut yourself off from the possibility of ever enjoying the good in it, and when your heart and life could’ve been expanded by a new experience you’ll remain small.

That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Eph2:7) This Scripture shows our eternity with God won’t be boring and repetitive. God will continually expand our consciousness. He’ll show us things we haven’t seen before. How can someone who’s wrapped up in their little hearted box of past experiences get any joy out of God taking them into new things if they don’t like new things? Remember when He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the Kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.” (Mt13:52) Treasures old and new! I was raised as a Midwesterner to eat beef and potatoes. But I can eat sushi too. There’s  no foreign food I’m aware of that you can set in front of me that I won’t eat. I’ll eat it because the Bible says to. If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake. (1Cor10:27) If it’s something that’s been accepted somewhere in some nation or culture as a respectable food it must be good! If it’s good for other people, it’s good for me. (This doesn’t mean we eat garbage, spoiled or polluted foods that can make you physically sick, or things the Bible forbids like “blood.” – Acts15:29)

Largeness of heart is a spirit that doesn’t just manifest in your attitude towards foods but in everything connected to a believer’s life. The foremost application concerns “doctrinal” food. Godly doctrines are food for your soul. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him. (Jn6:27) I’m the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he’ll live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world. (Jn6:51) It’s the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they’re life. (Jn6:63) As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, (1Pet2:2) True doctrines concerning the Kingdom of God are treasures that help us know God better if we’re able to “eat of them.” Those who can’t receive the new and timely revelations God gives, will perish. They’ll never be able to overcome the present lies and gates of hell. (See our previous Glory of His Grace publication “Present Truth.”)  A person with a large heart will be willing to try new things, hear new things, see things in a new way in every area of his life. Such largeness of spirit is associated with generosity and liberality. But similarly if someone is greedy and inconsiderate of others such as he’ll take the best piece of ham or chicken on the table and leave the smaller pieces for everyone else, that greedy spirit won’t show up just in food. Such a person will take the best seat on the bus if he can. He’ll take the high seat instead of the low. (Lk14:8-9)The spirit of greed will pervade all he does. He’ll also try to take what he considers the best things even in spiritual or religious realms. Selfishness in religion has corrupted the gospel to such an extent most “christians” will only listen to the verses that talk about their being forgiven or going to heaven, while they reject or ignore the verses that require them to live holy (1Pet1:15-16) or to stop sinning. Whoever abides in Him doesn’t sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. (1Jn3:6) Or to crucify the flesh, And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Gal 5:24) Selfish “christians” want a “salvation gospel” where God serves them and they don’t have to serve God. And He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. (2Cor5:15) Selfish “christianity” only wants to hear the “sweet things” of God’s word – things that please the flesh, but not how to please God! A selfish “christian” will be looking for what blesses him and not what blesses God or others! The spirit behind what he’s doing is anti-christ. (1Jn2:18) Such “christians” aren’t saved!

I’ve a son who’s struggling to overcome this very problem. Selfishness has reigned in him and must be crucified. He’s at the place where he can control himself when he’s conciously thinking about it. When Dad’s around, he knows not to behave selfishly because I won’t put up with it. But in his unconscious moments his selfishness often rises up. The reason his selfishness still manifests is because it hasn’t been removed, but only restrained. In the born again man the selfishness is removed. He’s a new creation. (2Cor5:17) In the “legal” man the selfishness is restrained by law. He’s still in the old man, and the selfishness is there but it isn’t allowed to manifest. Therefore concerning our son we’ll have to keep instructing him until he, himself crucifies his selfish flesh and becomes established in the new man, walking in love. “And as for you, O My flock,” thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats.  Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture – and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet? And as for My flock, they eat what you’ve trampled with your feet, and they drink what you’ve fouled with your feet.” Therefore thus says the Lord GOD to them: “Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. Because you’ve pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, therefore I’ll save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I’ll judge between sheep and sheep.” (Ezek34:17-22) Do you like to eat things that have been trampled on? The person who takes the best and leaves the “trampled” for the rest of us God will judge! What’s the cure? The cure to every sin is love your brother as yourself. The cure to taking the best piece of pie, the best seat, or the best towel etc., is to love people in such a way you’re considerate of what you’re taking from them and what you’re leaving for them. When you’re under law, at times you can restrain yourself and appear to be caring about others but during your unconscious moments selfishness will still prevail. If this is happening it’s a proof that you haven’t attained to Spirituality but you’ve only been under law. What happens when you get Spiritual is you won’t even think about taking the best part. You’ll always be found in the lower seat. (Lk14:7-11) You’ll always be seeking what you can do to bless others because your heart is filled with the love of God. (Rom5:5;14:17; 1Cor10:31) Love is instinctive, natural and continual to the Spiritual man. It’s easy to see how much you love your family by how you serve yourself and them at the dinner table. If you have love it shows up in everything you do. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I’ve become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so I could remove mountains, but have not love, I’m nothing. (1Cor13:1-2) You must have this Godly love to care for others or nothing you do will profit you.

You can’t permit selfishness in your heart and think God will bless you, talk to you, and heal you. God won’t heal the outside and leave the inside dirty. He may prove Himself to a new believer by doing him good while he’s still overcoming his sin, (Rom5:8) but He can’t bless a persistant sinner lest He seem to condone sin. Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” (2Tim2:19) You must see that your inside needs cleaning. Then when the inside has been cleansed God can also heal and clean the outside. (Mt23:26) If God were to continue to clean your outside while your inside remained dirty it would be as though He’s justifying you in your wickedness and making you think sin is okay. Often, He has to ignore the things that need to be fixed on the outside until you get the inside clean. Brenda you’ve had serious problems with disobedience in your son Jason. But God can’t “fix” Jason until He cleans up your inside. Proverbs says, “train up a child in the way he should go.” (Pr22:6) But you haven’t been training him. You’ve only been “talking at him.” Then you make excuses saying, “I told him to do this or that, but he disobeyed.” You act like Jason is just a tire around your neck you wish you could get rid of, instead of a boy you need to love and nurture and help lead in the right way for him to become a Christian. You’re so busy with other things that Jason is a nuisance to you. But you don’t want to admit the problem is with you and not just with him. The Pharisees bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves won’t move them with one of their fingers. (Mt23:4) Telling Jason what to do without taking the time to walk him through it or to show him how to do things by helping him to do them the first few times is like putting burdens on him he can’t bear while you refuse to lift them with even a finger. Then you claim he’s guilty and you’re innocent because you’ve “told him.” As Christians it’s not enough to “tell people” what to do, we must go the extra mile and help them do it. When you get your heart right towards Jason, God will heal both of you! You also need to set some of your outside business aside and understand that if you’re not providing for your own, you’re worse than an infidel. (1Tim5:8) If you don’t get your parental ministry towards Jason in order, God won’t heal your ailments. Your heart must be right first.

How large is your heart? Are you really wise to do good? (Jer4:22;1Cor14:20) When love believes all things, (1Cor13:7) this includes love believing all things work for good to those who love the Lord. (Rom8:28) Love believes every creature of God is good. (1Tim4:4) That’s another of the “all things” love believes. Love believes, for example, the Lord has given you a good spouse, good children, a good pastor. If you have God’s love in you, you’ll always believe God is giving you the best blessings He can to accomplish His purpose in your life at any particular time. You must love Him and be called according to His purpose for this to be true though. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Rom8:28) A small heart filled with selfishness and disobedience severely limits what God can do for you. But if you really have His love in you, you’ll always believe He’s giving you the best He can give, under the circumstances, to fulfill His good pleasure in you. (Eph1:5) God has given me a good wife. He’s given me the best wife available for Him to give me. He who receives a wife receives a good thing. (Pr18:22) A good wife is a blessing from the Lord. The godly woman who receives her husband from the Lord is getting a good thing too. But you have to believe God’s word. Believing all the things God’s word says is another fulfillment of love believes “all things.”

Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some don’t obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, (1Pet3:1) Love believes all the things God says, not just some of them. Is it possible for a woman to win a man over without a word? God says she can. Who are you to say you can’t. Are you smarter than God? What are you winning him over to? To your smallness of heart? To your prejudices? Or are you winning him over to God? This verse must be interpreted that the wife is winning her husband over to God. God won’t support you when you’re trying to bring someone into agreement with your prejudices. He’ll back you up when you’re winning someone over to righteousness. These verses will work for a woman who has a pure heart. It won’t work for a woman who’s heart is evil. If you have an evil heart you’re self-condemned. You can’t receive anything from God when your heart’s evil! (1Jn3:20-22) When a person has an evil heart and things aren’t going their way, they’ll often look for others to blame their troubles on. They won’t take the blame on themselves. That’s when they become judges with evil thoughts. (Jms2:4;Mt7:1;Rom2:1) God knows when people are judging wrongly because He sees what’s in every heart. If you’re misjudging what’s in my heart, do you think God will side with you when He sees the truth? God can only side with truth. If you want God on your side, you must be on His and His side is always with the truth.

Eliab misjudged David. Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you’ve come down to see the battle.” (1Sam17:28) But God knew David’s heart and chose David over Eliab. The evil Eliab falsely accuses David of is actually a proof of Eliab’s own smallness and wickedness of heart. He falsely imputes his own evil and prideful motives to the innocent David. So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before Him!” But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I’ve refused him. For the LORD doesn’t see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” (1Sam16:6-7,12) Him, David!

 Now what’s the cure to a small or an evil heart? Immediately following the Lord’s prayer, what did Jesus say? For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Mt6:14-15)

We know God is merciful with the merciful. With the merciful You’ll show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You’ll show Yourself blameless; with the pure You’ll show Yourself pure; And with the devious You’ll show Yourself shrewd. (Ps18:25-26) With the forgiving He’ll be forgiving. On the other hand with the hardhearted, God will be hard. He’ll show no mercy to the one who’s shown no mercy. (Jms2:13) In the parable of the talent, the wicked and unprofitable servant said, “I know you’re a hard master, so I buried the talent!” (Mt25:24-25) In a way the master replies, “You say I’m a hard master, then you’ll see how hard I am. You should have feared to disappoint me if you believed I was hard!” (v26-27) God deals with you the way you deal with Him and the way you deal with His people. (v40,45-46)

Do you have a hard time getting people to understand you? Does God have a hard time getting you to understand Him? He won’t  bless you with good communications with others if you won’t listen to Him. Do you have a hard time getting your children to pay attention to you? How well do you pay attention to God? How well do you pay attention to the authorities God has set over you? If we’ve a hard time communicating with you, don’t think God will make it easy for you to communicate with others. You’ll reap what you sow. (Gal 6:7) God treats you the way you treat others. The very thing that’s wrong in your behavior towards us is what you’ll suffer yourself! What you’ll have a hard time with is the thing you’re giving others a hard time with. If you make it difficult for me to communicate with you don’t think God will make it easy for you to communicate with those you want to hear you. Your difficultly in communicating is related to your smallness of heart. It’s because you’re in pride instead of humility and things of that nature.

Here’s a great blessing of Christian obedience! Suppose you’re small hearted due to inexperience but you love the Lord and you trust and obey His word. Because you’re young in the Lord you still need more renewing of the mind to enlarge you. (Rom12:2) Now God won’t leave you in that small minded place. He wants to bless you and help you grow up in Christ. But because you’re still somewhat limited in heart and mind, somebody does something you misperceive and you wrongly believe they’ve intended you harm. However you’re an obedient Christian, so you forgive them from the heart. You don’t just ignore or repress what you think they’ve done but you truly forgive it. Now here’s the blessing. Even though because of your limited understanding you don’t realize you’re the one who’s wrong, your forgiveness of them lets God forgive you. By your forgiveness you’re set free from your sin of misjudging without even knowing you’re the one who misjudged and therefore God can bless you instead of judge you. Because you obeyed Jesus’ command to forgive, your sin which you weren’t even aware of, will be washed away. The injury you thought was done to you will also be washed away. The sin you committed in thinking it was an injury when it wasn’t will be washed away. You can now have a good relationship with the person you misjudged, because having forgiven him you don’t have anything against him and your heart can be pure toward him. (1Jn1:7) Because of your forgiveness this person will now be able to do you good and you won’t perceive it as evil. So you’ll be able to grow and expand and your relationships can expand just because you forgave from the heart something you thought someone else was doing to you, even when it was really you who was misjudging them. Your forgiveness of others sets you free from your own sins.

 Prophecy: Forgiveness overcomes the offense. Love never even takes offense. Justice punishes the offense. Righteous judgment punishes the offender, but mercy heals the offender. Mercy triumphs over judgment, because the one who loves wants to heal, so he doesn’t punish. He has mercy to heal. Also, the smallness of the box you’re in, I’ve already said I’m too large for it. Let Me tell you this. Your box is also too small for the saints. The saints can’t climb into your little box with you. If you want to have true fellowship with the brethren, you must get out of the smallness and into the largeness of where My children are dwelling in Me, thus saith the Lord. (Prophecy delivered at "My Father's House")

 Forgiving from the heart can be seen when Jesus says, “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they do.”(Lk23:34) Stephen similarly says, “Don’t hold this sin against them.” (Act7:60) Both Jesus and Stephen didn’t want the Jews to be destroyed. Justice would kill them. Like Jesus Stephen wants them to be saved. “So please don’t kill them God, save them.” That’s what forgiving from the heart says. It says, “I love these people. Please God, don’t punish them but save them!” So even though they may deserve punishment you ask God to find a way to save them, heal them, straighten them out. Your intention toward them is redemptive and that’s when forgiveness is from the heart. You’re not after justice, you’re after healing!

To be small in heart is to be very prone to misjudging, or judging in ways that will cause judgment to come upon you. Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. (Mt7:1-2) God doesn’t forbid righteous judging. Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment. (Jn7:24) He often requires us to judge. For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you’re gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? (1Cor5:3-5,12) Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? (1Cor6:2) We can’t just say “Judge not!” because the whole of the scripture doesn’t support “Judge not!” at all times and under all circumstances. To be obedient to God we must discern what kind of judging is forbidden from the places where God requires us to judge righteously. But he who’s Spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. (1Cor2:15)

The book of Joshua reports an incident where the tribes east of the Jordan built an altar. When the western tribes find out they come to an erroneous conclusion that the eastern tribes are sinning! What treachery is this that you’ve committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the Lord? (Josh22:16) The sin seems serious enough that the western tribes are ready to go to war over it. It isn’t wrong for the western tribes to investigate and judge this matter. The Jews have learned from the incident with Achan and others they can’t permit sin in the camp. Is the iniquity of Peor not enough for us, from which we’re not cleansed till this day? (Josh22:17) Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? (Josh22:20) In other words these people who say we’re to ignore sin in our brethren because Jesus said “don’t judge” are terribly misinterpreting the scriptures. If we ignore “sin in the camp” God will deal with us as though we’re complicit in the sin. By permitting sin in our home, church, family, etc., we become accomplices and will be punished accordingly. Don’t lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure. If anyone comes to you and doesn’t bring this doctrine, don’t receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds. (1Tim5:22;2Jn10-11) What Jesus forbids is misjudging, or hypocritical judging. Therefore you’re inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you’ll escape the judgment of God? (Rom2:1-3) Jesus tells us to beware of false prophets; that we must judge them by their fruits. (Mt7:15-20) He even commends the church of Ephesus for doing this. I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you can’t bear those who are evil. And you have tested (judged) those who say they’re apostles and aren’t, and have found them liars; (Rev2:2) Judgment is permitted when the judge sees clearly! Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me remove the speck from your eye;” and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye. (Mt7:4-5)

In the book of Joshua, the western tribes see something suspect and make an accusation. But when the eastern tribes present their reasons the western tribes listen. Then the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh answered and said to the heads of the divisions of Israel: “The Lord God of gods, He knows, and let Israel itself know – if it’s in rebellion, or if in treachery against the Lord, don’t save us this day. (Go ahead and punish us if we are guilty) If we’ve built ourselves an altar to turn from following the Lord.  But in fact we’ve done it for fear, for a reason, saying, ‘In time to come your descendants may speak to our descendants, saying, “What have you to do with the LORD God of Israel?”’ Therefore we said, ‘Let us now prepare to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice,  but that it may be a witness between you and us and our generations after us, that we may perform the service of the LORD before Him with our burnt offerings, with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your descendants may not say to our descendants in time to come, “You have no part in the LORD.”’ (Josh22:21-24,26-27) The eastern tribes had a righteous reason for what they were doing. The western tribes saw something that seemed sinful going on and it wasn’t wrong of them to investigate it, but if they hadn’t stopped and listened to the eastern tribes’ explanation the western tribes could have shed innocent blood and destroyed their brethren unjustly. Because the western tribes did listen, their hearts were expanded. At first they thought there could be no good reason for building such an altar. But because they gave ear to their eastern brethren they learned there was a very good reason which they hadn’t perceived. If you’re not willing to listen you may never hear the good reason. Get the plank out of your eye is what a Christian has to do. Investigate and be sure you’re seeing clearly before you make a final judgment! Your greatest danger is your own blindness. To understand judge not lest ye be judged in a right way, you must recognize if you render a wrong judgment, or if you judge without seeking out or listening to all the evidence, you can do great damage to an innocent person and bring God’s wrath upon yourself. People who make judgments without having the information to judge rightly or who butt into things they really have no authority over and make “snap” decisions without listening are setting themselves up to reap what they sow. That’s something God will judge you for in the same way you’ve judged others.

But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you. (1Cor4:3) What do you know of my heart? How can you tell me what’s in my heart. If you’re judging me without knowing what’s truly in my heart, your judgment is meaningless. On the other hand, in some cases we can see clearly what’s in a person’s heart because “out of the heart are the issues of life” (Pr4:23) and what’s in the heart comes out of their mouth. (Mt12:34) But before you can judge rightly you must be sure you really understand what they meant not just what you think they meant. How often in an argument have you been accused by someone saying “Well you said this or that?” And you respond, “I may have said something that sounds like that, but that’s certainly not what I meant.” You can’t be sure you rightly understood unless you ask me what I meant. Don’t tell me what I mean, ask me what I mean. Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?” (Lk8:9) It’s because the disciples ask Jesus to explain His words that they’re made privy to the true understanding of what He’s saying. Thus Jesus says of them, “Blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear.” (Mt13:16) But of the presumptous who walk away thinking they know what He’s said without asking Him – Jesus says, “And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.’” (v14-15) Unless you ask me, how do you really know what I mean? I’m the only one who really knows what I mean. It’s out of my heart that I’m speaking and it’s my heart that knows what I mean. Look how many false believers are telling God what He means by twisting and misinterpreting His scriptures, because they won’t listen to what God says His scriptures mean, comparing Spiritual things to Spiritual. (1Cor2:13) If you want to understand what God means, ask God what He means. But as it’s written: “Eye hasn’t seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we’ve received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who’s from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. (1Cor2:9-12) If you’re hearing and understanding God correctly He’ll confirm the word. (Mk16:20)

Now you’re going to tell me what I mean and not ask me to tell you what I mean? Your witness is false because you can’t use my words against me if I don’t agree with the meaning you’ve put on my words. To get involved in judging someone else’s heart when you can’t really know what’s in their heart, means you’re treading on very dangerous ground. That’s the kind of judgment God says you’ll be judged for.

Paul shows us it doesn’t matter if we’re judged by a human court. (1Cor4:3) What can a human court do? Kill me? God will raise me into His Kingdom if He finds me righteous. And I say to you, My friends, don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more they can do. But I’ll show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He’s killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t fear therefore; you’re of more value than many sparrows. But not a hair of your head shall be lost. (Lk12:4-5,7;21:18) God knows my heart. If I’m innocent before God, that’s all that matters. Paul also says, “For I know of nothing against myself, yet I’m not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord.” (1Cor4:4) The only judgment that counts is God’s. I’m the one who’s in the position of knowing what’s inside me. If I don’t know anything against myself how can you convince me I’m wrong? If I know I’m walking in the Spirit, how can you condemn me? There’s therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It’s God who justifies. (Rom8:1,33) Do you know what you’re trying to do when you do that? You’re trying to do what Job’s comforters tried to do. And for their foolishness they were rebuked by God. And so it was, after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you’ve not spoken of Me what’s right, as My servant Job has.” (Job42:7) Job knew what was in his heart. He knew his own innocence. The “comforters” never convicted him. Even Elihu rebuked them saying, “You haven’t been able to convict Job!” (Job32:12) Then maybe you ought to listen to Job if you couldn’t convict him; you need to hear what he has to say. How can you convict him when he knows his heart and you’re only surmising? Can you force him to believe you know his heart better than he does? When you’re messing around with what’s in another person’s heart, you must be very careful because there are only two real witnesses to what’s really in them. That’s God and the person himself. If you’re trying to use the witness from the person himself, you’d better not use the indirect witness. That’s quoting him when he doesn’t know he’s testifying. When he tells you what he means and he tells you what he’s doing that’s the direct witness, as opposed to when he says something you overheard or thought you understood but you didn’t confirm with him what he meant. If you just assumed that’s what he meant, that doesn’t count. Your assumptions aren’t good evidence. They’re like circumstantial evidences in a court. Circumstantial can be interpreted this way or that way. You’re interpreting it in your way but that doesn’t mean you’re right! You need to have direct testimony. Do you know why they don’t allow hearsay in a courtroom? It’s very dangerous to let someone else tell you what they think someone said to someone. Ask the principle witness if you want an accurate answer. What happens when you’re telling me what I said, you’re telling me what I meant? Isn’t that like hearsay, like you’re not a principal witness to what went on?

Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes. (1Cor4:5) The Lord knows the hidden things of darkness and reveals the counsels of the heart. So when the Lord comes, He’ll show the truth about what was in my heart when I did the thing you thought was offensive or selfish. There are many incidents where I’ve personally done good from the heart and been accused of evil! When God shows up and reveals how much love was really in me, the people involved will be so ashamed that because of their own evil hearts they saw it so wrongly. Their hearts are too small to see love in anyone else since they have no love themselves! Which agrees with this passage in Peter, Having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. (1Pet3:16) When Jesus shows what the truth really is they’ll be ashamed.

            Another deception the wicked sometimes use is to accuse someone of always being right, as though it’s unfair to be right! “Your always right and I’m always wrong!” They seem to think you can’t be fair unless you let them be right sometimes. Tell that to your algebra professor! Who but the devil would argue that everyone has a right to be considered right a portion of the time even if they’re wrong. The issue isn’t fairness in being given a turn to be called right, but whether you’re actually correct or not. You can’t justify saying somebody is wrong this time just because they’re usually right and need a turn being wrong nor can you call somebody right just because they’re usually wrong and you think they should have a turn being called right. It’s utter foolishness to say being right too often makes it needful for you to pretend your wrong or being wrong too often means you deserve a turn to be considered right even if you aren’t. Someone is truly wrong only if they’re proven to really be wrong. Every issue has to be dealt with on its own merits just like every problem on a S.A.T. exam. Every problem must be proven right or wrong individually.

Now here is the awesome truth about right and wrong! Without Jesus you’re always wrong. Without love you’re always wrong. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so I could remove mountains, but have not love, I’m nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. (1Cor13:1-3) Only if Christ dwells in your heart can you have the love that surpasses understanding. (Eph3:19) Jesus says apart from Me you can do nothing. (Jn15:5) Paul says that without love nothing is profitable to you. (1Cor13:1-3) Anything that’s done in the flesh without Christ or without love is wrong. Without love it’s meaningless! Without Christ it won’t succeed. It’s just as truthful to say apart from Jesus you can do nothing, as to say apart from love you can do nothing because they’re the same thing. If you have Jesus then you have God’s love. That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Eph3:17-19) If someone is in the flesh, they’re wrong 100% of the time. Flesh is always wrong! (Ro8:7) The only way you can ever be right is to get into love and into the Spirit of Christ. It isn’t a question of fairness; it’s a question of truth! And the truth is the person who’s in the Spirit will be right 100% of the time because there’s no sin in the Spirit. The Spirit is God and God is always right! He who’s born of God does not sin. (1Jn3:9) What does that mean? It means that the born again new man is 100% correct. And that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. (Eph4:24) You can’t say someone is unfair just because they never let me be right. If the person is wrong you have to prove it. When the issue is whether something is true or not reasoning on the basis of fairness doesn’t apply. It’s a false reasoning. Fairness isn’t the issue, correctness is. To argue anything else is to demonstrate you’re a fool. And that indeed you are wrong – and as a fool you’re always wrong! The carnal man can never be right! Would you tell a school teacher it’s unfair to mark more than half of someone’s answers wrong. To be fair you should let them be right half the time. It doesn’t work that way. Do you have the right to be considered correct half the time even if you aren’t? You have the right to be right only when you’re right. You have no right to be right when you’re wrong. No matter how many times you try, if you don’t get it right, you’re wrong. You’re wrong because wrong is wrong and “fairness” has nothing to do with it. Stop trying to use these silly arguments to justify your sins and wake up to the truth! (1Cor15:34)

             When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you; and put a knife to your throat if you’re a man given to appetite. Don’t desire his delicacies for they are deceptive food. (Pr23:1-3) Don’t eat the bread of a miser, nor desire his delicacies; for as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you. But his heart isn’t with you. (v6-7) He wants to appear generous but he’s really selfish and feels you’re robbing him if you take what he offers. So he’ll offer it to you but he really doesn’t want you to take it.  He has a small and evil heart. On the other hand if you offer a small hearted person your delicacies, they may not appreciate them. They may pretend to like them and eat them, yet inside they’re resentful because their heart also is not with you. Small hearted people are always selfish. Inside they think “why is he doing this to me?” or “I don’t like this. Why do I have to eat this?”

It can be a serious mistake to offer good things to people who, because of their smallness of heart, can’t appreciate what you’re offering them.  Don’t give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. (Mt7:6) Small hearted people won’t see what you’re offering as a blessing.

Small hearted “believers” may pretend to receive but inside if what you’re offering is offensive to them, they’ll hold it against you. Somebody pretending to like what they hate is a deceiver! He’s pretending to behave like a Christian but it’s a facade, and not reality. It’s a lie instead of the truth. Inside he thinks the way sinners think, not the way saints think! Christianity is a religion of truth not pretense! If a “believer” thinks he’s being kind to you by pretending to like something, or because he’s a “Christian” he’s required to pretend to like things he really doesn’t like, such a person has no real understanding of what Christianity is or what it means to have Christ in you. Speak the truth in love is the way of Christ. (Eph4:15) But deceit is what these false “christians” live by not truth! Again, what does that show us? The false “christian” is in the law, not the Spirit. On the outside he’s obeying the external letter of the law but inside in his heart he resents what he’s doing. That’s not like Jesus! In order to get into largeness of heart we must get out of the law. We’re not trying to obey the letter. We’re obeying the Spirit. To obey from the heart means if we’re going to put a smile on our face and say we like something, then we’re honestly going to like it. True Christians aren’t pretending one thing while we think another. We’re never to let a resentment get into our heart. To grow in grace and love you must be willing to expand your heart. Your own limitations influence your perceptions of the motives of others, and if your heart is selfish or unclean you’ll often impute evil motives to them. You have to really believe all things are good (1Cor13:7;1Tim4:4) if you’re to receive them as good. A person who can’t receive new things as good, can’t grow. He can’t expand his heart. If you’re a real Christian Jesus will keep trying to take you on to better things. If He doesn’t do that, then you’re going to remain where you are making no progress in your faith. So He must cause situations to arise that tend toward enlarging your heart and understanding. He must make new things happen for you or you won’t grow.

In Christ’s church we can’t cater to the lowest common denominator. One reason My Father’s House exists is because Jesus showed me all the contemporary “churches” were trying to cater to the least Spiritual in the church and they were stunting the growth of the real Christians. Jesus wants a church where the real Christians are fervently seeking to grow up in Him. But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head Christ. (Eph4:15) But out of fear of losing the carnal members, making it too hard for them, or running them off, the contemporary churches weren’t feeding the real Christians and the whole “church” ends up stunted: Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? (1Cor5:6) If you want to have a real church you can’t cater to the chaff. You minister to the real Christians and you help them to grow as quickly as they can and then you provoke the sluggards and Laodicians and the false, worldly or carnal to repent, get into real faith and move on with the true church! That’s how you make progress. You can’t let the false “christians” determine how fast you’ll move because they won’t move at all and there’ll be no progress in attaining to the fullness of the stature of the Son of God. (Eph4:13) We’re not to provoke one another to stand still. We’re to provoke one another to love and good works. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works. (Heb10:24) We’re to go on to perfection. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. (Col 1:28) That means we’re to be overcoming the weaknesses and things which are holding us back. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He’s reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight – if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and aren’t moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.  (Col 1:21-23)

Now, am I your enemy because I tell you the truth? (Gal 4:16) Does my telling you the truth make you think I’m against you? Why would Paul ask such a question if there wasn’t some animosity toward the truth in the minds of the small hearted Galatians? What does the world answer? “Yes you’re my enemy.” What does the false church say? “You’re my enemy when you tell me the truth if the truth hurts me.” What should your answer be? Receiving the truth is what saves your soul. Truth is the only thing that can save you. I’m not your enemy because I tell you the truth. I’m the man God is using to try to save you by bringing you into His truth! Am I your enemy if I attack your excuses? People think if you’re attacking my excuses you’re attacking me. But it’s your excuses that are keeping you from going on to perfection. I’m trying to save you by destroying the lies that keep you from growing. To be saved you must learn how to think right. If you think I’m your enemy because I’m telling you the truth or showing your excuses aren’t valid, then what kind of person are you? Judge yourself on that. For if we would judge ourselves, we wouldn’t be judged. (1Cor11:31) You certainly aren’t the kind of person that could fellowship with Paul. You’re the kind of person Paul’s rebuking. 

 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. (Jms2:13) Do you want mercy? Do you need mercy? Then you must show mercy. God destroyed Babylon because they showed His people no mercy I was angry with My people; I’ve profaned My inheritance, and given them into your hand. You showed them no mercy; on the elderly you laid your yoke very heavily. (Is47:6) If you’re merciful to others God will be merciful to you, (Ps18:25) but you have to do something to “show” mercy. Mercy must be demonstrated to exist. This agrees with God rewarding you according to your works and not according to your intentions. (Rom2:6) Your intentions have to come out in the open and become works that can be seen for Him to reward them. Some of the works you do may be misinterpreted by people, but God sees the true motives. If your motives are righteous you’ll be rewarded for your works and God will show people why you’re being rewarded in the day He reveals the secrets of the hearts. (1Cor4:5) You don’t have to worry about unappreciated works when you know your heart is right. Even if people misunderstand, God won’t and in that day He’ll show His appreciation! That’s one reason the Bible says your works should be done as unto the Lord, and not as unto man. (Eph6:5-7) Even if you have a harsh master, (1Pet2:18) do everything in such a way as it’s God you’re serving and He’ll reward you when the time comes.

Now mercy triumphs over judgment. (Jas2:13) What happens when you suffer a real or perceived injustice? Because it’s unfair you start thinking about it isn’t right, it shouldn’t have happened, so and so shouldn’t have done that. A spirit of judgment begins to rise up in you. That spirit of judgment isn’t evil. In many places in the Bible, the spirit of judgment rises up in God because of what the people are doing. Often He even pours out wrath on them, because justice isn’t evil. (Ezek5:7-8,15; Hos5:10;Ps2:12) When someone has done you wrong, justice settles the score. But here’s the problem. When somebody I love has done me wrong, I don’t want to settle the score. I don’t want to hurt someone I love. That’s why love covers a multitude of sins. (Jas5:20) When the judgment against injustice starts to manifest, and you’re seeing the injustice, you’re seeing how bad the sin is, how unfair it is, how wrong it is, and all that is coming up inside you, what you have to remember is, “Yes, maybe it ought to be punished, but what happens if it does get punished?” Your sense of justice is satisfied. But you’ve hurt or even lost someone you love. Now that’s a bad trade. How can I satisfy my sense of justice by sacrificing someone I love? I can’t ask for justice on someone I love if justice will hurt or destroy them. I have to ask for mercy if I love them. I must say, “God forgive them. Help them to grow, to see better, and do better.” I can’t ignore the wrong that’s happened. That wouldn’t be right. Mercy doesn’t ignore the sin, but mercy says, “God, instead of punishing them, change them. Instead of punishing them, help them to see better so they don’t do it again. Instead of punishing them, open their eyes to their wrong, and convict them so they’ll repent. Restore them because we don’t want to lose them. We love them God.”

Now we’re back to Jesus and Stephen. “I’m not here to destroy. I’ve come to save.” For God didn’t send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (Jn3:17) So I’m not going to let what they’ve done cause me to call destruction on them. I came to save them. For the Son of Man didn’t come to destroy men’s lives but to save them. (Lk9:56) Father forgive them and save them. Stephen is the same. Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin.” And when he’d said this, he fell asleep. (Acts7:60) There’s definitely going to be wrath upon the unrepentant. But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you’re treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. (Rom2:5) But what God is showing us is, “You can tell Me about the injustices that have been done to you, but I’ll take care of punishing, not you.” Beloved, don’t avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it’s written, “Vengeance is Mine, I’ll repay,” says the Lord. (Rom12:19) And God will take care of it. It isn’t always necessary that we give mercy to everybody. Some people don’t deserve it. Alexander the coppersmith won’t get mercy. He doesn’t deserve it. Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works. (2Tim4:14) There’s a vast multitude around us today who won’t get mercy, because mercy is reserved for where it’s profitable to give it. Mercy can only be justly given when there’s a real potential for rehabilitation. If you truly believe this person can be changed, then in such a case the preferable thing is to change them and not destroy them. If there’s any real possibility the person can be reformed, then mercy is the right choice.

I don’t waste things and God doesn’t waste things. I try to use up left-overs and not throw things into the garbage that are savable. It’s important to me to do that. Is it important to Jesus? How many baskets did He pick up after feeding the 5,000? (Mt14:19-21) He doesn’t waste leftovers because God doesn’t waste. If a machine can be fixed instead of thrown away, why throw it away? Why not fix it? It’s a waste to throw repairable things away. We don’t throw things away until they become unfixable. Then why would you throw away a human being who could be repaired? Have we enlarged your heart? This is why mercy triumphs over judgment. Because if you love the person, you don’t want them hurt. You want them changed, corrected, rehabilitated, fixed – that’s what you want! And if you get them fixed, why punish them. What is the purpose of punishing someone who’s now right? What good does it do? Punishment is for people who are rebellious and resisting change. If you have someone who’s really repented, just be happy that they changed and rejoice you didn’t have to punish them. Mercy is the better thing when it can be used. Love covers a multitude of sins and mercy triumphs over judgment (Jms2:13;5:20) because if I can get what’s broken fixed, then I can forget about the past and rejoice to have something now that works. And if a person I’ve had a problem with, such as a problem child, gets straightened out, now I can forget about his past sins. Once that child is straightened out, we’ll be so happy to have a good child that the past won’t matter. We don’t need to punish them if they’ve changed. Now they’re a new person. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2Cor5:17)  They’re different. We can enjoy them, rejoice in them, and enjoy being with them now. That’s what mercy will do for you. Mercy is the highest exercise of love. It’s a place where you can see beyond justice because you can see that punishing won’t produce the best good in this situation. Justice won’t accomplish the good you’re looking for. All that punishing will do is give a sense of balance to the situation. Okay! They got punished. They hurt me and they got hurt back. But what joy do I get out of hurting someone I love? None. There is no joy there. The way I get joy is to rehabilitate them, bring them back to the light and to fellowship. That’s what mercy is for. To save people we love from judgment, even when they deserve it. Now, do you have a heart big enough to do that? Because that’s how big Jesus’ heart is. Paul prays that we’d be filled with all the fullness of God. (Eph3:19) How big is God? How big is His heart? How can you be filled with all the fullness of God unless you have a heart as big as God’s heart?

Now what’s Ephesians telling you? It’s telling us we can have a heart that big. It’s telling us, we can ask Jesus to come into us in such a way that He’ll expand our hearts until we’re filled with the fullness of God. That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Eph3:17-19) That’s how big your heart can be. That big! That’s what we’re aiming for because how can you be conformed to Jesus without having the same heart He has? So that’s the main purpose of what Christ is doing in His saints. He’s renewing our minds until we have His mind and enlarging our hearts until we can contain in our hearts as much God as Jesus had in His; the fullness of God! Not a little bit of God. Not a little part of God. But the fullness of God! That fullness is all related to love. How far can you be expanded in your understanding? Are you wise to do good or are you wise to do evil? Which one is easier for you to do? Which do you understand best?

Consider the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Until Adam and Eve ate of that tree, they didn’t know how to do evil. What that tree taught them was how to do evil. Before that, all they knew was good. They were in a garden where everything was good. God said it was good. They knew nothing but good. Then satan seduced them and they began to receive the knowledge of evil. Within a few generations God is saying, “I repent that I have made man because every thought of his heart is evil continually.” (Gen6:5-6) Mankind took such a hold on evil that there was no good left. Except for Noah men had no knowledge to do good at all. They were wise to do evil. (Jer4:22) They had no understanding how to do good. (Rom3:11) Now ask yourself, do you know how to do good? Are you wise to do good? Are you always thinking of better ways to love your brethren? Or to love God? Or do you find it very easy to do evil? Do you know one kind of evil is to ignore people. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Do you find it easy to ignore people? Is it easy for you to ignore problems and situations that someone who had Godly love in him would be helping people with? Which is it easier for you to do, good or evil? What Jesus is trying to bring you to, is that place where you’re so full of God and His love, that every thought of your heart is good continually. Just the opposite of what the fall caused where every thought of man’s heart became evil. Jesus is taking us back to the tree of life and away from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He’s taking us away from the knowledge of evil so in malice we can be babes. (1Cor14:20) He’s taking us where we don’t understand how to be mean anymore. I’ve lost my understanding of how to be cruel. Out in the world they can tell you a lot of ways to get even. They’ve a real understanding of how to be mean. But I don’t even want to think about how to get even. That’s something I’m not interested in learning how to do. What I want to learn is how to do good. How to love. How to have mercy. I want to be wise to do good. So filled with good that every thought of my heart is good continually. That’s what Jesus wants to put in you. If He dwells in your heart that’s what is in you. He’ll enlarge your heart until you can be filled with all the fullness of God. That’s what real Christianity is about. It isn’t about just knowing things. It is about expanding your heart so God can live in you and then letting God live in your heart so you can do good, be filled with love, filled with the righteous workings of love. So you know how to love effectually, how to cause good works and labors of love to come forth continually. So you can look at every situation and get the best purpose out of it, the best profit to God’s Kingdom, the best profit for the saints and brethren. So in every situation what comes out of you is love and another way of saying it is what comes out of you is Jesus.

 Prophecy: If you want to show yourself merciful to obtain mercy from Me, you must give Me opportunities where people will injure you and your response will be love and your prayer for them will be for Me to bless and your desire for them will be that they be healed. You can’t show mercy without opportunities to show mercy. Everytime someone does an injury to you it’s an opportunity for you to take hold of My mercy and show mercy to them so someone who might have been destroyed can be saved. This is fruit to your account, saith the Lord.  

 Prophecy: I show you three spirits: the scriptures say of Judas that satan entered him. These are the most wicked of men, those who satan can enter. They may walk, even talk as though they’re God’s people but inside they have contrary opinions, continually seeking and favoring their own selfish desires until one day satan enters them. When satan enters a man, the man aggressively attacks the things of God; My purposes, My people, and My kingdom. But then there are men who claim to be My people even as Peter and the apostles swore to Jesus they wouldn’t leave Him but would stand by Him even unto death. And when the moment of crisis came they weren’t as Judas, evil in the sense that they’d attack the work of God or the people of God. But they were evil in the fact that fear entered into them. When fear entered into them, they were no longer able to protect the work of God or serve God. Unless they’d repented and been filled with the Spirit and love of Jesus they wouldn’t have entered the Kingdom of heaven. And then I show you Jesus and Paul and the Spirit-filled apostles and believers and Stephen and Philip and men who’d lay their lives down to promote the work of God and for the good of the brethren because even as satan entered into Judas and he attacked the work of God, Jesus has entered into Paul and he now upholds the work of God; he aggressively fights under the most contrary circumstances that the will of God may be done. And now I tell you those are your three choices but only one will lead to everlasting life! It’s not enough that you’re a passive believer in passive agreement with the truth. You must be so filled with the Spirit and love of Christ that you’ll fight for the truth if you’re to bear fruit and to be found worthy of My Kingdom, saith the Lord. (Prophecies delivered at “My Father’s House”)

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