Living the Blessed Life-- Free from Prejudice: Uncovering Hidden Prejudices -- Freeing One's Heart for Blessings

By Loreen Sumner

What’s in your Spiritual bank account? Have you deposited true love for your neighbor? You cannot withdraw the goodness of the Lord from an empty spiritual bank account. Before writing this book, I was a born-again “miserable” Christian with an empty spiritual bank account. I skeptically questioned the scr

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Dec 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9781640880948

Book preview

I’m Not Prejudiced, But

You hear people say it all the time—I’m not prejudiced, but… Honestly, many folks who make such a declaration may truly believe they are not prejudiced at all, but I am reminded that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jer. 17:9, KJV). Do we really know what is in our hearts? Do we realize that the attitude of the heart is so important to the Lord? He purposefully searches the heart to determine our blessings. He so desires to bless us, but who can truly know the heart? Only the Lord knows! He searches all hearts and examines deepest motives so he can give to each person his right reward, according to his deeds—how he has lived (Jer. 17:10, TLB). Living the blessed life means living a life free from all prejudices.

I’m not prejudiced, but do I truly love my neighbor as myself? Again, you hear people say it all the time—I’m not prejudiced, but… A couple of years ago, in my prayer time and study time, this scripture seemed to leap off the page: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jer. 17:9). As I meditated on this verse, I began to think about my own heart. Could my heart really deceive me? Could my heart be desperately wicked? That term sounds positively evil. I have always considered myself to be a good person—one who lives by the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you (Luke 6:31, NIV). I have always tried to treat others the way I want to be treated. Surely there could not be any wicked way in my heart! But I knew the Lord was impressing Jeremiah 17:9–10 on my heart for a reason. He was trying to tell me something about my heart. So I began to sincerely pray the prayer David prayed—Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psa. 139:23–24).

I began asking myself some hard questions. Do I have a pure heart of love? Do I really love others just as much as the Lord loves me? I thought I did love others. I thought I truly had the love of God for my fellowman, but when I began to search my heart, I received a revelation. I began to realize I had some serious heart issues. I was struggling when it comes to the following scripture, which states that I must love and forgive all, even those who have not asked for forgiveness.

But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you… 31Do to others as you would have them do to you. (Luke 6:27–31, NIV)

Wow! It is hard to comprehend that this is the type of love and forgiveness I must have for even my enemy, but this is the exact type of teaching our Lord taught when He walked on this earth. Imagine our Lord coming to earth to teach us how to live blessed lives, free from prejudices.

One of the greatest sermons Christ ever shared is known as the Sermon on the Mount. Christ sat down on a mountainside and began teaching a lesson on the importance of inner transformation (or heart change). He delivered a lesson on the Beatitudes, which are the heart requirements needed for blessings. He blesses the humble (Matt. 5:5, CEV). He blesses the merciful (verse 7). He blesses the pure in heart (verse 8). He blesses those who keep the peace: Blessed are the peacemakers (verse 9).

I’m not prejudiced, but am I a peacemaker? Do I make every effort to keep the peace with my fellowman? How much effort do I put into creating unity among mankind? The scripture is clear: Endeavor [strive] to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephes. 4:3). I’m not prejudiced, but am I endeavoring or striving to bring unity in the world today? Specifically, what am I doing to create a spirit of unity and love?

In the exact words of our Lord, it is a must to love others exactly as He has loved us! "As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34). The Lord examines the heart in search of agape love or godly love. It is in our best interest to pray as David prayed—Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me (Psa. 51:10). Of all the Bible characters, David was known as a man who sought after the heart of God. He wanted a heart like God’s heart. He recognized the importance of having a clean, loving heart, and his prayer life focused not only on his heart issues but also on his personal thoughts: Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me" (Psa. 139:23–24).

We can say we love one another with our lips, but the heart speaks the truth. True love for one another is lacking in many hearts today, even among spiritual people. The question is this: Is my heart deceiving me? Do I have a loving heart, or do I lack love? Is a lack of love a wicked way? Before studying the scripture Jeremiah 17:9–10, I had not really considered my heart to be wicked at all. Also, I had not connected the heart issues with the blessings of the Lord, but the Lord searches the heart for a good reason. Our abundant blessings are definitely based on the attitude of the heart. Wholehearted love is a heart requirement that leads to bountiful blessings. We are instructed to love the Lord with our whole hearts that we may always prosper (Deut. 6:24, NIV). In fact, a lack of love is a heart issue that can cause the word of God to be ineffective in our lives (Mark 7:6–15).

I remember how I felt on the day this scripture Jeremiah 17:9–10 leapt off the page. I had read it before, but I had not really considered my own heart to be deceitful and desperately wicked. This scripture surely did not apply to my heart, I thought. However, the more I meditated on this scripture, the more concerned I became about the contents of my heart. I began searching the other scriptures to learn the importance of having a pure heart, and I began to see a correlation between a pure heart and the blessings of God. No doubt, the Lord is concerned with our heart issues. He takes the time to carefully examine the deepest motives of the heart. As I searched the scriptures, I noticed how the blessings of God are determined by the attitude of the heart. For example, the Lord himself anointed Saul as the first king of Israel, but this position of blessing required a heart change. In the beginning, Saul humbly accepted God’s plan for his life, so God gave Saul a new heart to prepare him to be a Godly king (1 Sam. 10:9). The people wanted a king like Saul because of his impressive outward appearance, but God was concerned with giving Saul a change of heart. It was a requirement in God’s eyes.

To show a contrast in the way people judge a person versus the way God judges a person, the writer of Samuel included an impressive description of Saul’s outward appearance. King Saul was as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else (1 Sam. 9:2, NIV). It is interesting that the writer included King Saul’s outward appearance. It is interesting that King Saul’s outward appearance impressed the people but not God. Later in Saul’s kingship, the Lord decided to replace Saul with another king because Saul had turned his heart away from the Lord. Saul had become prideful and self-sufficient, and it cost him his kingdom. Because of the disobedient attitude of his heart, King Saul’s good looks did not keep him in good standing with God. King Saul was rejected by God because of his disobedient heart (1 Samuel 15:23), and Samuel was instructed to anoint a new king who had a heart for God.

Samuel went in search of a new king. Interestingly, Samuel had outward appearance on his mind, but the Lord had this to say, Do not consider his appearance or his height…the Lord does not look at things people look at…people look at outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart (1 Sam. 16:7, NIV). God was not concerned with good looks or tall stature. Samuel was instructed to anoint a new king based on the contents of the heart. Because King Saul had allowed his heart to turn away from God, God rejected him as king (1 Sam. 15:26). Then the Lord chose to bless David and promoted him as the next king of Israel based solely on the fact that David had a heart for God. After removing Saul, he made David their king and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart (Acts 13:22, NIV).

Clearly, we are to seek to have a heart like the Lord’s heart. It is scriptural that the Lord purposefully searches the heart of his people, and there are heart requirements we must meet to be blessed. David was blessed as long as he obeyed God. In fact, the same could be said of all the kings in the Bible, in that they were blessed as long as they sought God with their whole hearts (2 Chron. 26:5). "King Uzziah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done. He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success(2 Chron. 26:4–5, NIV). But the very minute his heart turned away from God, sadly, we all know what happened. After King Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall" (2 Chron. 26:16, NIV). No doubt, the blessings from God are based on heart requirements, and we must allow God to work in our hearts to prepare us for blessings.

Ephesians 3:20 states that abundant blessings are available when God’s power is working within us or within our hearts—"He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, but it is according to the power that is working in us [or in our hearts](NKJV). Abundant blessings do not just happen. David knew what the heart requirements were, and he instructed his son Solomon to serve the Lord with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off forever" (1 Chron. 28:9). Another translation declares that the Lord is looking for a perfect heart, which can be described as wholehearted devotion to God. And we are to serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever (1 Chron. 28:9, NIV).

Early in life, Solomon had wholehearted devotion for God, and he sought God with his whole heart. He even prayed for the wisdom of God and became the wisest king to ever live, but he allowed his wives to turn his heart away from the Lord. His wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father (1 Kings 11:4, NIV). This cost Solomon his kingdom. He lost his blessings because of the attitude of his heart.

Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command. ¹¹The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. ¹⁰Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command. ¹¹So the Lord said to Solomon, "Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. (1 Kings 11:10–11, NIV)

Imagine being the wisest king to ever live, yet Solomon allowed his wives to turn his heart from God.