Mensa Otabil - The Prepared Heart
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We’re looking at the heart, and today we talk about the prepared heart. Our verse is from Ezra, chapter 7, verse 10: «For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.» Ezra was a priest in Israel and was part of the group that returned from captivity after the 70 years of captivity. He came with a group that returned with Zerubbabel, and most of those who had returned from captivity had been born in captivity. Ezra had also been born in captivity, and in captivity, their faith was tested and tried. It was almost punishable for them to continue worshiping God and remain faithful to Him. But this man, Ezra, in the face of all the opposition, kept his heart right. The Bible says the reason why he kept his heart right and had a spiritual walk with God was because he prepared his heart. So it is possible for us to prepare our hearts for something, and Ezra prepared his heart to do three things.
First, he prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord. In other words, he got himself emotionally and mentally ready to focus on the Word of God, so he would keep the Word, read the Word, and study the Word. You don’t get to do these things by chance; you start by preparing your heart to seek the Word of God. It’s essential for everything we do in life to prepare our hearts for it. So the question is: What have you prepared your heart to seek after?
The second thing that Ezra prepared his heart for was to do the law of the Lord. He wasn’t just seeking it and reading it, but he was applying it. Many times people learn and gain knowledge and acquire information, but they don’t practice what they have learned. What value is it to learn something and not do it? Ezra prepared his heart; he was focused on learning, but not only to learn, but also to do the Word of God. He planted the Word of God as a seed in his heart and allowed the Word to germinate and bear fruit. It’s important that we prepare our hearts to do what we know to be right. So the question is: Have you prepared your heart to do what you know to be right, or are you just gathering information and being happy that you know something, or do you want to be a doer?
He prepared his heart to know, he prepared his heart to do, and the third thing is that he prepared his heart to teach, to influence people, to teach the Word of God. Ezra prepared himself to be a teacher. To prepare your heart to be a teacher is to acquire the discipline of passing on information from one person to another. That is what he did. The reason why he applied the Word first to himself was so that when he taught it to others, it would be real. He would not be one of those people who says, «Do what I say, but don’t do what I do.» Ezra could tell people, «Do what I do and do what I say because what I say and what I do are the same.»
So what are you preparing your heart to do with your life? We need to prepare our hearts like Ezra to know God, to know His Word, to practice His Word, and to influence people with His Word. Are you ready to prepare your heart to serve God? Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, help me to prepare my heart to know You and to do Your will. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.» Well, my friends, a prepared heart is the heart that God uses for His glory. Pastor Mensa Otabil, shalom, peace, and life to you.