Volume 10 - Issue 1 - January 2006
 

MY HEART IS FIXED FOR 2006
By Bishop Gary S. Brooks

Dreams have survived, visions have arrived, and His sons are alive in 2005, was the prophetic word that was revealed in my heart at the beginning of 2005. The following paragraph is an excerpt from that word.

The scripture says about our Lord Jesus that, “Though he were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered; and being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him” (Hebrews 5:8-9). I am not suggesting that the sons of God are already perfect (fully matured). What I am saying is that we, as the sons of God, have learned and are learning obedience by the things that we have suffered and are maturing and being matured (perfected), but we are all still growing up into the Head of the church, Christ. Yet this level of maturity is now being manifested through the lives of the true sons of God.

From that time the Lord began to deal with us in a mature way. He began speaking a mature word that would mature the church. For the Lord is not only desirous of the maturity of His shepherds but also for the maturing of His sheep. I have recognized that He has elevated His ministry into a realm that will cause all of us to grow up into the Head, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

This elevation of ministry is so that we would henceforth be no more children but be mature and maturing sons of God. It is so that He may truly manifest Himself in the fashion that the whole creation is in birth pangs for and that is the manifestation of the sons of God. It is so that the glory of the Lord may be revealed in us. It is so that the glory of this latter house may be greater than the former. It is so that the wealth of the nations will pour into the House of God that His House and His people will be glorified in the eyes of every man. For all the silver and gold is the Lord’s and He will fill His House with glory. It is so that every eye may see Him and come to the arising of His glory in His saints and in the House of God. It is so that the knowledge of the glory of the Lord may cover the earth and that every knee would bow and have to declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God our Father.

And yet, it will take a people with a perfect heart to walk in the light of His glory. It must be the church that will walk in worship of Him in a perfect way towards His Spirit and truth, with integrity and righteousness, without compromise, and that will go all the way with Him no matter the cost. It must be each one of us that will turn to Him with a perfect heart, like the heart of our father David, and will go fully after the Lord. For in this hour the Father seeketh such of this sort of character and individuality to worship Him in Spirit and in truth. For the Lord does not qualify anyone one of us by the outward appearance. Man looks on the outward appearance but our Father looks inward and considers our hearts.

Of Jesse’s sons, the three eldest did not impress the Lord. The firstborn Eliab (God of his father) had the right and had the honourable heritage yet the Lord said, “I have refused him”. Next was Abinadab (father of generosity) and his money and ability to be generous was not what the Lord was seeking, for the prophet Samuel said, “neither has the Lord chosen this”. The third, Shammah (a wonderful thing) whose charismatic personality would leave everyone in awe was also rejected, for Samuel once again said, “neither has the Lord chosen this”. These characters are all good for the Kingdom but does not qualify God’s choice. Jesse then brought the remainder of his sons before Samuel and yet the Lord did not choose any of them. Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Are here all thy children? And he said, there remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep”.  David was the seventh of eight, not the youngest. It was that David was considered by his father and brothers to be the least important, but because of his perfect heart before the Lord he was the chosen. The Lord is now seeking men and women who are after His own heart, those who will follow after and pursue what is in their Father’s heart and will lay aside their own will to fulfill all of their Lord’s will. It is a perfect heart, a mature heart, and only each one of ourselves alone can turn our hearts to establish it perfect before the Lord.  

The Lord made me to understand that He is now looking for a response in obedience of faith from the hearts of His sons and daughters. It can only be a response from a mature and perfect heart. It is a heart that will put away childish thinking and selfish behaviour and will declare like David did, “I will behave myself in a perfect way… I will walk within my house with a perfect heart… A froward (distorted, perverse) heart shall depart from me" (Ps. 101:2-4).

So the response the Lord is looking for in obedience of faith is … let me say something first about the obedience of faith. This does not to imply a trial of your faith, meaning what you believe is being tried. It is our obedience that is being tested. In the Old Testament scriptures we see how that God did tempt (try) Abraham. It was not what Abraham believed, but rather His obedience of faith to God that was on trial. Abraham’s faith was not an issue. God was looking into his heart and testing Abraham’s resolve in obeying Him no matter what the cost.

The Lord said to me, “This is the thing that pleases Me”. It is the response of obedience in faith from a mature and perfect heart that pleases Him.

The prophetic word that the Spirit of the Lord breathed into my heart is MY HEART IS FIXED, O GOD, MY HEART IS FIXED FOR 2006. 

Psa 57:7  My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.

Psa 57:8  Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.

Psa 57:9  I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.

Psa 57:10  For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.

Psa 57:11  Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.

A fixed heart is not one that is repaired but rather established. Look at its definition.

Fixed: established, rendered sure, prosperous, certain, confirmed, directed, faithful, firm, fixed, ordered, perfect, ready, right, prepared, stable.

A fixed heart is not a mixed heart.

Num 11:4  And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?

Num 11:5  We remember the fish (fish as prolific; abundant in growth and reproduction, abundant inventiveness or productivity, fruitful), which we did eat in Egypt freely (without cost or reason); the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic:

Num 11:6  But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.

Because of this mixture in their hearts, nostalgia for the food of Egypt swept over the camp of Israel. The same often happens to some of us after we take on a new life of discipleship in Christ. For a while, it is fresh, new and exciting. It is invigorating, and each day is filled with new discovery. But after a period of time the novelty wears off. We might begin to miss the old vices and entertainments. We might begin to feel nostalgic for ways of life that we have turned our backs on.

If this should happen then it is the time to forget those things that are behind and press on all the harder in pursuit of our life in Christ. The heart may be tempted to stray, but we do not need to fulfill its temptation. If we will only press on, we will discover further joys and greater depths in the pursuit of our destiny in Christ.

Many believers have come from a variety of denominational and religious backgrounds. Typically, when they do, they commit to a new life of which they pursue with a proselyte’s zeal. Then everything begins to change. Your friends, your rhythm of life, the places you go, your style of worship, the entertainment you watch… everything is different.

It is common to all though, in our immaturity, to long for, in the flesh, some of the old things we have left behind. Yet we must watch and pray that we enter not into temptation. We must recognize that we were in the house of bondage and a servant to the lie and its lifestyle and are now made free to live life in the grace and truth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Otherwise believers may sometimes feel unworthy, and feel unable to live up to by the new life they have now entered. They will reflect back on what they think were simpler days when a Sunday morning worship service was nearly the full extent of their expression of faith. Fear and doubt will enter their heart and then begin long to eat of the simplicity of the life they once knew in the flesh. But the manna on which we now feed is the One who has descended from heaven, and He is the bread of our life. He beckons us to eat of Him alone, and is looking for our response to follow Him with all of our heart, with a mature heart, a perfect heart… with a fixed heart.

Psa 108:1  O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.

Psa 108:2  Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.

Psa 108:3  I will praise thee, O LORD, among the people: and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.

Psa 108:4  For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.

Psa 108:5  Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth;

Psa 108:6  That thy beloved may be delivered: save with thy right hand, and answer me.

Not only must our hearts be fixed upon His Truth but also upon His mercy. His mercy is His attitude towards every one of us in bestowing freely upon us everything contained in His covenant with us. It is our obedience of faith that positions us to receive His mercy in our lives, and yet we must remember that we don’t deserve His mercy but faith will receive His mercy.

Psa 112:1  Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.

Psa 112:2  His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.

Psa 112:3  Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.

Psa 112:4  Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.

Psa 112:5  A good man showeth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.

Psa 112:6  Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.

Psa 112:7  He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.

Psa 112:8  His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.

Psa 112:9  He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.

The hearts of the righteous are fixed, trusting in the Lord with their money. They seek first the Kingdom of God in all things. Their money is not theirs but all of it is their Lord’s money and they are His stewards with it. Therefore all of their business affairs are divinely guided and governed by the discretion of the Lord Himself. Wealth and riches shall be in their house. The righteous will have enough wealth and will accumulate riches. Yet the righteous knows that the purpose of their money is for the financing of the Kingdom of God.

Hag 2:6  For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;

Hag 2:7  And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.

Hag 2:8  The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.

Hag 2:9  The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.