Welcome and thank you for taking a bible break to test your knowledge of God's word.
This week's question:

The heart's desire often drives men and women in different directions than their mind would take them. We may find ourselves walking in callous sensuality by the lust of the heart and setting aside the way of the word of life because we harden our heart to God's instruction (Ephesians 4:17-19 & Romans 1:24). Jesus tells us it is not the things that enter the man that defiles him,

Matthew 15:18-20 "But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile

the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness,

slanders. These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the

man."

In this state of mind, "God gave them over in the lusts of their heart to impurity," and they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, turning to idols and then "God gave them over to degrading passions: for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural , and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error." (Romans 1:19-32). Men who professed to be wise that became fools (Romans 1:22),men whose wisdom only leads them to the unknown as the Lord has chosen the foolish things in the eyes of men to confound them and base things of this world He has chosen to shame the things which are looked up to by men as strong,

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 For consider your calling, brethren, that there are not many wise according to

the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame

the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the

things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.

So, the things that are considered "foolish" by the so called wise men of this world are chosen by God for a purpose, which is to keep any man from boasting before God so that it is written, "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:31) and again, "But a natural man does not accept the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised." (2 Corinthians 2:14).

And so to find our answer our question, "What type of heart does God require?" we begin our search of the scriptures by turning to,

Ephesians 1:18-19 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is

the hope of His calling, what are the riches of His glory of the inheritance in the saints, and what is the

surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of

the strength of His might.

Even though the truth of the word is veiled by the eyes of the heart for many, remember this, "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able judge the thoughts and the intentions of the heart." If we set aside our preconceived notions about the way of the Lord and listen to His word of truth (John 17:17) we would then have a heart like Lydia who upon listening to the word, responded to the things spoken as her heart was opened and she was baptized (Acts 16:14-15). Because we were all once dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1) but we are to "..lay aside the old self" (Ephesians 4:22) "and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." (Ephesians 4:24). We are to walk in a manner "worthy of the calling" (Ephesians 4:1) of the Lord, as becoming a prisoner of Him as Paul "…with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:2-3). We are to set our mind on the things above, and become "obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed," becoming sanctified as " slaves of righteousness" having become freed from sin in that watery grave to that life which leads to that "free gift of God" which is "eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:17-23).

And so for the wrap-up of our answer to our question of the type of heart required by God. It is one that has freed the veil that once hid the truth and now has eyes open that are obedient to the word of Him for life by putting aside the passions that lead to death and has become a prisoner of righteousness by loving the Lord with all their heart and all their soul (Matthew 22:37) and doing good to all mankind and especially to the household of faith, by not holding ourselves above one another but regard each one as more important than the other (Philippians 2:3-4), but holding fast in prayer with compassion and mercy to the true, the honorable, the right, the lovely, the good, the things worthy of praise, and being content in whatever circumstance we are in whether it be in rejoicing or in mourning with those that are (Philippians 4:1-11),

Ephesians 3:17-19 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted

and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and

height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge, that you may be filled

up to all the fullness of God.

Let us test ourselves to the word of God to see if our heart is the type that will lead us to the pathway of life eternal (2 Corinthains 13:5) so we may be gathered with Him in that eternal abode.