THE HEART TEST

When God is looking for someone to lead His people, He first looks at the heart of the man.

King Saul, the first king of Israel, failed the heart test in the early years of his reign, although he was permitted to reign for another 15 - 20 years after the Spirit of the Lord left him. King Saul's' reign was approximately 40 years and half of that was without the presence of God upon his life.

After Saul's failure, God looked for a man after His own heart. 1 Samuel 13:14: "The Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart." And then in 1 Samuel 16:12 the Bible states that when Samuel eventually found David, the youngest of Jesse's family, God said, "THIS IS HE."

The New Testament reiterates it again in Acts 13:22: "I have found David the son of Jesse, a man AFTER MINE OWN HEART, WHICH SHALL FULFILL ALL MY WILL."

God desires that all men should be leaders, whether they are leaders of nations, states, cities, churches, or families. To be honest, no man is qualified to be a leader of anything if he has not first learned to lead his family (1 Timothy 3:4, 5).

The most important requisite for all forms of leadership is for a man to have a heart like God's heart. As it was with King Saul, what a tragedy to have the presence of God leave your life. It left an opening for an evil spirit to attack him and his leadership. So it is with us if we fail to keep our hearts right with God.

To be a man after God's own heart we must desire with all our hearts to do all the will of God that He has chosen for us. This is what God requires from all leadership and this preeminently includes leaders of households.

A heart that earnestly desires to fulfill all God's will for the duration of one's life is the heart that God delights to anoint with His Holy Spirit.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

To be continued.