Romans 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

A dear friend that passed away this year would tell me, “If it were a matter of will, I would have already done it.” This comment was made in reference to his personal salvation. At the time I was not sure if he understood what was being offered, a free will choice. Christ chose to go to the cross willingly. I was believing for John that all he had to do was chose to accept that offer.

Just maybe my dear friend had it more right than I did. He saw will as a function of the mind and salvation was a function of the heart. You have to open your heart and let Jesus in. Happily John did that and he became a new creation. His conversion was instant, powerful, and real. It was God sent.

The issue of will to believe is a convincing, not a conviction. John wanted to be convicted, and he found that before his passing, praise the Lord. This leads me to ask with all sincerity if we truly understand the difference between believing with the mind and believing with the heart? John did, praise God.

Being raised in what to think and how to act is not sufficient unto salvation. It takes heart.

Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

If you cannot tell the difference between the will to believe and the heart to believe, ask yourself this very hard question: How do I believe?

Acts 9:16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.

Yesterday I confessed my thoughts about the intent behind including this verse in with Ananias’ instructions. It revealed nothing about the thoughts and intents of Ananias. It did however uncover things within myself that I might not have seen while I was in that emotional turmoil state.

We bind all kinds of negative thoughts and feelings because, that is not how a Christian should think. We learn how to act and think. Have we fully embraced the word of God in a manner which changes our hearts?

Isaiah 28:10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

A change of heart does not come upon us all of a sudden. We change in bits and starts. We embrace the changes that we see and are overjoyed. One change is not all the change that is required. Heaven forbid that we should ever become so comfortable with our Pilgrim Progress that we should give up trying to get closer to Christ in ways we never imagined.

What if you have embraced grace but have not embraced forgiveness and mercy? Can grace be all in you that it could be if you have not embraced all the goodness of God in all of His glory? I think not.

I have embraced the just side of God to the extent that I spurned forgiveness. Being on the right side of things does not make me right, it just allows me to be judgmental without mercy. I have not learned that great secret only God Himself seems to be able to master. He is perfect in all things without compromising any one part of Who He is to His creation.

God is equal in all His attributes and does not compromise who He is in any aspect. I on the other hand have not been able to keep from compromising the good within me because the evil which besets me.