Hosanna Restoration Church

It is interesting when we consider that Jesus said we could do nothing with out Him, that most of us find ourselves at one time or another under condemnation because we just are not doing enough. We don’t accomplish enough no matter how much we do. That is sort of like a soldier saying that if he is not in a war and doing damage he is not accomplishing anything. For a soldier, the greatest thing they can do is be prepared in case there is a war, all the time praying that there will not be one.

For Christians, there is always a war. We better believe that!! The difference is that our preparation is part of the battle. Praying(talking to God and listening to God)reading His Word, and keeping alert, all are part of what we are called to do. It is not necessarily our outside performance that accomplishes the most. Certainly I am not suggesting we just do nothing, but I do think that we try to carry to much of the responsibility ourselves.

In this scripture, Paul was talking and God opened the woman’s heart and she accepted what he said. We all know that no one will believe unless their heart is open, and only God can open a heart. When Jesus first changed our lives, not everyone was happy about it. Most of our friends became ex friends. In time, however, many of them have come to know Jesus, and others show signs of open hearts.

As I read this scripture, I thought, “now that would be good thing to pray for myself and others,” “Lord open our hearts.” I realize that the only way I could have come to believe was if God did that to me. How else does someone turn completely around, unless the Lord does it.

There have been a lot of people who have been worked over by human effort and religious ideas until their once open hearts have been sealed back up. Their lives never really change, and they do not even know why they bother. It is not until the Lord opens a persons heart that they are going to receive anything. When they are open, it is important that someone gives them life!

We just never know for sure when a heart is open and when it is not. So we do what we can heartily unto the Lord and let Him give the increase. God will reward our planting and watering and when He is the one who gives the increase, He is the one that gets the glory. If God has opened a persons heart, a change will take place. We simply need to trust God in all of this.

For our part we need to prepare and be available to God and He will open people’s hearts. Pray for people to have open hearts and then ask God to lead you to them. That just seems too simple doesn’t it? There are, no doubt, lots of other things that we can and will do, perhaps none that will be more effective over all. As they say, prayer opens doors.