I preached at a meeting sometime ago where I told folks that David’s actions were worse than Saul’s. Yet, God chose David but rejected Saul. The difference was not in their acts but in their heart. With God, your heart is more important than your acts. You need to take care of your heartitude.
Friend, your heartitude is important before God (1 Samuel 16:7). Whereas man is concerned about your outward appearance, God is concerned about your heart. Human beings look at your results. God looks at your reason. This is why you need to maintain a heart that God can work with (Isaiah 66:2). Don’t be a person with good acts but a bad heart.
David was a man after God’s heart, not because his acts were perfect. He always maintained a good heart before God (Acts 13:22). Most of his mistakes were mistakes of the head, not mistakes of the heart. When God measures a man, He does not put the taperule around his neck. He puts it around his heart (1 Samuel 16:1, 7).
Don’t have good hands but bad heart. Leaders must prioritise good hearts above good hands in choosing people to work with (2 Timothy 2:2). Some of the people with the best of skills are lacking in integrity. But David led God’s people with the integrity of his heart and the skillfulness of his hands (Psalm 78:70-72).
Before God, your heartitude determines your altitude (Psalm 75:6). God does not lift people based on their look. He lifts them based on their heart. Eliab was rejected before the day of selection. His heart had disqualified him before God. What about you? Is your heart qualifying or disqualifying you before God (1 Samuel 2:8-9)?
The heart is a difficult thing to deal with (Jeremiah 17:9). This is why you need to constantly hand over your heart to God. Like David, make it a duty to present your heart daily before God in prayers as He searches, cleanses, shapes, and positions it for His highest glory (Psalm 139:23-24). Remember, you cannot go far with God and in life with a bad heart.
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria