5 Signs of A Divided Heart

2 Chronicles 16:9  "For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His."

God loves everyone the same but He doesn't respond to everyone the same.  He may not be a respecter of person but He is a respecter of faith and a heart that is completely His.  If you want God's "strong" support then according to 2 Chronicles 16:9 it starts with giving Him your 100%.  James 4:8 says it this way, "Draw close to God and He will draw close to you."  We definitely have a major influence and effect on just how much intervention we get from God.

Your wholehearted devotion is like a magnet for God.  It gets His attention and draws Him to you. Many know that "the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8)  But our God is seeking too! He is proactively and aggressively looking throughout the world to strongly support those whose heart is completely His. How encouraging is that!  We serve a God who desperately desires to help.

But sadly, we often give God the left overs of our life, a little here a little there, and then expect Him to move mountains on our behalf and blame Him when our prayers aren't answered.  How is it we can expect so much from God and give Him so little in return?

5 Signs of a Divided Heart

Pay attention to the early warning signs of a heart losing its devotion to God.  The following are five common symptoms of a heart divided.

1.  You're no longer clingy.
Romans 12:9 says, "Love must be sincere.  Hate what is evil; cling to what is good."  You've given in to pet sins and old patterns of unbelief and sin.  You're no longer clinging to what is good but in some areas of your life you've relaxed your grip and have let the world's ways rule.

2. You've lost the fizz.
 You could easily describe your relationship with God as flat. In reality, you've lost your first love.  The passion and pop have been replaced with routine and a list of to do's.  The Bible calls this lukewarmness.  This is a dangerous place to be.  Jesus rebuked the church in Ephesus for losing their fizz in Revelation 2:4  'But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

3.  People are annoying.
Every one is an idiot.  Let's be direct with this one.  Lately your mantra has been, "If it's going to be done right it's gonna have to be me."  The person ahead of you in the check out line has too many items.  The car in front of you is too slow.  The spouse can't ever load the dishwasher right or enough. The first sign of a heart losing its devotion to God is a heart that has no time or patience for the people around them.

4.  You're too busy to pray.
Even when you want to, know you need to, you don't have the time to pray.  When you do make the time it's a quicky.  A prayerless life is a devotionless life.

5.  You've got no time to serve.
A heart fully devoted to God looks for ways to express that devotion through serving.  The less you want to serve God through acts of compassion, ministry and simple acts of good deeds, the more your heart has grown distant from the God who gave His all.

Do any of these symptoms apply to you?  

If so, then how do you dial up the devotion?

The prescription is the same one Jesus gave the church at Ephesus that had lost its first love.

Revelation 2:5  'Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first;

1.  Remember from where you have fallen.

Get your head out of the sand!  It's time for a reality check.  Remember from where you have fallen.  Go back and remember a time when you were passionate and fully devoted to God.  Admit you have fallen, and it's further than you care to admit.  But admit it!  That's the first step to repentance, to own the sin, to take full responsibility for your actions.

2.  Repent!  

No matter how far you've slid God is bigger, His grace is enough.  Get specific with God, don't beat around the bush.  The more specific you are in naming your sins the deeper God can apply His blood to forgive you.

3.  Do the deeds you did at first!  

Get back on the horse.  A heart that has repented and been forgiven is refilled with the presence and power of God.  He will equip you and help you to end bad habits and start back on the path of pursuing Him!