This week I have shared a series of posts about our need to follow God’s instructions that He gave His people through the prophet Joel. God wants each of us to turn or return to Him with all of his/her heart. It must be done now and it must be a total turn to Him with our entire lives.
The question I wrestled with during this time of examination was this.
How do I know that I am turning to God?
Since I have never seen God and we know that the Father is Spirit, how can we know that we are “turning to Him?” This is where a very familiar verse of Scripture comes in. When John began the writing of his gospel, he begins by stating,
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 (NKJV)
Here it is made clear that the Word was and is God! This means that if I want to turn to God, I must turn to the Word. I know God by studying His Word. When one realizes this, it means that we must turn our entire heart or life to the Word. We must search the Scriptures to find out what it says about every area of our lives. Then, when we do this, the determining factor of whether or not we are turning to God with our whole heart is our willingness to obey what the Word tells us.
Over the next couple of weeks I will be sharing some of what God’s Word has been teaching me about what I need to do in order to turn to God with my whole heart. At times I will be suggesting that those who are KEM Prime Members review specific articles and/or videos to help with this effort to turn to God with our whole heart.
There are people who receive these blogs from all walks of life — pastors, parents, administrators, business men and women, school teachers, coaches, etc. I am praying that these different groups of people will get together with others in their homes, churches or schools and discuss what God begins teaching them as we search His Word.
Here are some questions that I believe we have to answer if we truly want to turn to God with our whole heart.
- What does His Word tell me that I must change in my personal life in order to turn to God?
- What does His Word tell me that I must change in my home life in order to turn to God?
- What does His Word tell me that has to change in my church in order to turn to God?
- What does His Word tell me has to change in my stewardship of my time, treasure and talent if I want to turn to God with my whole heart?
- What does the Word tell me has to change in my relationships if I am determined to turn to God with my whole heart?
- What does the Word tell us that need to change in our school if we, as Christian educators, are going to turn to God with whole heart? The same thing can be asked by church leaders related to their ministries in their churches.
Throughout the Old Testament when God was going to do a great work in the lives of His people, He required them to take certain amounts of time to consecrate or prepare themselves so that He could do His will. I believe that if we are really serious about turning to God with our whole heart, we must also take time to consecrate ourselves.
Most of the people who subscribe to these blogs are from the United States (even though 8 other countries are represented). Over the next few weeks, schools will be taking their spring breaks and everyone will be looking forward and preparing for Resurrection Sunday on April 21st.
God has impressed it on my heart to suggest that April 23rd be set as a day of turning. What would happen if the 1,200+ subscribers to these blogs would share this week’s posts with everyone in their circle of influence? Then, what would take place in our homes, churches and schools if all of us would take the next several weeks and prepare their hearts and minds so that we could all turn to God with our whole hearts beginning on April 23rd. 
During this time of preparation, God may lead you to observe some times of fasting over various areas of your heart. Other times may be times of weeping and/or mourning. Changes will probably take place in our lives before April 23rd but that date could be a target date when we corporately go to God and surrender our whole hearts totally to Him. I am not going to try and develop a process or certain steps that everyone has to follow. I believe that God will show each person what is required of him/her to turn their whole heart to Him.
I have become convicted that it must start with me and hopefully spread to others. It is absolutely necessary that we each turn to God with our whole heart. If for nothing else, we must do it for the sake of our children!
Awesomeness. I do want God to show me how to be a Christian that serves with my WHOLE heart
Oh, what a critical message to the church today! I also just read the Vantage Point Devotion in today’s Presidential Prayer Team email. It echos your call to “corporately go to God and surrender our whole hearts totally to Him.” God is wooing His people.
Lord, give us ears to hear and hearts to respond in repentance and steadfast loyalty! Don’t give up on us. Have mecy on us and our children!
Great series Glen! I was reminded of the Lord’s words to us in 2 Chronicles 25:1-2; “Amaziah was twenty five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin; she was from Jerusalem. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly.” It is easy, especially as Christians in vocations that are ministries to become anaesthesized in our thinking. We incorrectly justify that because we are in full time Christian work that we are “wholehearted” in our obedience to God’s requirements (doing what is right) when there are areas of our lives that we need to “turn over or from” in order to be wholehearted. In our blindness, we need to seek true exposure, through the Holy Spirit and the Word, to those areas we are being disobedient in, repent and commit (return) to wholehearted devotion. I’m in!