A teaching by Rev. Barbara Williams, President of the Ministry of the Watchman International
Week of April 5-9, 2021
MONDAY
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward Him.
2 Chronicles 16:9a
What is God looking for?
The Bible says He is looking for someone. What certain someone is God looking for? He is looking for someone whose heart is perfect toward Him. This may sound like a reasonable statement, but as with all reasonable statements from the word of God, there may be a fairly deep answer.
Let us explore what this all means. A heart that is perfect toward God means a heart that is wholly given over to God. Is this simple, or is this a tall order? You tell me. When a person’s heart is totally given over to God, then he is not divided in any way. His allegiance to God is strong, and he lives a life of complete obedience to the Lord. He is not a man-pleaser, either. He will not forsake his covenant for mother, father, sister, brother, husband, wife or children. He will not forsake God for his job, career, plans, goals and dreams. His heart is fixed, because he trusts God.
If you are in need of healing, there is good news! Proverbs 4:20-22 SAYS:
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
So there is life and health in God’s word. Since God’s word is medicine, we must take it like we would a prescription. I suggest three times a day, like you would your food. Remember, healing is the children’s bread. Consider this your “dose” for today. Remember, read, and meditate three times a day the following:
Rx: Isaiah 40:29-31 ~ He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 2:15
If you’ve never studied the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, we invite you to join us as we read through the Bible in a year. Read and meditate on these chapters this week:
April 5: Leviticus 8, Psalms 9, Proverbs 23, 1 Thessalonians 2
April 6: Leviticus 9, Psalms 10, Proverbs 24, 1 Thessalonians 3
April 7: Leviticus 10, Psalms 11-12, Proverbs 25, 1 Thessalonians 4
April 8: Leviticus 11-12, Psalms 13-14, Proverbs 26, 1 Thessalonians 5
April 9: Leviticus 13, Psalms 15-16, Proverbs 27, 2 Thessalonians 1
April 10: Leviticus 14, Psalms 17, Proverbs 28, 2 Thessalonians 2
April 11: Leviticus 15, Psalms 18, Proverbs 29, 2 Thessalonians 3
TUESDAY
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward Him.
2 Chronicles 16:9a
So if a man’s heart is fixed, he is devoted to God. Devotion is a very strong word. You are getting ahead of me if you have figured out that if God is going to show Himself strong on this person’s behalf, then that person will have to have strong love for God. The perfect heart is the heart that is not “diseased” with tuggings toward the self-life in any way.
The person whose heart is perfect toward God meditates on the word of God day and night. The perfect heart seeks God’s heart, not just His hand. The perfect heart wants to live his life in Godly character, integrity and honesty. That person holds the values of God in high esteem and would rather give up worldly pleasures, and indulging in them, than offend God.
WEDNESDAY
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward Him.
2 Chronicles 16:9a
The perfect heart is diligent in its pursuit of God. When I say pursuit of God, I mean that you are in Him at all times. Somehow we have gotten the impression that God comes and goes. There are times when His presence is less tangible than at others, but God is everywhere present at all times.
There is a response of God, however, that we all appreciate. It is this response that we refer to sometimes when we feel that He is not present.
What response are you looking for from God?
Has He not manifested Himself yet in the way that you desire?
What is missing?
What will cause God to manifest Himself in the way that we desire?
What is there about diligence that causes us to stand out from others?
THURSDAY
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward Him.
2 Chronicles 16:9a
One element of diligence is the extreme nature of it. The one who is diligent is wholly given over to the assigned task or principle. The diligent person has the relentless pursuit of excellence.
Excellence is an intrinsic trait that causes the person to seek to do more, and when more is done, seek to do more, better. Excellence is the God quality that tends toward perfection, but somehow never quite reaches it. It is that quality in us that causes a medical researcher to not be satisfied with a 70% cure rate, but seeks to climb to 100%. It is that quality that causes a minister to desire that every sick person in the meeting be healed. It is the desire for the best of God at all times.
The diligent person knows within himself that in order to get God’s best, he must give his best and more.
FRIDAY
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward Him.
2 Chronicles 16:9a
Faith, of course is the key. When Jesus saw the faith of the man borne of four, He stopped and gave the man his healing. When Jesus saw the faith of the centurion, he healed the man’s servant. We should never fear missing God as long as we are reaching out to Him in faith. However, if we want God to show Himself strong on our behalf, we must increase our faith, or add to it.
Virtue, or diligence… wholeheartedness is the key ingredient that will cause God to stop looking and choose us. When we have a heart perfectly devoted to God, He will stop looking and focus on us.
Have you ever heard of such a thing? God is actually looking for someone to bless; not only bless… He wants to knock your socks off! He wants to show you how strong He is for you.