From Social Gospel to True Discipleship: What It Means to Have a Heart for God

Recently, the Lord has been speaking to me and my husband a lot about His Kingdom, the current state of Christianity in the nation, and what it means to have a heart for God. As we approach one of the most important events in Christian history in a few weeks—Easter: Jesus’ death, resurrection from the dead, and ascension to heaven— it’s a good time to reflect on who we really are, what our lives are really about, and what our priorities are at this moment in time.

Jesus is coming back for a glorious bride, and by all indications, that time is not far away.

The Bible is clear that as the end of times draws closer, the love of many—the love for the Lord God—will grow cold. There will be many who walk away from the faith for various reasons to pursue their own agenda and the things of this world for the sake of greed, ambition, and self-promotion.

In health coaching, it is always up to the client to determine what they want, to make the decision to change, and to follow a subsequent course of action. Just as we have to choose a healthier lifestyle in terms of nutrition, exercise, stress, etc., so we have to choose to have a heart for God and to follow Him or not as His disciples.

The religious landscape looks different than it did generations ago. Somewhere along the way, the Church lost its way, and along with it, many pastors and subsequently congregants. A watered-down social gospel began to be preached to make the fundamental precepts of the Bible more acceptable. Compromise entered in, and sin wasn’t sin any more. If there is no sin, there is no judgment. If there is no judgment, I can do whatever I want because I am a god unto myself.

To relate this to health coaching, so in the natural, so in the spiritual.

Just as the overall health in America has been steadily declining, so has the spiritual health.

Your physical health is mainly influenced by what you consume—what you eat, look at, think about, hear, and read. The increase of fast foods and processed and ultra-processed foods has led to a health crisis in the U.S. These foods are full of artificial ingredients, chemicals, and dyes that are harmful to our health and are devoid of any real nutritive value. They are fake foods masquerading as real food.

The same thing can be said for our spiritual health. What are we choosing to feed ourselves, and what are we being fed? Has our spiritual diet also become fast food? One hour on Sunday, in and out? Ultra-processed with little spiritual nutritive value?

There are many who have been deceived into believing a gospel that is really no gospel at all. Church services have become an entertainment show with no real true worship of the Lord God Elohim. Having to learn the Bible by looking up scriptures has been replaced by huge teleprompter screens. The current statistics of how many Christians read their Bible at home during the week are abysmal. These things, among others, have resulted in many straying from the life-giving truth of the word of God, embracing instead doctrines of man and the god of this world.

It’s not surprising because 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (Ampl) tells us this will happen:

“But understand this, that in the last days dangerous times [of great stress and trouble] will come [difficult days that will be hard to bear]. For people will be lovers of self [narcissistic, self-focused], lovers of money [impelled by greed], boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane, [and they will be] unloving [devoid of natural human affection, calloused and inhumane], irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of self-control [intemperate, immoral], brutal, haters of good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of [sensual] pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of [outward] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith].”

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the Parable of the Ten virgins. Five were wise and five were foolish. The five wise had their priorities straight (the Kingdom of God), while the five foolish were involved with and distracted by living their lives as they saw fit (the kingdom of this world). They were not living for God, promoting His Kingdom and values, and were therefore not ready when the Groom came.

All ten of the virgins had to choose who and what they loved most and what and who they would prioritize. Five of the virgins had a heart for God—a heart for their Groom—and their lives—their faith and actions—reflected that. Five did not, and their last-minute attempt was too late. They didn’t consider the Groom important enough and considered their desires of more immediate value. They were shortsighted, not understanding the true value and reward that would come from being married to the King of the Universe for eternity.

So what does it mean to have a heart for God?

In human terms, if I have a “heart” for someone, I have positive thoughts of wanting to help and please that person. Their happiness and well-being matter to me, to the point of it taking precedence over my own. I also have a level of pride about that person—their character and attributes—and I don’t hesitate to promote them and say all kinds of wonderful things about them.

There can be a feeling of love and deep affection for the person, leading to a desire for intimacy on all levels and facets. These feelings lead to a desire to be vulnerable, which can lead to a deep, trusting connection. If someone has my heart, I’m willing to give all and risk all for the sake of the relationship and believe the other person is as well.

So we can say having a heart for God is to have affection, passion, love, concern, purpose, and intention for Him. Having a heart for God means that we will place HIS will, HIS plan, and HIS purposes for our lives ABOVE what we will and plan for ourselves. That means that when we have a heart for God, we come to a point where we will have to leave certain things behind in our lives, because if we have a true heart for God, these things will no longer have a place. 

Eph 5:6-11 (Ampl) says it wonderfully:

“Let no one deceive you with empty arguments [that encourage you to sin], for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience [those who habitually sin]. So do not participate or even associate with them [in the rebelliousness of sin]. For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of Light [live as those who are native-born to the Light] (for the fruit [the effect, the result] of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn [by experience] what is pleasing to the Lord [and letting your lifestyles be examples of what is most acceptable to Him—your behavior expressing gratitude to God for your salvation]. Do not participate in the worthless and unproductive deeds of darkness, but instead expose them [by exemplifying personal integrity, moral courage, and godly character].”

When we have a heart for God, it is in Christ and through Christ Jesus that God will reveal to us the destiny and purpose that He has chosen for us.

When we discover His destiny and purpose for us, we are to go after that with everything we have. We need to become totally one-track-minded in pursuit of that destiny because the devil will bring a lot of sidetracks into our lives that are deceitfully designed to keep us away from God’s destiny.

It can be likened to two rail tracks running parallel for a while and then gradually widening the distance between them. For all practical purposes, they seem to be going in the same direction, but the true reality is that only one of those tracks will lead us to the Lord Jesus Christ and the destiny that each of us has in Him. The devil will try to keep us busy with a lot of things that are totally unimportant, and these things might even be deceitfully cloaked with a form of holiness in order to purposefully deceive us. However, they will just be a diversion from the enemy to present something very similar BUT THEY ARE NOT THE REAL THING—THEY WILL NOT BE THE DESTINY AND PURPOSE THAT GOD HAS IN STORE FOR US. 

We should understand that we are either for God’s Kingdom or against it. When we choose our own way, follow our own desires, and create our own purpose for our lives based on what we want, we step off the right track and onto that parallel path that looks good and feels good, yet is not producing a harvest for the Lord of the Harvest. 

Having a heart for God means that we will pursue the things of God, not the things of ourselves.

When we pursue the things of God, it starts from the foundation of our relationship with our Savior—a personal relationship with Him. It starts when we know who we are in Christ Jesus.  Eph 1:11 (MSG) says, “It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.” When you know who you are in Christ Jesus, you will discover what you have been birthed for, and God will then send you on the right track. 

While we have the opportunity through grace, this Easter season I’d like to encourage you to go back to the Lord and start on a new firm foundation—irrespective of where you are, what you’ve learned, or what you've been taught. Go to the Lord and ask Him to help you develop a heart for Him in a brand new, deep and meaningful, and life-changing way. 

Come before Him in full transparency, vulnerability, and trust, saying, “Father, this is my life. Show me where I’ve been misled and kept busy with things that are/were not of You and what has kept me totally unproductive for the Kingdom of Jesus.” 

To have a heart for God means going before Him and saying, “Father God, I have come to the realization, when looking back on my life, that this and that is what I’ve produced compared to what I could have produced.” It is saying, “Father, I will hide nothing from You so that by Your light, You can show me the darkness of my world, and that Your light can shine in the darkest corner of my heart so that it can be cleansed.”

When you are prepared to open yourself before the Lord, Holy Spirit has the freedom to show you where you are going wrong—or going right. God is the Lord of the Harvest, and He will fill your heart with “The Word” harvest—Jesus Christ. It is in knowing Him that you discover yourself, your intended destiny, and can begin living and walking each and every day with a heart truly dedicated to God, producing the Divine harvest not only for your own life but for the Kingdom.

Do you desire to develop a heart for God but need help getting started? Not sure where to start? Do you want to honor God through your faith and through living a healthier, purposeful life? 

That’s why I developed GLEAN: A 5-fold Roadmap to Holistic Health so you don’t have to go it alone!

GLEAN is designed to guide you in building a holistic, Christ-centered lifestyle. Rooted in faith and anchored in scripture, the program focuses on integrating God’s Word with key aspects of wellness—spirituality, exercise, attitude, nutrition, and lifestyle—to motivate and empower you to cultivate a healthier lifestyle one step at a time and achieve your health goals while deepening your faith.