How often do we stop and ask Yahweh to search our hearts, our attitudes, our emotions, and see if they are pleasing to Him?

There are many different kinds of emotions: sorrow, joy, anger, eager anticipation, love, hate.... Some are pleasant; others are unpleasant; some are positive; some are wrong. So.... we all have emotions. The question is whether or not our emotions are pleasing to our Creator.

There are many different kinds of attitudes as well. When someone says, "That person has an attitude", it is usually understood that the individual speaking means "a negative attitude". But we all have an attitude, whether we want it or not. Attitude does not have to be something condemnable. What we need with our attitude is to have it be in line with a teachable and obedient spirit towards Yahweh.

We all have emotions.... attitudes.... hearts..... Are our hearts pleasing to Yahweh?

Deuteronomy 28:45-48 - Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of YAHWEH thy Elohim, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee: and they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever. Because thou servedst not YAHWEH thy Elohim with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which YAHWEH shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. Here is a clear example of how our heart condition matters to Yahweh. He does not just want outward service; He wants a heart that has a desire to serve Him, and REJOICES in pleasing Him and living for Him.

Usually children are more joyful than adults. The older we get and the more cares and responsibilities we get, the less we laugh. Part of this is just a natural "maturing" or "growing up". But, maybe we adults need to readjust our thinking some and be more joyful... take more pleasure in life.... Have we noticed how the little things make our children so happy? Have we forgotten how to be thankful and joyful about the things we see around us in nature that Yahweh gives us.... how to rejoice in each bright warm day.... how to sing impulsively about the things that gladden our hearts?

Joy spreads. It is "contagious", in a positive sense. Complaining is contagious though also. What kind of a spirit are we spreading to others? If we transmit the seed of joy, it will spread to those around us. Those who do not want joy will tend to make a distance between themselves and those that are joyful. But we shouldn’t let such people quench Yahweh’s joy in us. Naturally, there is a time to be sorrowful, and we need to be considerate of those who are hurting. Romans 12:15 - Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. But when it comes to individuals who just want to squelch the joy of Yahweh and who do not desire Yahweh’s joyful spirit, we can’t let that pull us down.

We ought to be obeying Yahweh with gladness. Do we HAVE to obey? Or are we obeying because we LOVE Yahweh and we LOVE to obey Him with a glad spirit?

We cannot have a joyful spirit if we are dwelling on discontentment or complaining. Numbers 11:1 - And when the people complained, it displeased Yahweh, and Yahweh heard it, and His anger was kindled, and the fire of Yahweh burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. In a very real way, complaining can become an epidemic, which spreads, and which distracts, consumes, and can destroy our abundant life in Messiyah Yahshua.

In order to have a good attitude, we need to be searching the Scriptures daily. Acts 17:11 - These were more noble than those of Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so. It was even a command for the king of Israel to read from the Scriptures daily. Deuteronomy 17:18-20 - And it shall be when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this Law in a book, out of that which is before the Priests the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear Yahweh his Elohim, to keep all the words of this Law, and these statutes, to do them; that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel. If we don’t read the Scriptures regularly, satan can plant his ideas in our minds and cause us to stumble and fall. As the saying goes, "An idle mind is the devil’s workshop." The Scriptures tell us that when sin is conceived in our minds, it brings forth death. This is illustrated well in Genesis 3 where Chavah (Eve) and Adam allowed a seed of deceit and rebellion to be planted in their hearts, which resulted in death for all of mankind. James 1:15 - When lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Another thing which will bring death is being fearful to obey Yahweh. Numbers 13:30-14:2 - And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, ‘Let us go up at once, and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it.’ But the men that went up with him said, ‘We be not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.’ And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, ‘The land through which we have gone, to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof, and all the people that we saw in it, are men of great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.’ And all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried; and the people wept that night. And the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, and the whole congregation said unto them, ‘Would Yahweh we had died in the land of Egypt, or would Yahweh we had died in the wilderness." When we get weak in our minds, we don’t listen. Since they didn’t listen, they did die. 2 Timothy 1:7 - For Elohim hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

What kind of thoughts will we choose? One complaint leads to another. Just like one lie leads to another. It’s the same way with complaining. Complaining spreads.

We need to be joyful about serving. When Yahweh asks us in His Word to do something, are we slow about it? When little children are first just starting to walk and be able to do things, they are eager to help with whatever they can. Once they get a little older though, and are actually expected to help out with things, some of that eagerness diminishes. Do we fall in that category? Are we lacking in zeal to serve Yahweh? Matthew 18:3 - Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Yahweh. A joyful spirit about obeying makes us happy and gives us purpose. Children need direction, and so do we. So let us say: I can do all things through Messiyah which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:13)

1 Corinthians 10:6-12 - Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them, as it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.’ 8. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 9. Neither let us tempt Messiyah, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. 10. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 11. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples, and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come. 12. Wherefore, let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. Here we see some poor attitudes displayed: (1) a desire for the forbidden, verse 6; (2) an unfaithful spirit, verse 7; (3) a light approach at purity versus impurity, verse 8; (4) an testing spirit, verse 9; (5) grumbling, verse 10. We must study the Scriptures to learn (See verse 11) so that we can choose the right kinds of thoughts. As parents, we also must teach our children so that they can learn too.

Do our hearts truly trust Yahweh? There is a story told of a man who fell over the edge of a cliff. A hundred feet down, he managed to grab onto a tree. Below him were a thousand more feet that he would fall if he should let go. So there he hung, calling for help. Then he heard the voice of Yahweh: "Do you love me?" He said that yes, he did. Yahweh kept asking him, over and over again, if he really loved Him. He kept answering, "Yes, Yahweh I do." To show that he really loved Him, he told Him, "I read the Scriptures every day. I pray. I give to the poor", and various other things. Finally, Yahweh said, "OK, then let go." But the man didn’t let go. Instead, he looked up towards the top of the cliff and called, "Is there anybody else up there?" Did this man really love Yahweh? How much do each one of us love Yahweh? What would we do in that situation? You see, it’s not just in the outward things we DO for Yahweh; it’s in the kind of spirit we have towards Him. If we don’t really trust Him, all outward show of loving Him is futile.

Philippians 2:4 - Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. This is another important part of our heart condition. I once spoke with a person who told me that whenever we makes choices, we should think not only of ourselves, but also of how those decisions are going to affect others. We should stop to think about Yahweh, about our spouse, our parents, our children, our siblings, etc. We ought not think about ourselves only.

What about if we’ve had dishonoring thoughts and a disobedient spirit towards Yahweh? 1 Kings 21:27-29 - And it came to pass when Ahab heard those words that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. And the Word of Yahweh came to Eliyah (Elijah) the Tishbite, saying, "Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before Me? Because he humbleth himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his sons’ days will I bring the evil upon his house." We see the same sort of an example with King Josiah. 2 Kings 22:18-20 - Thus saith Yahweh Elohim of Israel, as touching the words which thou hast heard: "Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before Yahweh, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before Me; I also have heard thee," saith Yahweh. "Behold, therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace, and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place." Yahweh is forgiving when He sees that our hearts change towards Him in a positive manner. There are, however, negative consequences for sin. The question is: Do we wait too late to change our attitudes? It’s important that we pass the right mind-set on to our children, rather than waiting until it is too late. Notice that in Ahab’s situation, destruction was promised to come in his sons’ days. Obviously, the wrong spirit had been passed on to them. Also compare to 2 Kings 23:30-32.

What kind of faith do we have? Matthew 17:20 - If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, "Remove hence to yonder place", and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible unto you. The reason that faith like a mustard seed is good is because a mustard seed doesn’t stay small..... it grows and grows.

1 John 4:19 - We love Him because He first loved us. We love our children, raise them, up, teach them, guide them, forgive them, and seek their forgiveness when we do wrong, and because of all these elements, they love us in return. Do we love Yahweh for all He has done for us?

Even in the tribulations Yahweh brings, we should still rejoice and be thankful. Matthew 5:10-12 - Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the Kingdom of Yahweh. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Romans 5:1-5 - Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with Yahweh through our Master Yahshua Messiyah, by whom also we have access by faith into this favor wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the esteem of Yahweh. And not only so, but we joy also in tribulation, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope. And hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of Yahweh is shed abroad in our hearts by the set-apart Spirit which is given unto us. We should not always be dwelling on and talking about our problems. Colossians 1:24 - Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Messiyah in my flesh, for His body’s sake, which is the assembly. 1 Peter 4:12-13 - Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you. But rejoice in as much as ye are partakers of Messiyah’s sufferings; that when His esteem shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

We all have trials. Sometimes it’s hard not to be bitter and angry about injustices. It is difficult, but necessary, to learn when to let go and just let Yahweh take care of things. Deuteronomy 32:35a - To Me belongeth vengeance.... Hebrews 10:30a - For we know Him that saith, "Vengeance is Mine; I will recompense, saith Yahweh."

Do we think that we suffer? Hebrews 12:1-4 - Wherefore, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience unto the race that is set before us, looking unto Yahshua, the author and goal of our faith, who, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the stake, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of Elohim. For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. Think of all that Messiyah suffered for us. And if we are partaking of His sufferings, let us remember that it is better to suffer unjustly for righteousness’ sake than it is to truly be deserving of judgment and punishment. 1 Peter 4:14-16 - If ye be reproached for the Name of Messiyah, happy are ye, for the Spirit of esteem and of Elohim resteth upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is esteemed. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. But if any man suffer as a disciple of Messiyah, let him not be ashamed, but let him esteem Yahweh on this behalf.

What kind of a heart do we have towards Yahweh? Do we love Him enough to give our lives for Him? There are various ways of giving our lives. One example is when parents devote their entire lives to providing for, training, and loving their children. In a very real sense, they have sacrificed their whole lives for their children. This is what Yahshua did for us even prior to physically dying; He sacrificed His heavenly splendor for a time, and gave His life in a day-to-day way to point us to the Father.

We need to be willing to do this too. Galatians 2:20 - I am impaled with Messiyah; never the less, I live, yet not I, but Messiyah liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of Yahweh who loved me and gave Himself for me. Even if we are not called to be martyrs at this present time, we need to die to self and embrace a martyr’s attitude. This goes back to the story of the man who fell over the cliff. It doesn’t matter how many things we have done for Yahweh if we haven’t given our hearts, our emotions, our attitudes, our thoughts, our love, and our trust, completely to Him. Romans 12:1 - I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of Yahweh, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, set-apart, acceptable to Yahweh, which is your reasonable service.

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