I Samuel 16:7 says, “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Samuel, just like modern-day believers, had the sinful tendency to “judge a book by the cover,” so it is no surprise that it is a daily struggle for us. But the truth is, we don’t have the ability or authority to interpret someone’s intentions or life circumstances. It is our sinful pride that causes us to judge others based on their “outsides.”

I {Vickibeth} believe there are two basic ways we judge others: 1. we determine upon minimal interaction or looks that a person is unqualified or subpar based upon our deduction OR 2. we put faith or confidence in someone who appears to be the perfect solution per our “flawless” diagnosis.

We are so quick to make deep-heart determinations about someone simply by their attire, body language, or communication. We can be so quick to jump to a conclusion about someone. The homeless man on the corner is waiting for an opportunity to rob you; the mom that works full-time doesn’t love her kids as much as you do because you stay home with yours; you wear the latest fashions and she hasn’t been shopping in years so you clearly have it more together than she does…can you hear how ridiculous our judgments sound? Yet, I have personally heard people say or hint at every single one of these scenarios above. I recently had someone share with me that they knew someone had poor character based on what they had on (and it wasn’t a modesty issue).  I realized again in that moment that my life has been filled with prideful moments where I thought the exact same thing. Somehow I was better than that person because my sin wasn’t as outward as her pregnant belly and bare ring finger or because I would never use that tone with my husband or because my body was not inappropriately exposed. We are so quick to look at people’s “outwards” and label. Aren’t you glad God doesn’t do that to us? I am!

In addition to pridefully thinking we are better than someone else, there’s the opposite judgment as well, and that’s the example we see in 1 Samuel. This story makes me chuckle. God tells Samuel to go to the house of Jesse to anoint the next king of Israel. Naturally, like we all would have done, Samuel goes to the oldest, Eliab. We gather from the passage that he was big, strong, manly—he would be an excellent king to lead the people in battle—he would demand their respect! But, God tells Samuel, “…you see his outward appearance, you think he is My choice because of how he looks, but I can see his heart, and I say ‘move on.’” Samuel proceeds to move on through SEVEN sons, all of whom would have probably appeared more qualified than David, but God could see the hearts, and He knew that David was going to be a “man after His own heart.” I wonder how often we overlook God’s best option because we get distracted by the big and strong “Eliabs” and don’t patiently listen to God's direction to “keep moving.”

It is easy to see the popular or vocal people around us and think, “Oh, she would be so much more fitting than that person to do that ministry or job.” Or maybe you think “she is so much more qualified to do this task than I am,” but it is not up to us to make those determinations. It’s His job. If God has called you to a task, He will be faithful to equip you in the same way that He faithfully took care of David. I recently had the opportunity to speak to a group of ladies at my church. I felt so inadequate. I was the youngest person in attendance and felt like I should be the one sitting and learning from the older women, but I had to put down my pride, stop dwelling on the women around me that seemed so much more qualified than I, and do what God had asked me to do at that moment.

I have found three truths in this passage that have caused me to pause and evaluate my heart:

1. I am not God. I do not have the assigned task or ability to judge others negatively based upon their outward appearance or our initial interaction.  I need to view all people through the loving eyes of my Savior and interact with them with a heart of love.

2.  I am not God. I do not have the assigned task or the ability to judge others positively and put them on a pedestal based upon the outward actions I can see or the words I can hear.

3. I must stop comparing myself against others and determining that God would never be able to use me. If He has presented an opportunity to serve Him, I must remember that He sees my heart, He created me in His image, and He will faithfully help me complete the task at hand.
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So what about us? Have we fallen prey to the trap of judging others based on their “outwards”? If yes, we need to fall on our faces before God and ask Him to focus our attention back on Him. On the contrary, are you the victim of that harsh outward judgment? It hurts to be judged by our cover in a negative way, but take comfort that God sees your heart, and that’s all that matters in light of eternity!

A couple of weeks ago my {Lindsey} pastor delivered a poignant and direct message. It was the kind of message that reaches down your throat and rips your heart out. It changes you to the core, convicting you in such a way that to go back to status quo would be not only pointless, but devastating. The message came from two scripture references, the first being Ezra 3 which talks of completion of the foundation of the temple by the people of Israel after its destruction. The second came from Haggai which was a prophetic word to the very same people who then allowed God's house to lay in waste while they pursued other things.

The very first thing that God addresses through Haggai the prophet are the excuses of the people. Haggai verse 2 says this, 

The people had excuses. I feel like even today this is one of the most common excuses we Christians bring to the table. When we don't see how it will work out or the pieces that are ready to fall into place as we say yes, we simply choose to excuse our lack of action by saying it's not God's timing.

The next two paragraphs of Haggai address both the problem and the consequence the people of Israel are facing. 
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The people of Israel, and God's people today have been so consumed with building up their own estates that they have allowed the church, God's house, to crumble. The Israelites even went so far as to use the timber that King Cyrus (due to God's influence) had provided for the rebuilding of the Temple. While they had focused on making themselves comfortable--on providing for their families by their own doing, on chasing worldly dreams--God was allowing for nothing in their lives to prosper. This was not Satan's doing, this was God's Holy and Refining Fire allowing His people to come to a place of poverty and drought and desperation so that they might realize that He never intended the things of this world to be satisfying to His people. He alone wants to be our satisfaction. So when we chase worldly dreams, satisfaction will always come up short, just as it did for the people of Israel.

Our God deeply desires to provide for us. This provision more often than not requires a step of faith. We must quit building up our own houses. We must quit worrying about how we will provide for our families if we follow where God is calling. We must trust that when we quit making excuses, lay our needs at the feet of our Heavenly Father, and step out in faith to accomplish what He is calling us to that He will provide in a way that only He can.

The people of Israel took Haggai's words to heart.  They allowed God to prune and remove the dead thoughts and actions that were keeping them from all of His blessings. Have you allowed God to do this in your life lately? Lay your heart out on the road and let God look at it. Let Him convict you on the change that is needed in your life in order to experience the blessings He desires to give to you. When you have heard His conviction in your life, be quick to repent and obey. Fear the Lord and His magnificent power and His enormous amount of grace.

Do not quickly forget the amazing blessing that is the Grace of Jesus. During the timing of this prophetic Word the people had God with them. Today, we have Him living within us. There is no doubt in my mind that where much is given, much will be required. We have been given grace, we have been given the Holy Spirit within us. Simply being stirred is not enough. Move beyond the stirring of emotion and into the stirring of the Spirit. When the Spirit is stirred God's work will be accomplished.

A while back I {Lindsey} was discussing with some of my sisters in Christ how to address an issue with someone we care about when it pertains to someone they care about. The thought process went something along the lines of this...

1. The person who wanted to address a loved one is a Christian actively seeking Christ
2. The person to be addressed is a Christian who has always seemed to be seeking Christ
3. The person that number 2 loves and number 1 thinks is not in a place with Christ where he/she should be in order to be pursuing a relationship with number 2

Ok, so I know it seems a bit confusing, but I think this is a message that a lot of number 1's and number 2's need to hear.

The more we began to delve into this topic the more I saw the correlation between what this friend was dealing with and my very own marriage. My husband and I have had some beautiful memories over the years, but we have also had some pretty rocky beginnings. There was a time, about 2 1/2 years after we married, as my husband returned from Iraq, that he informed me he believed in a creator, but he didn't believe in God the way we had come to know him growing up. I was devastated. I angrily questioned God saying, "I did the right thing... I married a Christian man who grew up in a Christian family... Why is this happening?" 


As years have gone by, the distance from that year which was trying in many ways and horrible in others, yet wonderful in a million more, has granted me a perspective I couldn't see before. I was focused on the wrong heart. Sure, my husband needed a lot of work in the faith and spirituality department. He had essentially denounced everything we'd ever grown to believe. But why was this happening to me? Well, that answer could only be found in my own heart. 

Proverbs is strewn with heart references, a few that spoke to me in this situation are:

Well aren't those verses convicting?  I haven't even shared what I found to be one of the most convicting verses for just this situation. Proverbs 24:11-12 says this,

I was person number 2. I was that kind person who loved Jesus and was "seeking Him" by going to church, talking about how I loved Jesus, particpating in church activities, etc, etc. While yes, much of this was very true when my husband came to me with his "revelation" about God, my heart was far from the heart of Christ when we first married and for much of our first year of marriage. I had missed--no not missed-- I had ignored the signs. I didn't see my husband's weak faith because I was overlooking my own. 

I hadn't allowed myself to be purified by God's Holy and refining fire. I lacked the Godly understanding that is needed to discern whether or not a person is in communion with God. In my eyes, I had it all together. I had recovered from an adolescent spiritual battle brought on by mental and emotional trauma and I was sure I was fixed, but God saw my heart. I was not pursuing God's Word daily, so I had no opportunity to listen and be wise, to hear His counsel and stay on course. There I stood asking how did this happen, and as the years have passed God has slowly taught me that my focus was on how I missed the flaws in my husband's heart when I should have been looking at my own.

I had the tools before me, I knew how to live life like Christ and yet I ignored my own heart. As my husband spent a year in spiritual death while he learned how to make his faith his own, God grew me. As I focused on how my husband hid this huge flaw, God began to mold and shape me. He purified and sanctified me through His refining fire. Boy, did it burn sometimes. As time has passed, He has convicted me that it's only by His grace that Proverbs 24:11-12 is not how I will be judged. That my shouts of anguish about how I did everything right are the same shouts that the people of Proverbs 24 used when they claimed "we did not know." God looks at the heart and He can see the lost, He can see the saved, and He can see those who choose to sit idly unprepared while the world around them and the people they love most are unjustly sentenced to death.

In situations like these person #1 needs to remove their focus from how much of a detriment person #3 will be and call out her brother or sister in Christ, urging them to a place of faith that will not allow blind ignorance. Person #1 and #2 need to remember that God sees the heart and He knows when "We did not know!" is simply an excuse for "We did not choose to put forth the effort."