Notes from Tonight! :)

“A man after God's own heart” 1 Samuel 13:14
(prophet says, God is looking after men seeking after His heart).

2 Principles to being a person after God's own heart.
-commitment to obey the commands of the Lord. Dedication of the will of God.
-Cultivating insight into the emotion of God's heart. (often neglected).
(This was very important to David).

Revelations of the passion of God's heart.
You're never going to obey more than you have revelation of the passion of Gods heart.
We'll never be a people after God's own heart if we don't have insight into the emotion of God's heart. Revelation of His passions and His pleasures. What burns and delights in his heart.

Why? 1 John 4:19. The beholding and becoming principle of heart transformation. Whatever you behold in God has a corresponding dimension of becoming it in our character/behavior.
We love Him. Because we first had revelation of a lover. If you want to love him more, experience Him. Behold the lover and become a lover. We love by looking at the one who loves.
How do you have passion for Jesus? Study His passion for you.

We need experiential understanding of this doctrine. It will awake unquenchable thirst.

Knowledge on God emotionally...
We have to have a little bit of insight on what God looks like emotionally to know what we look like when He looks at us.

Common views of the church on God:
not a God of pleasure or burning desires, filled with transcendent beauty.
Has a benevolent toleration of people.
Distant.
Over does it.
Demands more of us than is realistic.
Has a high standard that crushes anyone that endeavors to do it.
Stands in a distance in a cold analytical way and evaluates us.
This idea of God will lead us to a locked heart and infects a responding to the great lover of all the ages. The image of what God looks like is so off that the image of what we look like to God is off.

You could never know your true self by gazing into the eyes of the creator. It's the only way we can ever understand who we are and what we really look like in truth. You can't find that in yourself.

7 Dimensions of progressing in the love of God.

1. The adoring gaze of Mary of Bethany. Gazing heart is where it begins. Responding to the wooing's of graze. Luke 10:42. “one thing” is needed. We can't do life right without the events that begin with the adoring gaze. Jesus says its necessary.

2. Discoveries of the knowledge of God. Little ones, little portions of revelation. Bride Groom and King and Judge.

3. God of transcendent beauty. God smiles and has a happy heart. The assurance of being enjoyed by God even in our weakness.

4. Ability to enjoy God. Love God (1st Commandment).

5. You begin to enjoy and love yourself with God's love.

6. The ability to enjoy and love others (2nd Commandment).

7. Faith and Power are activated by love. Galatians 5:6

Faith is activated by love. You can't have love until you love your neighbor. You're not gonna love your neighbor anymore than you enjoy yourself. You're not going to enjoy yourself until you enjoy God. You're not going to enjoy God until you know God enjoys you. You're not going to know God enjoys you until you gaze on His heart.