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The Upward Path · Reformed Thinking

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Reformed thinking. Welcome to the Deep Dive.
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Today we're focusing on something absolutely central to
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understanding ourselves and our Walk the Heart.
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You know what captures it? How does that influence
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everything we do? Yeah, it really gets to the core
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of our struggles and hopefully the path forward.
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We've been spending time with a stack of material for this deep
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dive. Some detailed notes teaching
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sessions that really open up some powerful biblical passages.
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They give us a framework, sort of for understanding what's
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genuinely going on inside us. And our aim here is to unpack
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what these sources reveal about, well, the deceitfulness of the
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heart, the true nature of idols that can grab hold, the reality
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of sinful fear. And thankfully also the upward
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path towards a life that's really oriented towards pleasing
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God. We'll see why, looking beyond
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the surface stuff, the behavior and getting to the root, why
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that's what truly matters for lasting change.
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So to start, let's get foundational.
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The sources we looked at draw heavily from places like
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Jeremiah 17 and Ezekiel 14. Jeremiah 17.9 paints a pretty
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stark picture, doesn't it? It does.
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The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick.
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Who can understand it? Right.
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It's described not just as the center of life, but as
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inherently flawed. It's prone to wandering, prone
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to self deception. And Ezekiel 14 echoes this,
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talking about people who've set up idols in their hearts.
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And this leads right into a key concept from the material, this
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idea of root versus fruit. It's quite a useful analogy.
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It really is. Think of a tree.
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The fruit is everything you see on the outside.
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Your actions, sure, but also your words, your visible
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responses to life. Even those internal thoughts and
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feelings that just kind of bubble up, those are part of
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this fruit, right? Exactly.
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The root on the other hand, that's the underlying condition
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of your heart. It's like the trees nature.
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You don't get apples from an oak tree.
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Our outward fruit reveals what's rooted deeply inside us.
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That analogy is so helpful because it shifts our focus.
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We stop just managing behavior and start trying to understand
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its source. And the sources introduce a
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related concept here, the heat. This isn't about, you know, the
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weather. No, it's a metaphor for the
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circumstances. The pressure filled situations
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we run into could be anything really.
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Yeah, it's stressful day at work, maybe getting criticized,
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dealing with a tough relationship or even achieving
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something, a success, facing temptation, all that's the heat.
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And the material makes a really crucial point about this heat.
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It's neutral. It isn't the sin itself.
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Right. Nor is it the cause of sin.
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The heat simply reveals what's already inside the heart.
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It's like the same circumstance, the same heat can fall on two
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different people and you get totally different responses.
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Think back to Jeremiah 17. The man who trusts in the Lord
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is like that tree planted by water.
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Even when heat comes, his leaves stay green.
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He keeps bearing fruit. But the one who trusts in man,
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he's like a shrub in the desert. When the heat comes, he just
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Withers. Yeah.
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The heat acts like a squeeze. Whatever is inside the heart,
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that's what comes out under pressure, as actions, thoughts,
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feelings, desires. It reveals the condition of the
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root. It doesn't put the sin or the
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idols there. No, it just shows what was
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already residing in the heart, directing how that person
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responds. And what is often residing
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there, according to Ezekiel 14, are these idols of the heart.
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That's a central idea from the sources.
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As you mentioned, God tells Ezekiel that the people have
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taken their idols into their hearts, and this isn't primarily
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about, you know, bowing down to statues.
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It's about things or even people that have captured our deepest
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affections, our loyalties, our trust more than God.
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They become the things we value most, the things our minds dwell
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on, the things our hearts long for.
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Above the Lord Himself, our affections get set on something
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else. And the sources argue pretty
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convincingly that these idols are the root issue underlying
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our sin. They explain the why.
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The why behind our struggles. Why do I get angry here?
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Why do I worry there? Why do I pursue this thing so
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relentlessly? Often it's because an idol has
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taken up residence in the heart. And it's useful to grasp that
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different outward sins, different fruit, can actually
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stem from the very same root idol.
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Definitely. And conversely, the same outward
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sin might be produced by different root idols and
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different people. It's complex.
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It makes me think of that weed analogy the sources use.
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If you only chop off the leaves, the outward bad behavior, the
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root is still there, right? And the weed grows right back.
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You might manage to suppress one behavior for a while, but if
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that underlying idol remains, it'll just pop up in a different
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way, produce different fruit. So lasting biblical change
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requires getting to the root, pulling up the idol entirely.
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And this is precisely why this is so relevant for you, the
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listener, if your approach to change is just, you know, trying
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harder to stop doing bad things and start doing good things.
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Like clipping off bad fruit and trying to staple good fruit onto
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the tree as they put it. Yeah, you're bypassing the core
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issue. The appearance might improve,
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superficially maybe, but the hearts orientation hasn't
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actually shifted. It's still rooted in something
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other than full dependence on God.
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So real, lasting change has to start by addressing heart and
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uncovering the idols that have settled in there.
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OK, so how do we start to identify these things, these
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hidden idols? Because it's not always obvious.
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Jeremiah 17 Again, the heart is deceitful.
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True, but the sources give us a kind of diagnostic question like
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a spiritual X-ray, which is is it something you will sin to
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get, or sin if you don't get it? The question is incredibly
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clarifying, isn't it? Yeah, something feels so
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essential to your well-being or your identity or your happiness.
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You're willing to compromise God's ways to obtain it.
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Or you respond sinfully, maybe with anger, despair, anxiety,
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manipulation, withdrawal if it's threatened or withheld.
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Then that thing likely functions as an idol in your heart.
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It's something you feel you absolutely must have.
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And a really common, pervasive example of this kind of heart
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issue, this deep seated idol, is what the source is called the
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fear of man. Which isn't just being shy or,
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you know, socially awkward. No, it's defined as a sinful
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fear and it's caused by focusing on self rather than on God.
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Is when someone else holds a place of awe or influence in
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your heart that really should only belong to God.
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It's being controlled and mastered by their opinion, their
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potential reaction, their approval for their disapproval.
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Right. It's ultimately about living to
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please man rather than living to please God.
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That's the bottom line. And the sources helpfully
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breakdown how this fear of man shows up, giving us categories
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to help diagnose it in ourselves.
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Yeah, the first category, and probably the most relatable for
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many of us, is focused on validation.
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What does man think of me? Oh, this shows up constantly,
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doesn't it? It includes that pressure to go
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along with wrong things because you want acceptance from a
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group. Peer pressure, basically.
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Or people pleasing, finding it incredibly hard to say no.
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Maybe overextending yourself, becoming over committed because
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the thought of disappointing someone feels unbearable.
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It can manifest as codependency too, where your emotional state
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is just excessively tied to another person's mood or
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opinion. And there's the fear of being
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exposed as an imposter, maybe, or a failure that leads to
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constant anxiety about performance.
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Or second guessing your decisions because you're so
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preoccupied with how they'll be perceived by others.
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Being afraid of making mistakes, not necessarily because they're
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wrong in God's eyes, but because they might make you you look
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bad. Even getting easily embarrassed
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or as the source suggests, maybe overusing I'm sorry as a way to
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constantly smooth things over, sort of being ruled by the
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perceived offense of others. They even point out that
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sometimes the main drive behind something like a diet isn't
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really health, but it's the desire for the praise or
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admiration of others. Wow.
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OK, so that's the first category.
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What's the second? The second category shifts focus
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slightly towards dependence. What can man do?
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For me this is about needing things from others in a way that
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replaces or competes with needing God like.
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Needing certain things from a spouse, maybe needing them to
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listen a certain way, or needing their respect to the point where
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your well-being or sense of security hinges on it exactly.
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They can become a kind of functional replacement for God,
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or you might even fear them more than God because you depend so
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much on what they provide, whether that's emotional
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support, relational stability, even financial security.
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This. Category sounds deeply connected
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to self esteem issues too. Very.
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Much so where your identity, your worth, your sense of being
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filled or OK depends on getting validation from others or
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constantly comparing yourself favorably to them.
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That love hunger idea fits here. Needing affirmation from outside
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yourself to feel whole. And the third category you
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mentioned, it's particularly subtle, yes.
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This one can even masquerade as godliness sometimes.
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What can God do for me now this? Isn't just about praying for
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daily bread or asking for help in genuine need, right?
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No. It's when you view God primarily
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as a means to an end, and that end is the fulfillment of your
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own desires or the meeting of your needs.
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Needs that are often rooted in those other idols themselves so.
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You might be seeking God, but your eyes and heart aren't fixed
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on Him for who He is, correct? They're fixed on what he can
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provide for you. Maybe a marriage specific job,
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financial security, relief from a hard situation, or even just a
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better self-image. God becomes the mechanism to
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achieve what you really want, which might.
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Actually be approval like in category one or security
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category 2 or comfort. Precisely.
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Your ultimate desire is still centered on self or worldly
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things, and God is seen as a supplier for those desires.
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So. All these different ways the
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fear of man shows up. Regardless of the specific
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flavor, they share that common root issue, a heart motivation
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that elevates self and lowers God.
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It's putting trust and hope in something other than God seeking
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fulfillment or security or identity from created things or
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people instead of the Creator thinking.
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About that, I was reminded of something years ago.
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I had this incredibly beat up old Honda Civic.
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Really wasn't much to look at. I got this job as an inspector
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at a sewage treatment plant, which meant interacting with a
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lot of contractors, you know, generally big burly guys.
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And I had this tiny little Christian sticker on the back
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window. Just said one truth, OK?
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For weeks, I consistently parked my car way away down the street,
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far from where anyone would see it.
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And why I was also aware of my beat up car, my relative youth
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compared to these guys. And I cared more about what
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these guys might think of me judging my car, judging me as an
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inspector, than I did about simply having that small, quiet
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statement of faith on my car. It was a classic everyday
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example of valuing their potential opinion, their
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potential judgment, more than being openly identified, even
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subtly, with something pointing to God.
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Just petty, undeniable fear of man that.
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Story really illustrates how this isn't just about grand
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moments or huge decisions. The fear of man and other idols
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too. They show up in the quiet, often
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subconscious choices we make every single day.
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They reveal where our trust and concern are really located.
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So. If simple fear is fearing man
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focusing on self, what's the alternative then?
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What's the right kind of fear? The sources present 2 forms of
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appropriate fear. The 1st and the most vital one
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in this context is reverence for God, often called the fear of
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the Lord. And this isn't a crippling dread
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or terror, no. Not at all.
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It's a deep, holy awe, a profound respect for His
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absolute holiness, His sovereignty, His might.
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Proverbs 1.7 tells us this fear is the beginning of knowledge
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and. Ecclesiastes 12.1314 concludes
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that the whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His
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commandments right. This fear is a spiritual
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orientation where you care infinitely more about what God
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thinks of you in your life than what anyone else on earth
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thinks. It's fearing his response to
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your actions more than man's reaction that.
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Fundamental shift moving from fearing man to fearing God seems
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like the well, the radical treatment for the fear of man
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it. Is it's replacing one fear with
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another, but the object is entirely different.
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It's a reorientation of who sits on the throne of your heart.
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Is it man's opinion or is it God's glory and.
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The second legitimate fear. The second.
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One mentioned is just the practical fear of legitimate
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danger. They use an anecdote of a dirt
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bike rider who lacks this basic sense of self preservation and
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well, suffers consequences. It's a God-given instinct for
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protection. OK.
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But the focus for spiritual change is cultivating that
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reverent fear of God to counteract the sinful fear of
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man. That's right.
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Which brings us to the path forward.
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The solution presented in the sources?
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Biblical repentance. And they are very careful to
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define repentance as far more than just stopping bad behavior.
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Yes, it's not just ceasing the bad fruit or as they describe
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it, trying to staple good food onto the tree.
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That's surface level. So what?
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Is true biblical repentance. Falling Acts 26.20.
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It's fundamentally a turning towards God.
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It's described as a vertical turning from darkness to light,
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From the dominion of Satan to God.
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It means. Actively leaving the old way of
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living, the way dictated by self centeredness and idols and
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turning. To God to restore the
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relationship that was fractured by fin.
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It requires addressing the root issue in the heart, the idol
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itself, not just the outward manifestation and.
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Confession is presented as an essential part of this process,
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absolutely. Confession is inseparable from
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repentance. It means honestly acknowledging
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your sin, including the underlying heart issue or idol
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to God. It's calling spade a spade,
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agreeing with God about the nature and severity of your sin.
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Psalm. 32 is such a powerful picture of this it.
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Really is David describes the agony, physical and emotional,
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of keeping silent about his sin his strength just wasted away
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but when he acknowledged his sin and confessed it to the Lord,
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what happened God forgave him the.
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Promise is clear when you confess your sin to God, that
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full confession is met with full forgiveness.
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It's like the. Father and the Prodigal Son
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story. When the son turns and starts
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his confession, the father doesn't even wait for him to
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finish listing his failures. He runs and embraces him with
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compassion and restoration and confession.
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Should be willing right? Not forced or dragged out, yes.
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Psalm 32 mentions that contrast with the horse and mule that
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need a bit and bridle to be controlled.
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Our confession should flow from a heart turning towards God.
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So. Repentance involves confession
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and a turning towards God. What about good deeds?
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Acts 26.20 also mentions doing deeds and keeping with their
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repentance. Those deeds, that good fruit,
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they're not the cause of repentance or forgiveness.
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They're the evidence or the reflection of a heart that is
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genuinely turned towards the Lord in repentance.
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They're the natural. Outflow of a restored
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relationship not. The means to earn it.
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Biblical repentance is about restoring that dependency on
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God, where your affections and trust are placed back in Him,
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not in the idols or self-serving desires that drove your sin in
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the first place. OK, so this is the theological
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framework. How do we live this out
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practically? What does this upward path of
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repentance and pleasing God look like day-to-day?
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Well, the source has outlined several key steps.
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The first one is maybe the most difficult identified the sin
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specifically the root issue, the idol and the heart going.
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Beyond just saying I got angry. Exactly.
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It's asking why did I get angry in this situation?
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What was being threatened or withheld that felt so important?
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And it's acknowledged this is a lifelong process.
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It takes humility, consistent effort it involves.
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Looking inward with real honesty using those good hard questions,
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the X-ray questions they mentioned, yeah.
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What was I wanting in that moment?
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What was I doing or tempted to do?
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And critically, why? Why did I want it?
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Why did I respond that way? That self confrontation sounds
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challenging. It's often easier to see the
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flaws in others. It is.
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The Matthew 7 analogy about the log and spec is used here.
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We're often quick to spot the little speck of sin in someone
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else's eye while completely missing the massive log in our
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own. The point?
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Isn't to compare who's worse, No.
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But to highlight where our primary focus for change needs
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to be working honestly and rigorously on the sin that's
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most obvious in your own life, The log that fundamentally
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changes your perspective. It enables you to help others
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with their struggles from a place of humility and genuine
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compassion, not judgment. Let's circle back.
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To those case studies to see how this diagnostic step works.
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Mary with the worry and sleeplessness, right?
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Mary's outward fruit was anxiety and sleeplessness.
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The heat was her husband's demanding work schedule leading
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to him being absent or exhausted.
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Asking those why questions revealed an underlying I must
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statement I. Must have control, yes.
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Particularly over the stability and health of her marriage.
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This desire for control may be stemming from a fear related to
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her parents. Marriage was the root idol.
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The heat of the schedule squeezed her heart, exposed her
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fear and desire for control, which then produced the fruit of
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worry and sleeplessness when that control felt threatened
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and. Ed, the high school senior at
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the award ceremony. The award.
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Ceremony Seeing successful peers was the heat.
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His initial fruit was that mix of emotions, anger, shame,
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worry, fluctuating self worth, the why?
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Questions pointed to a deeper struggle, fear of.
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Man specifically needing approval and dreading failure.
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His potential I must statements were things like I must not be a
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failure or I must be well liked and perceived as successful by
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everyone. The heat exposed the root idol
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of needing approval and avoiding disapproval, producing the fruit
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of emotional turmoil it. Seems even seemingly simple
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struggles like dreading Monday morning can have deeper roots
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than we might first assume. Oh.
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Absolutely. If you just say I hate Mondays,
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you're only looking at the fruit.
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Asking why can reveal different roots.
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Maybe it's fear of failure at work, feeling inadequate, fear
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of man, category one. Or maybe.
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Dreading interaction with a difficult Co worker you rely on
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for something. Fear of man category 2 or.
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Perhaps in one example from the sources, it was sadness about
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ending the weekend, which for that person was filled with
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ministry opportunities. It revealed their hearts
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affection was maybe more rooted in the feeling of significance
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from ministry than in their calling to the Monday job.
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Getting to the root changes everything about how you address
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the problem. You have to be diligent in
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asking those probing questions of yourself.
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OK. So once you've done the hard
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work of identifying the root, sin and idol, what's next?
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Step 2. Step 2.
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Is to confess the sin. This is about willingly,
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honestly acknowledging the sin, including the identified heart,
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root or idol to God. It's agreeing with God about its
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reality, calling it what He calls it without minimizing or
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excusing it, and AS. We discussed this full
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confession meets God's full forgiveness, Yes.
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Then Step 3 follows naturally. Repent of the sin.
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This is the act of turning towards God.
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It's not just feeling sorry, it's leaving the old way, rooted
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in self and idols and turning to the Lord to restore the
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relationship it. Means cultivating a heart
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posture of full dependence and trust in God rather.
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Than continuing to live for what the idol promised or what your
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flesh desired. OK.
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And step four step. 4 is to reset priorities.
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This moves into the practical ways we live out that repentance
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and reorientation towards God. It involves several actions.
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First, you commit yourself to God's sovereignty and rule
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Romans. 12 talks about presenting your body as a living
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sacrifice, which is an. Act of worship and dedication.
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Calling God Lord isn't just a title, it's a commitment to live
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according to His ways and His purposes.
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Not your own or the idols, but what?
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If you struggle with even wanting to do these things, what
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if the desire to turn to God or read the Word just isn't there?
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That happens it. Does.
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And that's where you pray for wisdom to walk in His ways.
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If you lack the right desires, if you don't feel like turning
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to God or engaging with His Word, be honest with Him about
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that. Confess the lack of right
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desires, but don't. Stop there.
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No. Pray specifically that God would
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cultivate those desires in you and critically you.
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Don't wait for the feeling before you obey.
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You choose to meditate on the Word and be obedient to it,
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regardless of your feelings that.
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Seems so counterintuitive in our feeling driven world.
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Obey even when you don't feel like it it.
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Does. But the sources make a strong
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point here. Obedience isn't earned by having
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the right feelings first. It's done because you understand
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and believe in the rightness and goodness of God's command and
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the desired outcome of obeying Him.
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They use. That anecdote about the little
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boy? Weston, right?
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Weston, if you have to go to the bathroom very badly, he has an
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intense physical feeling or urging him to go right now, but
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he exercises self-control and waits until he gets to the
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bathroom. Why not?
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Because he feels like waiting, no?
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But because he knows the desired outcome, not having an accident,
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not being embarrassed, he acts against a strong feeling for a
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desired outcome. So.
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In the spiritual life, while we. Desperately need the Holy Spirit
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to give us the desire to do what pleases the Lord.
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We aren't meant to wait until we feel like obeying before we
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actually obey. We choose God's way based on His
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truth, even when our flesh or feelings scream the opposite
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asking. The Spirit to enable us and
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shape our desires along the way. Yes.
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Living God's way requires putting away that self
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centeredness and committing to follow His word despite contrary
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feelings. So.
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It's an act of the will, empowered by the spirit, not
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driven by emotion. And this is part of walking in
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the spirit, yes. Absolutely.
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Walking in the Spirit is relying on His enablement and guidance
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to live God's way, recognizing you can't do it in your own
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strength and the. Sources list other practical
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things that fall under resetting priorities, too.
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Things like diligently studying and memorizing scripture.
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To fill your mind with God's truth and counteract deceitful
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thoughts and the lies of idols praying.
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Ceasingly maintaining constant communication and dependence.
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Denying self, actively choosing God's will over your own
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desires, which directly confronts those idols rooted in
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self judging. Yourself biblically applying
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God's standard to your own life with humility regarding.
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Others is more important than yourself which directly combats
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the self focus in the fear of man dwelling.
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On biblical truths, intentionally focusing your mind
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on what's true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable.
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Like Philippians 4.8 says instead.
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Of letting it drift towards worry, fear or covetousness and
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actively cultivating godly characteristics like compassion,
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kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, the opposite fruit of
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a heart ruled by idols living. God's way really requires
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conscious intentional effort. Then turning away from those
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self-centered default settings. It really.
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Does. And this whole process brings us
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to a pivotal point that's constantly before us, especially
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when the heat is on. When circumstances squeeze the
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heart, those underlying desires and idols surface, and you face
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a decision the. Sources illustrate this with
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what they call AY diagram. Yeah.
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At any point, faced with temptation or a challenging
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situation, you're standing at a fork in the road.
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You're either choosing to please yourself or you're choosing to
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please God that. Decision point seems incredibly
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significant. Every moment, almost, it is.
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Everything as First Corinthians 10.31 says, whether you eat or
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drink, whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
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In 2nd Corinthians 5.9 states our aim is to please Him that.
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Decision made repeatedly throughout the day, in countless
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small moments. That's.
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What shapes the direction of your life, whether you're
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walking the upward path towards God or veering off onto paths
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dictated by self and idols and. This process of change, of
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moving along that upward path, it isn't instantaneous, is it?
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No. Definitely not a quick fix.
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The principle from Galatians 6 of reaping and sowing is very
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applicable here. Change takes time.
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It requires faithful obedience, consistently choosing to sow to
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the Spirit even when it's difficult or you don't see
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immediate results. You're in a.
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Season of sowing to the glory of God, yes.
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And the fruit of righteousness will come.
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But don't focus on achieving instant perfection.
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Focus on moment by moment faithfulness in choosing God's
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way. So.
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To recap the practical steps, identify the roots and idol,
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confess it, repent, turn to God, and then consistently
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intentionally reset priorities through actions like committing
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to God's rule, praying for wisdom and desire, obeying His
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Word regardless of feelings, walking in the Spirit, and
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practicing those disciplines that reshape the heart.
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It sounds like it requires constant vigilance it.
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Does the sources conclude the practical steps with a very
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clear reminder? If you don't intentionally
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organize your life in such a way that it pleases God, it will by
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default organize itself to please the flesh pleasing.
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Yourself is the natural inclination after the fall.
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And it takes conscious, deliberate work enabled by God's
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Spirit to reorient your life towards pleasing Him in every
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area well. This deep dive has certainly
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given us a comprehensive look at what the sources say about the
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heart. We've explored how the heat of
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circumstances reveals what's truly rooted inside us.
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How? Idols, things that capture our
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affections more than God, are the underlying issue behind our
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struggles, particularly that pervasive fear of man in its
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various forms and we've. Looked at how biblical
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repentance involves turning away from those idols and self
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focused towards God resetting our lives to please him through
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practical spirit enabled steps. These aren't just abstract
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theological concepts, are they? They are intensely practical.
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They apply directly to the pressures you face, the desires
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you wrestle with, and the choices you make every single
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hour of every day. So thinking about the heat
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revealing the heart and that crucial decision point we
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constantly face. Pleasing self or pleasing God.
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Maybe a final thought for you listening what specific heat in
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your life right now might be exposing an idol or a fear of
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man you weren't fully aware of. And in that moment of pressure,
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who are you choosing to please? It's something to consider as
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you navigate the upward path. A.
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Challenging thought to end on. Thanks for joining us for this
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deep dive.