The Form vs. the Heart

The Lord just showed this to me the other night, and I wanted to share it with all of you. I've been battling with not being abole to find much excitement and freshness in my guitar playing recently. This is nothing new. What usually happens is that I want to then learn how to play the piano (because that would obviously solve all my problems). And here is what the Lord told me:

'Your heart means much more to me than the form.'
'When you get tired of the form and want to change it, check your heart.'

I run into dry seasons as a musician and as a worshipper. Some of those seasons may be simply the ups and downs of this life, but I know that my spiritual sloppiness is what usually gets me into those dry seasons.

So, here's the pattern that usually ensues that gets me to my dry spot:
For some reason or another (it's always different), I stop seeking the Lord with all my heart. My worship is then one of the first things to dry up. I then find myself caught up in idolatry as I try to find other ways to fill up this void that has formed within my spirit. And once we're caught up in idolatry, that opens the door wide for religion to enter.

Religion gets us to get our focus off of our relationship with God and onto our own idols. It gets us to focus on our actions instead of our heart. This is why God hated the Israelites' sacrifices in some of the minor prophets. He wanted their hearts, but all they gave him were their money and burnt offerings. And this is exactly why I find myself wanting to play the piano when I get into a dry spot. I want to change my form. But the Lord wants me to change my heart.

So, take a minute to check your heart. Are you caught up in forms instead of the heart of our Father? Are you using a religious form as a crutch in your spiritual life? Order is good, but we don't use this to propel us into the heart of the Father, then it's just dead religion. I don't want religion. I want a passionate relationship with my Father that drives me deeper into His presence. And I want that for all of you.