the real me

My heart is the real me. My spirit may be born again but it is with my heart that I bring forth my life for good or evil. It is with my heart I believe or grow hard against God. It is my heart that relates to the world around me. God can see my spirit, but everyone else sees the condition of my heart.

Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;
Hebrews 3:12

Brethren? Brethren are believers who have a born again spirit. But their hearts can become evil and filled with unbelief. This is a sobering thought. How does this translate to our faith and prayer life?

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.
1 John 3:21

Can that be true? Can a condemning heart steal our confidence before God? Could that explain why so many struggle to receive from God? We can know our spirit is righteous, but if our heart condemns us we lack confidence with God.

…let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:22

The heart determines the potential of faith.

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
James 4:8

We spend much time rejoicing over the perfect, holy state of our re-created spirits, but what about our hearts? Your heart is the real you. It is from your heart that you decide to live from your spirit, or for your flesh. It is the heart that decides and shapes the future. It is the heart that can become deceived and hardened, or can remain pure before God.