A Clean Heart

By Pastor Bob Rasmussen

We welcome those that are watching online via YouTube, Facebook, CWM, our website and Roku. We are glad you are here.

We had issues with the bible study on Thursday, but I was able to use the recording, and I uploaded that to Facebook and YouTube as well. Mary from Redeemed Counseling was our guest, addressing the topic of depression, which is a very serious and very real issue for some folks.

The enemy tried to stop that message, but it is now out there. I encourage you to watch it if you can. Like all our messages, if you can, please share it on your platform and help spread the word.

It seems to me that the earth is groaning. We have wars, earthquakes, and all sorts of things that are happening, and there has never been a better time to be ready for the return of Jesus. He will not be coming in peace, but coming for war.

Revelation 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.

That is a very real and very chilling promise. I believe in it with all of my soul. There is a time coming, and it is coming sooner than I think most people believe.

This weekend we were able to surprise our daughter Johnna with a baby shower for the upcoming birth of her twins – our 8^th and 9^th grandchildren. It was nice having all of them together to celebrate the upcoming growth of our families. I never really thought about generations too much, but seeing them all together, it hit home that they were the next generations that will be around.

And as I think about this church, which is also my home, and you all are my family as well. I pray for you often, and I appreciate all the prayers you all have prayed for me and my family. I reflected a lot on our 15^th anniversary and the start of another year here at Janesville Apostolic Ministries.

And I realized something, and that is that something needs to change.

Now, do not get me wrong. I am not saying that there is a problem with this church or specifically anyone here, but the gravity of people’s souls and our purpose and responsibility to reach the lost came crashing down hard on my heart.

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

It was a palpable weight this whole week as I contemplated what the future might hold. I spent a few days working at the YMCA in Madison, where many children were running around. I had to run cable for some cameras in the gym, and because of the rain and the smoke from the Canadian wildfires, all of the kids were indoors. They were so loud.

I thank the Lord for my AirPods, which can play music and drown out all the noise. But again, I thought of the generations and what they need to know. They need to know Jesus and all of His teachings. So many children now are being raised in families that do not believe in Jesus, who do not know His Word, and it shows.

It is to the point that preaching the Word is considered hate speech, and the mocking of the followers of Jesus is now the norm. Regardless of what the challenges may be. We have been instructed by our Lord and Savior – Jesus – that we have a mission. A mission that is so vital and so important to this generation and all the generations to come.

When Jesus gave this mission to the apostles, they were not a collection of perfect people; they were a group of people who believed in a perfect person. And whatever power and authority they would need to go forth, would all come from Jesus. It is His authority, His power, it is His Spirit that will provide the path to seek and save the lost.

Peter was a hot head and failed Jesus a few times.

How about John?

Luke 9:52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. 53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?

That is the guy Jesus wants to send out? That is the person who will draw men and women to the ministry of Jesus? Or Thomas, who would not believe it until he saw the nail mark and put his finger into the print of the nails. This is the guy Jesus wants to send.

But they had some things going for them. They had been living with Jesus, hearing Him preach and hearing Him teach. The helper that Jesus sent, the Holy Spirit, was alive in them, guiding them. And they had the Word of God.

And the church they started with Jesus is still growing from the first upper room to this upper room, amen?

And we have all the same things that the apostles had. We have the Holy Ghost and the living Word.

And as I was trying to come up with a plan on what maybe we could do next, the Lord impressed upon me that before I can do anything, before we do anything, I need to look at myself, that we all need to look into ourselves and see what is going on.

And the scripture that I was reminded of is this.

Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

There is a problem with this scripture that can render it ineffective. Many times, at least for me, I am the one who wants to see what needs to change in my heart. I am the one who wants to define what is good. I am the one who wants to say what is bad. I am the one who says what I need to change. I look at this scripture, and I want to be the one who will identify what is wicked and the path that I want to follow.

So, how can I get to that place where I know what needs to be done, what needs to change? How do I get as close as I can to God?

I try, believe me, I try to live as close to God as I can, but in so many ways I am like Paul.

Romans 7:16 Now if I habitually do what I do not want to do, [that means] I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good (morally excellent). 17 So now [if that is the case, then] it is no longer I who do it [the disobedient thing which I despise], but the sin [nature] which lives in me. 18 For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh [my human nature, my worldliness—my sinful capacity]. For the willingness [to do good] is present in me, but the doing of good is not. 19 For the good that I want to do, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.

It is a paradox, wanting to do the good things, but failing to do good. I never want to fail God, and I do my best, but it can happen. But if it happens, I go right back to the throne of grace and confess and repent.

It wasn’t always that way. In the past, if I failed, I would try to run away from God, which is not possible. But that shame and guilt, when we run from God, we carry that shame and we carry that guilt. It weighs us down, it clouds our judgment. And more often than not, we fulfill what is in Proverbs.

Proverbs 26:11 As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.

I cannot tell you how many times in my past I ran back to the vomit in my life. It was a horrible cycle filled with shame, guilt, and a sense of helplessness. But in all of that, the only thing that I thought was helping in my desperation was doing stupid, again, but that normal was twisted. I was clouded by looking for anything not to feel that pain; it only grew deeper and pulled me away from Jesus.

In my experience, it is so much better to go straight to the Lord and lay it before His feet. Laying all the pain, sorrow, sadness, guilt, and remorse before Him. He can and will heal us from anything. He is more than able.

So going forward, I relied more on His Word than my comfort. I relied on Him more than my coping mechanisms. I relied on Him, to drag me back from the vomit and the cycle of failure. So now, my prayer is like the Psalmist.

Psalm 141 Lord, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee. 2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. 3 Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. 4 Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.

And with the power of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome. But there are times I think that we need to go a little deeper, referring back to the scripture of search my heart, O Lord. Where we have in the Word the tool that we need to get into that place of revelation in our hearts.

This is not a word that I use lightly. And just like’s Paul example, it is something that my flesh does not like either. That word is fast or fasting.

Fasting for me is basically is giving something up that I crave and need, or so it seems I do. I cannot do a complete food fast with the schedule I have. Maybe that is something you are in a position to do, but that does not work for me. Working on a ladder and falling off – I have had experience with that. I am not doing that again, amen?

But it has to be something that is big in our lives, though. It is not “I won’t be going to Starbucks this week”, so I’ll have coffee at home. It is not that I will stay off of Facebook or Instagram or whatever for a week.

For me, it has to be something that will weaken the flesh. I do not know what that is for you, but I am pretty sure we all know the things that we can fast from that are going to cause the flesh to resist, amen?

There is great opportunity when we fast, telling the sinful flesh, that the spirit inside us in charge. Because when we fast, the only way to get through is not to rely on ourselves, we rely on Jesus to get through it. We draw closer to Him in prayer and worship. When we want that thing that gives us so much sustenance or joy we have no one else to look to.

Fasting pushes us to spend more time with God, and that allows us to hear him more clearly. It helps us grow spiritually mature and sharpens what needs to be sharpened in our lives.

And as we enter this new year for JAM, I am hoping that others will join me this week to fast. Again, I won’t tell you what to fast from; you already know. But I challenge you to start on Monday and continue for as long as you decide.

As you do, would you ask God what areas we need to work on and where Jesus wants this church to move or do differently? We always want this to be the Lord’s house, so let’s all take some time to ask Him, amen?

Corporate fasting is not a new thing.

Ezra 8:21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. 22 For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. 23 So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.

They are fasting because they have a need. They are fasting because they need a safe passage, and they want God to be glorified. They wanted the words that they claimed about the power of God to become true. So they fasted, and what happened?

Ezra 8:31 Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way.

Any one in here facing a battle with treacherous ways with the enemy all around? I know brother Aaron had a rough week. Praise the Lord, he is out of the hospital, but there are still some battles where he needs a victory. Will you fast and ask God for a healing touch? I know I will.

Sister Brandy, whom we have fasted for and prayed for, had communion with. I will still have her on my heart this week, that God would move in her life and the lives of her family.

Have a family member who needs to return to the Lord or even meet him for the first time? Fast and pray for that, and we will too if you share it with us.

We do not fast just to get things amen, but to increase that relationship with Jesus. Pouring out our heart and soul so that He can do what He needs to do in us, in our hearts and in our spirit.

And like in the Word, sometimes we pray and fast for direction. Direction in our lives and even in this ministry.

Acts 13:1 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 4 So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.

The Holy Spirit spoke when they were praying and fasting. How many of us need some direction in our lives? How many of us have a decision to make or some direction to give?

Wouldn’t it be better if the direction was from Jesus rather than from ourselves? If we set our interests aside and lay it before the Lord, praying, fasting, and waiting—though I hate “waiting.” Wait for the Holy Spirit to move when He wants to move, amen?

They did just that and the Spirit moved and told them where their ministry was to go next. How powerful is that? How powerful can that be in our lives, amen? Jesus wants to guide us in everything we do in our lives, if we are only sensitive to His Spirit.

Joel 2:12 Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

How do we fast? With weeping. With mourning over the issues of our heart. The Lord is saying Come to me with your heart, not your fancy Sunday church clothes. Bring me your pain. Bring me your fears. Bring me your heartache. Wring your heart out before the Lord, tell Him what your struggling with:

Lord, I struggle with addictions like drugs. I struggle with pornography. I struggle with food.
Lord, I have become lukewarm. Lord, I am mad at my husband, I am mad at my wife. I have anger. I have unforgiveness.
Lord, my heart is cold. Lord, I am mad at you. Lord, where are you?
Bring any sin or issue before him during fasting and praying and He is what?
for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

I am not the one who says to fast and to pray, He is. And He says that out of love because He knows what it is like to live in this fleshy body. He knows the struggles. He doesn’t know sin, but he what? He hates sin.

God is so holy, He is so pure and righteous, and He will forgive you, amen? Fasting and prayer can give us such an insight to the majesty and wonder of a God, who would give his life for ours so that we can have eternal life.

If you have some sinful pattern in your life that you have not been able to break, perhaps you need to try it His way. Fast, and pray, and just lay your whole heart out and let the most excellent heart surgeon ever fix the areas of your heart that no one else can.

Let the one who sees everything in your life show you what needs to change. Let the one who took all of your sins and all of your shame on the cross bring you freedom.

The time of fasting and prayer is a special time with the Lord, and He does tell us something else.

Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

I have said this before, if you’re fasting, that is between you and God. If you are married, you might want to let your spouse know because, for me, my flesh gets cranky! I am going to let Diana know why I might be cranky.

But it also means don’t be like Mikey. If someone has cake where you are at, and don’t get me wrong, I like cake! And your fasting from food or sweets or whatever, don’t be like “Lord of mercy, I would love some, but I am fasting for the Lord. It is so hard, but look at me, no cake for the Lord. Glory!”

So this morning, will you please consider fasting this week and pray for your own heart and for the direction of this church as we start our 16^th year.

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.