
Have you ever looked at a broken utensil and examined it closely? The first thing that comes to our mind when looking at a broken utensil is that the vessel has lost its purpose. You can look at a broken vessel and draw a conclusion that it has no purpose for boiling, heating, cooling and storing. A few years ago while chatting with my brother at home we decided to make some tea and we boiled the milk in a vessel. We were watching TV in our living room and had apparently forgotten about the boiling milk in the kitchen. One hour had passed by and there was smoke coming from the kitchen. I ran down to the kitchen and to my disappointment saw the vessel had turned black and the milk was no longer there. We had to dispose the black boiling plan and clean the kitchen. It was quite a mess really and we did everything to restore the kitchen atmosphere back to normal. A vessel or utensil may lose it purpose after it has been broken or damaged.
Our hearts are similar to the vessel mentioned above. God searches our hearts to see if there is anything good in us. He has chosen our heart to be the place of his residence through his Spirit. He breaks it, shapes and makes it ready for the use of his service.
When a utensil is broken it loses its purpose but when our heart is broken it is the starting point for the Lord to step in make the necessary changes. God uses broken vessels to display the power of his Glory.
Natural: The heart is the most important organ in the Human body. It is the place from where the blood flows to all parts of the human body. The heart is an emotional organ and has a relationship with the “emotional brain.” Beside the emotions, the heart also can be an organ of intelligence that works in unison with the brain.
Spiritual: Jesus Christ said in Luke 6:45 “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh
Jeremiah 17:9 says “The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it?
From Luke 6:45 we see the heart is the treasure hub of all things. If the treasure is evil then our mouth speaks evil things; but if the treasure is good then it speaks good things. Our hearts by nature are filled with sinful things. We are born in Sin and there is no good thing. Jeremiah 17; 9 states the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.
But you may wonder then how in the world is my heart going to be clean. We cannot take a scan report to see how filthy and wicked our hearts can be. There is no technology available to discern what is deep down in our hearts. We don’t know what it contains and how it can be cleansed. But it is only the Lord who searches our hearts and examines us carefully according to Jeremiah 17:10
I the LORD search the heart, [I] try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, [and] according to the fruit of his doings. – Jeremiah 17:10
He searched and saw that there were only wicked things. Therefore he gave us a new heart and new spirit through the power of the Holy Spirit. He breathes upon us fresh power as we seek him every day through prayer and study of God’s word.
Breaking process
Ezekiel 36:26 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take or remove the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.
Now it says “I will remove the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh”. Now for the Lord to give us a heart of flesh he is got to remove the stony heart. Stone here refers to something hard and strong. It is not like a stone in the kidney etc…it’s not a disease but it’s the state of heart that God wants to deal with and break it.
The hardness in our hearts can break only through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Here are a few examples of brokenness.
Separation from relationships. – When the Lord wants to take complete control of our lives he will ask us to give up on a relationship that does not please him. Anything that stands in the way of God’s destiny for our lives is a hindrance and the Lord will remove it. Breaking out from a relationship can be really hard for many. But as the Holy Spirit guides us into the truth and the purpose for your life you will know deep down in your heart that these relationships are not of God. Coming out of a love relationship can break your heart but entering into a love relationship with Jesus Christ can build your heart.
No fruit despite hard work. – Many of us could be working really hard in our jobs/ministry but we may not see any fruit coming out of it. You may be in a state where you still don’t have that promotion in spite of all the hard work. God delays the season so he can break our hearts and humble us. So when we are humble and broken he can get all the Glory for the fruitful seasons ahead. Even in ministry we may go through dry seasons where we don’t sense the presence of God around us. God does it so he can break us and humble us. The power of brokenness results in humility and surrender to the will of God. The Lord breaks our ideas and plans to unleash his. “When God breaks our hearts it results in Genuine power”
Prayer and Fasting: When we pray and fast the presence and power of God fills us to a great extent. It is a place where the heart is broken so your dependency is no longer on self but on God. We pray to let God know that we depend on him for everything and nothing of our flesh will prevail. The Bible says “No flesh can Glory in his Presence”. Our hearts are reshaped in the place of prayer. 1Chronicles 7:15 “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and heal their land”. Prayer closet is the place where the desire of the flesh die and the will of God is activated. We often go around asking and seeking the will of God from men of God. But we need to seek the God of men to know his will in our lives. Before God can activate his will he needs to break our hearts. THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF GOD BREAKING US IS TO REMOVE PRIDE FROM US AND INTRODUCE CHRIST LIKE HUMILITY IN US.
Death/Loss: Losing loved ones does create severe pain and brokenness. Respected and Honored Late Dr.DGS Dhinakaran lost his daughter in a tragic car accident that resulted in great pain and agony to him personally and his family. In the place of his brokenness God unleashed his power and authority in a greater level unlike never before. There were doubts and questions in his mind regarding this tragic death but the Lord strengthened them with power as he kept his eyes on Jesus Christ. He was promised that his daughter is safe in heaven and one day he would see his daughter. This comforted them to a great extent. But the pain and loss of losing a loved one can only be replaced by the Love of Jesus Christ.
God can use broken vessels and release his power and Glory. If we yield to his will and die to self we are candidates of God’s power in our lives. Surrender your heart today to the Lord and see the great work he will do.
I like to leave you with a powerful verse that has always strengthened me personally.
The sacrifices of God are [fn] a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.- Psalm 51:17
God Bless
Cleophas David.