For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward Him…
2 Chronicles 16:9a
How does one’s heart appear perfect before God?
Each person has their own relationship with God
Each of us must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling
It is not enough to believe in God
Ye believe in God? you do well. The demons also believe and tremble
Look to His word and see what He will show you
I can only touch on some of what I know
Each person has to have their own relationship with Christ,
drink from their own cistern,
and hear from and learn from the Lord Jesus Christ him or herself
What He requires of one, He may not require of another,
So outwardly, there is no way to know how to be perfect before God
What He has written in His word is so vast, so deep and so wide
that we can only touch on a few things here
Because if you search every character,
every scripture that talks about how to bow our hearts before God,
it might take us more than several life times
If you think of Noah, he bowed His heart before the Lord
While there are only a few who God recognizes in His word in that regard, whenever he showed Himself strong on someone’s behalf,
you can be sure God was looking at their hearts,
not their imperfections
Moses, Lot, Joseph, Jacob, Noah, Samuel, David, Josiah and many others
David was one character I think of in particular
the first we know of was the battle with Goliath,
God started revealing Himself to David long before he met Goliath
and worked with Him his entire life through thick and thin
Josiah was the most righteous king in the Bible
God was very pleased with him because he cleared out all idols
and cleansed the land he ruled over of other gods and goddesses
and did many other works that pleased the Lord,
not to be confused with fleshly works
Job, of course, was very pleasing to the Lord
and was aggravated by Satan for it
God is looking at hearts
His eyes are searching the earth for those whose hearts are perfect toward Him
Do not be fooled
This is not about your accomplishments,
as we think of in the world,
this is about us allowing Him, God, to do deep work in our hearts,
cleansing the secret parts of us that we may not even be aware of
and submitting to Him to rule our lives
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23&24
Scriptural References:
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. James 2:19
Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well. Proverbs 5:15
When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek. Psalm 27:8
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me John 10:27
These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. Genesis 6:9
But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.
1 Samuel 13:14
But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7
Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 1 Kings 15:5
And like unto him [Josiah] was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him. 2 Kings 23:25
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. Job 1:1
Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10