We have heard it said over and over again that Jamaica is a nice place to visit, how beautiful Jamaica is, how blessed we are as a nation of diverse people. We hear of the lovely white sandy beaches and the waters running through; not to mention the food, the weather, and the freedom to enjoy it all. But it is clear that there is a struggle in the heart of the people in general.
Each time we are about to give birth to something significant, they bring it to naught and abort it because of the heart condition. The cycle to bring down the nation continues, opening the door to physical and spiritual abortion. The people of the nation continue to wander in the wilderness, some dying during the process and will never see the Promised Land.
I always say that there is nothing wrong with Jamaica, it is the heart of the people that is the problem. Jamaica will never be changed by the elite, the political hierarchy, the plethora of experts, nor Artificial Intelligence and its components. It will only be changed by God when the people seek after Him to receive a new and repentant heart. (Ezekiel 36)
The Heart
The heart is the source of evil actions regardless of the promise made by old or new political parties, or many calling for the nation to go Republic. That would not help us, it would only hinder us as a nation.
Jamaica is not struggling because we have an education problem, we have very intelligent people, highly educated people; yet we continue to fail because of the heart condition.
The Bible speaks of the heart – good and evil – and when God is going to bring change to a nation, He always raises up a leader with a heart after His own. Matthew 15: 19 – 20 reminds us: “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”
This scripture alone shows you that the heart is the source of the problem within our nation. So, when we are selecting leaders for the nation, we must go beyond education or what we perceive as intellect.
If one’s heart is evil, then there is a wrong spirit which will bring defilement to the entire nation and the people they are leading. If you have the wrong spirit, it is going to cause those below to become unclean; what flows from the top flows to the bottom. An evil heart or a hard heart would not have the best interest of the people they lead at heart.
Repentance and Divine Intervention Needed
Unless there is repentance and Divine intervention, Jamaica is on the verge of more deception, oppression and failure, because we have failed to look to God to bring change.
The people have been changing colors over the years, but no change has been made in the heart. So, when God wants to bring change He raises up the following hearts:
New Heart
Repentant Heart
Right Spirit
Heart of Flesh
Established heart
Faithful Heart
Stirred up heart
Pure Heart
Remember that the life in a leader’s heart is composed of what he consumes with his mind and spirit; so, he experiences what he has “eaten”.
Can one expect real change from an uncircumcised heart, a proud heart, evil heart, hardened heart, hypocritical heart, wicked heart, rebellious heart, deceitful heart, whorish heart – just some of the negative hearts of which the Bible speaks.
The Key to Discernment
The key to discernment is to identify the kinds of hearts with which you come in contact; particularly when we engage in business, politics, relationships.
Oftentimes we make choices based on the external things – what we see, wat we hear. It may look good on the outside, but it is an evil heart. God had to teach Samuel the Prophet an important lesson, when He decided to anoint a new king.
Regardless of the system in place, things will become even more corrupt. There is still bitterness, envy and greed that has penetrated the heart of the society. There are many good plans and proposals that have been given to bring positive change, but because of evil hearts and jealous hearts, they prefer to die or abort mission, before they allow it to come forth. Yet these are the hypocrites that would speak publicly about what the Church is doing and what they believe God is doing. If things don’t come from their little group or clique, then it will never see the light of day.
Now we know why crime and other situations can’t be changed. It is the Heart.
The Church
There are many looking to the Church for change. But we are seeing the same wicked, evil hearts present in the Church. We must pray that the Lord raises up Fivefold leaders, each with a father’s heart.
We should never forget that in Jesus’ time on earth. The hearts of the Pharisee’s tried to block everything and He could not do any mighty work among His people. Many will pray for revival but when God answers prayers, they will be the ones to fight and block, simply because God is not doing it though them. Some would prefer to take a jab than listen to and obey God.