Is my heart loyal to God? - Pastor Frank Dana

♥️ A Decision Must Be Made 

In this message from August 9, 2026 Pastor Frank breaks down the question of loyalty through 1 Chronicles 28:9 and 2 Chronicles 16:9. He gives definitions of loyalty and your heart beyond the biological concept. This message challenges us to think about what or whom we are loyal to. 

• If you don’t have reverence for God and who He is you won’t be loyal to Him
• He put a void in your heart that only He can fill
• God wants to demonstrate His strength in your life
• The question is not ‘is God looking for His people’ but ‘are His people seeking after Him’

Full Service: https://youtu.be/I8LvDtnXAjw?si=8_V0P8nMczbTaVV_

Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:00

So Oliver's gonna put a question up on the board, but it's not the question, don't write this question down. It's not the actual question I'm gonna ask you, but it's something that the Lord's laid on my heart. So go ahead and put the just the first part, yeah. So is my heart loyal? Okay? As you think about that, think about this. So some of you are wondering, okay, maybe what's some of those words mean, so I'm glad you asked. So I got the I got the definition of them down. Because that's not the question for today. That's a simple, easy question to answer, and most of you would answer yes with that. Is my heart loyal? What does loyal look like? Complete. At peace. Feel like it has a reward or it's whole. Alright? So when you think about loyal, that's what I want you to think about. Complete, at peace. Feel like it's had a reward, and it's whole. Nothing lacking. Alright? So remember that. Remember that now. So now let me share with you what your heart looks like. It's more than just that thing that beats on the inside of you. Okay? Sometimes we hear that, sometimes we think, whole heart. Okay, you're talking about that thing beating on the inside of you, no. That is your heart. Don't misunderstand me, but that's not what he's trying to ask you here. So the heart is the very center of one's personality. It's also the seat of one's entire mental and moral activity, containing both rational and emotional elements. It is a seat of feelings, desires, joy and pain and love. It is also the center for thoughts and understanding and will. So the human heart is the dwelling place now of the Lord and the Holy Spirit. The Lord God sees into the innermost being where all decisions concerning Him are made. Okay? So when you think about that, so now you understand about your heart. Okay? You've got completely away from that thing that just beating in there. Now you're talking about who I am. And that's exactly what he wants you to see today. So now put the question up on the board for me with the scriptures. Because see, we can answer that first one really easy. Is my heart loyal? But when you come and add those next two words in there, it changes everything. Is my heart loyal to God? And if the truth was known, if the truth was, if you would just be willing to share the truth, and I'll share the truth with you, because I'll share this with you. Is my heart loyal to God? Sometimes, sometimes not. Oh, I can't believe that. You're the pastor. You're supposed to be loyal to God all the time. I'm just like you. Don't you look at me no different? We're all the same. God sees no different in me than he sees you. God has no partiality. Okay? I'll give you a wonderful example he's revealed to me through this. And I I'm uh almost ashamed to share it with you. But you you heard me heard me um talk about my hands before, about getting them operated on. And I made a major mistake. And I made the same mistake that I I see in the Bible and I've read, and we're gonna see that today, that some of the kings made. Now I'm not no king by no means, but but I made that mistake. Because here's the mistake I made. See, my wife said you need to carry oil with you over there to the elders' meeting and ask the elders to pray for your hands. And I did. And there was no doubt in my mind now, when they were praying for me, that I felt the power of God run all the way, because this was the hand that was the worst at the time. I felt the power of God run all the way to the end of my fingers. And I told them, I said, God has healed me. But I was disloyal to him, and now I suffer the consequences of that. Because if I would have went after that and counseled my doctor's appointment, but I chose to let the doctor do the operation instead of letting God do it. And now I suffer with that. My hands are worse now than they've ever been. I just deal with it. I have I have two trigger fingers on one hand. Never had that before until after the surgery. My fingers on the ends are just they're so sensitive that I wear gloves most all the time just to be able to do stuff. Because I did not allow my heart to be loyal to God, this is the consequence. Some of you may not agree with that. You I don't care. That's what God revealed to me. I said, okay, Lord, you'll give me the strength to be able to deal with this. I know. You've showed me I've I dealt with it. I mean, it's been going on for two years now. I've had people pray over it, had people. I miss my opportunity. Now, will he one day heal it?

unknown 6:41

I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 6:42

He will when I get to heaven. I know that. I won't have to deal with him up there. Hallelujah. But I have learned a valuable lesson in this. So again, that's what I ask you now. Is your heart loyal to God? Has God asked you to do something? And you've put him off, or you've decided different, or you changed your mind, are you going to use your own mind? Do you do your own way? Because when I unveil to you what the scripture says, I don't have much time to do this, but I just want to share with you, because this is two kings that we see, and you understand what happens whenever you are loyal and when you're not loyal. Praise God for grace, because listen to me. The grace of God allows me to still run my machine and still do a very good job at doing that. But he's also allowing me to learn a lesson in this. And I share these lessons with you because why? Because the Bible does the very same thing. When we unleash the Bible, we go to look at the Bible and we understand there's lessons in there for you and I. Things that happen that happened because why? Because they were not loyal to God. But we expect to just treat God like a chair or something like that, or like Mama Shalom, just like we want to treat the word of God like it's nothing. And then we expect God to do stuff for us. But yet we got to be loyal to God. Because you're gonna find that in the Word of God. You're thinking I'm just sharing this with you out of myself. No, I'm gonna bring the Word of God to life to you, and you're gonna understand what I'm saying about you. So again, whenever it comes time to be loyal to God, you'll give it a second thought. Because we'll be loyal to all of our employers, we'll be loyal to them, but yet we cannot be loyal to God. What's wrong with us? We have no fear of God. That's what's wrong. And I'm not telling you be afraid of God, I'm telling you have no reverence of God. You don't see him as awe, you don't see him as almighty and all great and awesome. You don't see him as the one who can heal you, the one who can restore you, the one who can give you hope and give you life. You don't see him as that. You may sing about him, but you don't see him as that. If he did, you'd be loyal to him. That's what I'm trying to share with you. Again, this gets down in the depths of you. That's what God wants. He's after your heart. He's after everything I just shared about that. Everything I shared about the heart, that's what he's after. That part of you. But he has to get it first before you'll ever be loyal to him. You'll be loyal to your spouse, you'll be loyal to your grandchildren, your children. But when it comes to God, something happens and we cannot seem to follow through with loyalty to him. Or is it just me? Am I the only one? Due to time, go to let's go to 1 Chronicles 28 verse 9. 1 Chronicles 28, verse 9. As for you, my son Solomon. Now this is this is David sharing. For you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father. And you see, that's what a small F, that's why it's David sharing this, the God of your father, and serve him. Capital H means serve God, what he's telling him. With a what kind of heart? Loyal heart. And with a willing mind. Because here's what I share with you. When God gets your heart, he'll get your mind. Well, all we want to do him is we just want to give him our mind. And giving him our mind keeps us about 18 inches from heaven. Because if all you've got him is right here, you ain't got him. Because he'll tell you, quick, depart from me because I never knew you. Because why? Because all you had was the mind. He said, I need your heart. Because when I get your heart, I get you. You heard what I read about the heart. Do I need to read it again so it begins to unveil to you why he says that? Why did he say that David is a man after my own heart? David understood the heart of God. Did he mess up? Sure he did. But he was loyal to God. Do we mess up? Sure we do. But are we willing to be loyal to God? Because so many times here's what happens. We want to blame God for our situation. And then hold a grudge against God. God's the only reason you got through your situation. Then he goes on and says this. For the Lord searches all hearts and understandings and all the intent of the thoughts. So again, you've got to understand he knows your heart because why? Because he's searching it. You don't have to wonder. You don't have to wonder whether he's searching for your heart. You don't have to wonder whether he knows your heart. You can't hide it from him. He created it. He put a void in it for why? So he wanted you to need him. And when you fill that void with him in your heart, your heart changes. But not before. Because there's folks that come to church over and over and over, and they got it right here. Because they're afraid to open their heart up to God. Because why? Because they're afraid that God's going to change something on the inside of them. And all he's going to do is make it better. But you think you've already got it better. And you steady without hope. Tell him, baby. So if you seek him now, he says, he will be found by you. Okay? He's getting personal here. He's telling Solomon that. He wants us to understand this as believers. If you'll seek after him, you'll find him. You won't have no trouble finding him. You're going to see that in the next scripture that I share with you. Then he goes on and says this, but if you forsake him, woe now, whoa, whoa. Here we go. We don't want to hear this part. We want to just stop before that. If you seek him, you'll find him. All right, let's go on to another verse. I don't want to hear the next part. He says this if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever. God will do that if you decide to forsake him. Do you think you're going to get to heaven and never even come to the knowledge of Jesus and then expect him just to welcome you home? That's what the world says today. Do what you want to do. Do it's alright. There is no circumstances. It's okay. Do it, do it, do it, and who cares? And there's people going to hell every single day because nobody will stand up and preach the truth to them. That God will not put up with that. He cannot put up with that because that's what his law says. That's who he is, and he's a just and a holy God. But he's a God of grace and he's a God of hope, and he's a God of peace, and he will surround you with that. But you must seek after him. Don't expect anything different. Can he can he save the most valus he can? But somewhere along the line, the heart must open up. On the cross, when Jesus was up there with the two thieves on each side, they were seeing him as a thief as well. One had mind sense. You want to understand what that looks like? That's the worldly side. Okay? That's what the world says. I don't need you, Jesus. At the brink of death, he says, I don't need you. You can't help me, I don't need you. A heart that's been softened by God says, I need you, Jesus. Will you please remember me? And Jesus' reply is, Today, because you've opened your heart up to me, you will come with me in paradise. He never turned around and said that to the other one. Because why? Because he'd done closed his heart up and he closed his mind up. He only said it to the one who opened their heart up. So don't you dare tell me, don't you dare tell me that every last person's going to heaven. Don't you dare tell me that. Because if that would have happened, the other one would have gone with him as well. But he never said that to him. He only said it to the one. There must be a decision made in your life, just as the man on the cross made a decision right before death. And believe me, there's many that do that at death. More people come to Jesus in tragedy than any other way. I don't understand that. But that's how they come. Because they've tried everything else. And he's a last resort. Let's turn over because I'm out of time. Let's turn over to 2 Chronicles now. Now, this is another king, Aza. And I love this here because Azza, and see, and you're going to find that in many kings because here's what I share with you. You want to know the loyalty. Again, that's why I shared you that story about the loyalty. So you're we're loyal in certain things, but other things we're not. Why is that? Because we think we can handle them ourselves. He just got through defeating Zira, if I said that right, an Ethiopian army of a million. Now listen to me. There was a million soldiers in that army. I can't even five them that many. He had 580,000. Almost two to one. Now, if you were to thinking that in your mind and you were going to war, do you think you'd come out the winner or the loser? Two to one. You're going to come out the winner or the loser? He sought God and he came out the winner. But he was why? Because he decided to be loyal to God. Alright? And then guess what happens? So we have something in our life that's big, and we choose to seek after God. We try to seek after the Lord. We try to seek after him, being loyal to him, asking him, being guided by him, doing everything we need by him. And then all of a sudden we get that accomplished, and here comes something up a little bit smaller. So here comes another war, and it happens. Now this was a small group. What happens? See, our heart begins to lie to us, and our mind begins to believe it. Because he said, Okay, we just beat this army of a million. Now we're gonna go up against a smaller company. That won't be nothing. Lord, we don't need you on this one. They chased them back and made them look like fools. Because why? Because they chose not to be loyal to God. Same thing happened with Joshua and they went over in the promised land. First thing they come to was Jericho. They walk around Jericho. Like I said, God, I and I've shared this before, God will make you do things that don't make sense. They walk around, he said, walk one time around Jericho. It would make no sound whatsoever as you walk around it. They've done that for six days. He said, Now on the seventh day, I want you to go around it seven times, and whenever you get done with the seventh time, I want everybody to come together at one time and bust your bust your pots and pans and holler and play and do all that, make as loud a noise as you make. We done that up for Venus here a while back. I don't I'd like to blew the roof off that place. It was amazing. But anyhow, so so again, that's what happened. But God brought those walls down. And let me share this with you too. Because I shared it up here, and I want you to understand that somebody's been been dealing with Jericho. But when those walls come down, now you think about these walls, they were massive walls. Big, wide, big, disappeared into the ground. That's how God does it. He don't leave shrubbles for you to run, jump over, try to climb over and all that. He pushes it down to the ground. And they went right on in and took it out. The only one that didn't go down was Rehab and her house. So don't tell me God ain't able. So then after that, they went after other ones, and then all of a sudden, they began to, their loyalty began to change. Because why? Because then they decided, okay, we got this. Lord's been with us all that time. I really don't need to. I know he's gonna be there. I ain't gonna ask him. I'm just gonna I'm gonna know he's gonna be there. And they run them back. Like they ain't never fought in a war. In their life. And God said, Well, you decided to do it without me. Without me giving you the way I wanted you to do it. Because they chose not to be loyal to God. But what did that do for them? It changed their hearts. Because from then on, you'll never hear again that they didn't seek God first. That's what it looks like to be loyal to God is to seek after him first. So listen to what it says in this. This is 2 Chronicles 16, verse 9. Oliver's got it for us. For the eyes of the Lord, now listen now, run, not walk, run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to him. Amen? Before I read the next part, and you've already read the last part. There's times when I wish I could, I didn't have that up there and I could just read it the way I wanted to and blot that out until you've seen it later because I want you to understand. But what I want to explain to you now is what he says that the end is because he chose not to be loyal to God as had already defeated, defeated, but now he died not to be loyal to God. And you see what it is? What I'm trying to share with you is some of you are in that place today. There's things that's been happening that you've been praying about and praying about and praying about, and it seems like the more you pray, the less it happens, the less it happens, and less it happens. Because why? Because you chose not to be loyal to God. You're calling on him, but when he answers you and tells you how he wants you to do it, you don't like it. I don't like that way, Lord. I ain't doing it that way. Keep on keeping on what you're doing then. I don't want to march around one day, two days, three days, four days, five days, six days. And I don't have to march seven times around in one day. I don't want to do that. I don't want to have to speak to that mountain and tell it to be moved. I want you to do that. You're the Lord God Almighty. You do it. He said, I gave you the ability to do it. You listen to me and I'll tell you how to do it. But no, we're gonna become God ourselves, and we're gonna start demanding God to do this and do that and do this and do that. Is that loyalty? Not according to what I read. Then he goes on and says, In this you have done foolishly. Because understand this. I love this. God wants to demonstrate his strength in your life. He can't do it if you're not loyal to him. See, you don't have to hear, you don't have to go hunt God up. He already knows where you're at. All you gotta do is let him know you're ready to do what he's asked you to do. Because see, we think, oh, I gotta go find God, go find God, go find God. If your heart's loyal, he's running looking, he because he's looking for you. Why? Because he knows he can pour his strength into you and you will have victory. Every single time. And then guess who gets the credit? Not you. Oh, we want a credit, we want credit. I need somebody to pat me on the back. I need some credit from somebody. You being you being loyal to yourself and not to God. God said, This is for me to show my strength, he said. You have no strength without me, is what he's saying. Remember what he said? In your weakness, you become strong. If you've got a weakness in your life that you're dealing with, will you be loyal to God and let him know that? So why? So as he's running to and fro, he'll stop and give you the strength you need at the moment you need it. But he's not about going to give it to you beforehand. Because you'll use it and mess it all up. It's at the moment that you need it. I shared last Sunday. I said, when I'm sitting out there, I'm standing out there, when I'm singing, whatever I'm doing, I feel I have no power, no authority, no nothing. But the moment that I step into what he's called me to do, that's whenever the need that I need arises. He gives me the authority, he gives me what I need because why? Because that's who he is. And we we learn that. When he sends you to go pray for someone, you go. It may not make sense to you. You may be going after somebody you don't even have a clue who they are. And sometimes those prayers are more powerful than the ones that you know. Because you'll, here's what happens when if we're not careful, when we go pray for somebody we know. We'll start trying to pray for what we think they want to hear. So be very careful about that. You listen to what God tells you and you pray the way He tells you to pray. Because again, where's your loyalty? Is it you or is your loyalty on that person? Because let me share this with you. If you're more loyal to that person than you are to God, you will not pray for them in the right way. And they'll walk out of here unprayed for. But whenever you are loyal to God and God tells you to give that word that person a word, and you give that person that word, then they they receive it and you watch what happens. Now they may get upset with you at the moment, they may reject you at the moment. But if God gives a word and He He shares that word with you, and it lines up with Scripture now, again, it must line up with the Scripture because the enemy will do the same thing if you're not careful. So the question is not whether God is looking for his people, but whether is his people seeking after him. Ask yourself that. With a loyal heart, am I seeking after God? Or am I seeking after the God of this world? Because you can seek after God. You can either seek after the little G God or the big G God. You're gonna seek after one or the other. Now the little G God will come running after you too. But he never has any hope that'll last. Now these teenagers, see if they were sitting in here now, I would share with them. But they think that this little G God has got everything, all everything lined up for them and got all the hope. They just need to put their hope in him. Because he's got everything, just I mean, got all these nice things laid out. Just like he done you and I before we become believers. Some of us younger, some of us older. I followed the little G God for a long time, 30-something years, before that chain got broke. Between my sister and my wife, praying. God releasing himself on me. And I remember just like it was yesterday, 30 years ago, I come almost running to the front of the church. And I shared many times, wild horses couldn't have held me back that day. I didn't know where I was going, I just knew I was going. I knew something was changing, and I need I needed to go on with a change. And that's whenever it began. I surrendered and decided that day was the day I needed salvation. Never seen it before, never wanted it before. Some of you in here today, you're only in here because you came, because you had to come. You see no need for salvation. Because you got a you got a you got a burr underneath your saddle because of something God did that you believe it's you blamed him for. And the whole time God's been helping you try to get away from it and get out of it. But I've seen it that day as a day of salvation, and I never forgot that day. And you always can remember that. That's why I share with you that you're gonna always go back to that day. I don't care if you're if you were in your your house, in your bathroom, bedroom, at a church, at a revival. You can always remember that day because why? Because the enemy will try to steal that from you. And God said there's one thing that he can't steal, and that's your salvation. So when you know that you've received that gift and you've got it and you possess it, the enemy can try to tell you all he wants to tell you. Look at what you've done. Look at all the things you've done. I don't care. I know that I know he saved my soul that day. Because I chose to seek after him. As the worship team comes, now I'm done. Because I want you to understand that God's intent for you to is have victory and reign in life. That's his intent. But he also asks you to be loyal to him so he can give you the strength that you need and the time that you needed. So again, I ask you now as you begin to to to begin to think about this. And you begin to look at the inner part of yourself. Because I think I need to share one more time about your heart. You heard about the loyal part. Complete, at peace. Give your whole heart to God. The heart is the center of one's personality, it's the seed of one's entire mental and moral activity. It contains both rational and emotional elements. It's the seat of the feelings, the desires, the joy, the pain, and the love. It is also the center for thoughts and understanding and will. The human heart is the dwelling place of the Lord and the Holy Spirit. Is he dwelling there today in you? If not, you've got a chance to come. You come and say, I need the Lord God. I need the Holy Spirit to dwell in my heart. The Lord God sees into the innermost being where all decisions concerning him are made. What kind of decisions are you are you making today? Are they in line with him or in line with you? What I'm telling with you is don't give up. Don't quit. Don't throw in the towel. Just keep on keeping on. But once you begin to allow the inner part of you to change, and you allow the love of God to pour into you, because remember what the love of God is. You go to uh uh 1 Corinthians 13, you'll find it. He tells you what that is, and one Johnny tells you God is love. So you read the definition of love, you understand what that love looks like. That's what he wants to put in you, so you can give that away. He wants to give you strength to be able to withstand the things that you're going through right now so he can have victory in your life.