"Have you heard the old adage, 'You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink'? Well, here is the real truth of that statement. You can't even lead a horse to water if he refuses to go! All you can do for some horses is say, 'There's the water over there. If you want to drink, you will have to walk yourself there. I will come along for the journey, if you'd like, but I'm not going to drag you there!' You have nearly completed this book. It has been full of information about your heart and how it can be, and should be, transformed. As you read this last chapter, my prayer is that you will look forward, see the 'water', and go take a thirst-quenching drink, over and over.
Throughout this book, you have been given three visual aids to help you grow in your understanding of what your heart truly looks like. We have examined the Tabernacle of the Old Testament in light of how it represents the journey of our hearts, our very life-path, from the moment that we step into Christ to the moment that we are face to face with Him in eternity. We have looked at a simple representation of our heart with all of its breaches and cracks, gaining a unique look at the sins, the gods, and the idols that have accumulated there since our birth. Finally, in the chapters on surrender, we were able to visualize how those layers of sin can trap the Holy Spirit inside of us, unless we break through the sin with our surrender and repentance. I believe that these visuals will help us all see that the matter of our heart is serious business to God, and the journey through it will be difficult, but necessary, for us to make. He desires that our hearts be a proper home for Him, one in which He is comfortable. But for Him to have that proper home, we will go through processes that will make us uncomfortable.
Without an understanding that we are to enter into a relationship with Jesus so that we can begin to be conformed to His image, we will helplessly wander in the wilderness of salvation without sanctification. From our salvation all the way to standing in the presence of the Living God, we are to be engaged in a progressive process that is designed to unite, bind up, and restore our broken, damaged, and yes, sin-filled hearts. This sanctification, our perfecting in Christ, is accomplished when we begin to surrender piece by painful piece to the only One who can transform our hearts into hearts that are united and that fear the name of Jesus."
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