The Shocking Sin of a Perfect Heart — David Wilkerson

Asa’s Perfect Heart and Shocking Failure

Open your Bibles to 2 Chronicles, the 15th chapter. My book, America's Last Call, we're going to the printers shortly, and its subtitle is America on the Brink of a Financial Holocaust. We'll be making those available to this congregation and to our mailing list throughout the United States, around the world, hopefully in the next 30 days or so.

This morning, the shocking sin of a perfect heart. Now, Heavenly Father, I know that when I spent time with you this week, you put this on my heart. I didn't invent this message. It didn't come out of my own thinking.

Something birthed in your own heart, and I pray, Lord, you sanctify my vessel that I deliver it from a righteous heart, righteous only through Christ Jesus, and that it fall upon hearing ears. I pray for a special unction anointing of the Holy Spirit upon this word, I pray.

Let everyone hear it, and Lord, let us apply it to our hearts, I pray. Lord, quicken me by your Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can make this truth come alive. Otherwise, it's dead letter. So, Father, I turn to you for the moving and the quickening of the Holy Ghost.

In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. I'm going to talk to you about the shocking sin of a man in the Bible who was, it was said of him, he was perfect all his days. He was perfect all his days. Yet this godly, praying, obedient man of God fell into a shocking sin after years of seeking the Lord.

Now, the whole premise of my message this morning is simply this, and listen very closely if you will, please. It's possible to walk for many years with the Lord, to be a praying man or woman, to be obedient, to hate evil, to pull down satanic strongholds, and be blessed and highly honored of the Lord, and be known as one who lived for holiness and hated sin, and a crusader for holiness.

And after years of such blessings, it's possible to fall into the shocking sin that I want to talk to you about this morning. I call it a shocking sin because it should not be expected of somebody who's had such experience with the faithfulness of God.

It's shocking in view of the past experiences with God, and that he was such a righteous man. The man who committed this sin is Asa, king of Judah. Now, Asa in the Bible comes on the scene with these words, and Asa did that which is right and good in the eyes of the Lord.

That's chapter 14, verse 2. Asa did that which is good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. What a wonderful start this king had. Incredible. Verses 2 to 5, look, on down verse 3, he took away the alters of the strains gods in the high places.

He break down the images and cut down the groves. He commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to do the law and the prophets. He took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places, the images, and the kingdom was quiet before him.

The kingdom was quiet. Now Asa was brought up in a home where a father's name was Abijah. And Abijah, though he didn't have that perfect heart, he never turned away. He did rely on the Lord. It's amazing how God moves for those who trust him.

You may not be where you should be in the Lord, but God still responds to trust and confidence. And a huge army, 800 ,000 Israelites, came down against Judah. And the Scripture makes it clear, because they kept the charge of the Lord and did not forsake him, and they relied on the Lord God of their fathers, that God delivered this huge army into a smaller army of Judah and gave them victory.

And Asa had watched as God honored his father, because he trusted him. And the Scripture says that his father Abijah grew mighty. Now he was raised in this. Now when Asa came to the throne, he started incredibly a righteous man, doing away with idolatry, full of hatred for sin.

Now Asa said his heart, the Scripture said, for the Lord, for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years, because the Lord had given him rest. Chapter 14, verse 7, because we have sought the Lord, Asa said, we have sought him, he had given us rest on every side, so they built and prospered.

God Gives Order to Those Who Seek Him

Now I want you to listen very closely. Look this way. When you read the Old Testament, the first thing that's going to strike you, if you have an open heart and open mind, is how God absolutely favors and blesses those who seek him with all their hearts.

He gives them favor, he blesses, and he takes disorder and turns it into order. He brings order into homes, nations, and families of those who seek him with all their heart. You find that with Abijah, you find it now with Asa, you find it with all the kings, all through the Old Testament.

It's so clear. I love reading Kings and Chronicles. I love 1st, 2nd, Samuel. I read all of these to look at these incredible patterns, and you see it. You can't miss it. The Bible speaks of King Uzziah, for example.

As long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper. And Isaiah tells us, explains the kind of prosperity that the Bible is talking about. In fact, Isaiah, in Isaiah 65 10, spoke of those, my people who seek me.

And he goes on to explain that they are given peaceful pasture to lay down in, green pastures by still waters. He said those who seek God wholeheartedly are given peace, rest, and a quiet heart, and the ending of chaos and confusion in their lives.

Now that's where I'm headed in this message this morning. The scripture, David said in Psalms 46 9, he, God, makes all wars to cease from the ends of the earth. That inner war, that war in your family, that war on your job, God causes it to cease for those who seek him with all their hearts, completely.

Do you want God to bring order into your home, into your life? Is there disorder? Is there confusion? Are things not the way they should be? And you know it in your heart. The scripture says, as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.

Because he sought the Lord, God gave him rest on all sides. David said, I sought the Lord. He heard me and delivered me from all my fears. He delivered me from all my fears. I was counseling, somebody had been in the ministry, and this dear man of God began to pour out an incredible story of confusion and chaos and disorder in his life.

His marriage was about to fail. His job was in jeopardy. He was in financial chaos, about to lose his home. Everything was going wrong after serving the Lord for such a long time. He'd been a sacrificial person, but something had happened and everything was going wrong.

And I sat there for about an hour listening. I have never heard such an incredible tale of chaos, disorder everywhere you turn. There was not one single thing, not his children, not his family, not his job.

There was nothing in order. Everything was chaos. And I, all of a sudden the Spirit of God came on me and I just stopped him. I said, wait a minute. I said, I have something the Holy Ghost is saying to me about you.

You're here in my office expecting me to give you some kind of supernatural advice that's going to suddenly solve all your problems. And you're expecting that when I pray for you that I'm going to prevail in prayer and God's suddenly going to bring order out of all of this chaos.

I said it won't work. I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to pray for you when you haven't prayed in months. I'm not going to take your burden when I know that you sit in front of a television set half the day because you're in despair.

You don't read your Bible. And I said it lovingly, but I said I know what God is saying to me. So I get letters from people all over the United States and around the world who laid their heavy chaotic conditions out on paper and say, please pray.

Get Times Square people to pray for my problems. And the Holy Ghost has so often said, I know they are not praying. They forsake me and neglect me days on end. No wonder there's such disorder and chaos in so many homes and jobs and everything going wrong because they don't take that quality daily time shut into the secret closet.

They are not into this book learning about God's faithfulness. I'm not saying that the seeker after God is going to have everything in his life in order all of a sudden. I'm not saying that there aren't going to be problems.

There'd be children that'll be out of order perhaps. There'll be situations that are chaotic around you. But what happens is that the chaos has gone from your heart. The disorder is removed from your mind so that you are lifted above it.

You are in order when everything around you may be in disorder. The Bible says the heart of Asa was perfect all his days. That's chapter 15 verse 17. Now that word perfect in Hebrew. Now wouldn't you like to have a perfect heart?

Oh my, my, what a powerful statement. He had a perfect heart. Now that didn't mean he was sinless. Doesn't mean it was without blemish. This man probably had as many problems as you and I do trying to keep our temper in control and all these other things of human nature.

No, the word in Hebrew means full, complete, at rest, friendly, quiet. In other words, the Lord had given him a quiet peace. He was trusting in his God because he'd been shut in with God. He's a seeker after God.

And those who go into the secret presence of the Lord are gifted with peace and rest and confidence in the Lord. When it says he had a perfect heart, it means he had a trusting, quiet, friendly heart as compared to an angry, upset spirit like I see in many so-called saints who ain't.

You seek him with all your heart and the Lord gives you this kind of a perfect heart, a heart that is shut in with God, is soon put in order. It's lifted above the crisis, above the turmoil. It's strengthened and you come out of your closet with your prayer closet with a quiet confidence in the Lord.

I had a letter this week from a sister in the Midwest and I thought it was going to be an awful tale of problems again. Incredible, because her son had just gotten a divorce. Her daughter just found out her husband had cheated on her and she's going to file for divorce and she'd just been notified.

She just found out her husband had cheated on her and he had just come that day and asked for a divorce. So with three divorces in her family within a few few weeks. And I thought, oh my. And then all of a sudden, the last few paragraphs, she said, but praise the Lord.

I have wonderful times in prayer. I seek God with all my heart and I am being strengthened, brother Dave. I am being encouraged in the Lord and God's holding me tight. This woman, everything around her is in disorder, but her mind is in divine order.

There's a peace, there's a rest in her because she, oh she has her bad days, she said, but she said, I always run to Jesus and he makes it all right. Now, Asia had enjoyed years of peace and tranquility until one day there came a million-man Ethiopian army against him.

Testing Faith in the Ethiopian Invasion

Now folks, let me tell you something. Bad things do happen to good people. This man wasn't being chastened by the Lord because he was not living sin. He's a seeker after God. He was not being judged, but he was being tested.

Why do bad things happen to many good, holy, godly Christians who pray? Because God will test your faith. Whom the Lord loves he chastens, yes, but also he said he's going to try our faith to bring it forth as pure gold.

Now the Lord's looking at this man. Now here's a man who for a number of years now he's trusted the Lord faithfully. There's been quiet and peace and now this million-man army with 300 iron chariots.

Nothing frightened armies in those days had nothing but spears and swords than iron chariots. That's like tanks today. 300 tanks? 300 iron chariots coming? Now is Isaac going to panic? Is he going to say, well I remember how the Lord's delivered me here and he delivered me here and he delivered me then, and he goes over and recounts all of the ways that God has blessed and kept and prospered and delivered him from fears and from his enemies?

Is he going to remember how God delivered his father Abijah from an 800 ,000-man army with just a small army on their side? Does he recount all of that? Oh thank God Asa didn't panic. I thank God that his faith held true.

The scripture said King Asa turned to prayer. Chapter 14 verse 11 and Asa cried unto the Lord his God and said, Lord it's nothing with thee to help whether with many or with them that have no power. What do you say?

Well I don't know what to do. That's a wonderful place to be where you don't know what to do. You don't know what to say. You can't think, you can't think it through. You know I'm going to get to the place where we'll tell you it's a sin to even try to think it through.

When the Lord's just saying you're to rely on me. Remember what his father's testimony is because God delivered us because we relied on him. We trusted in him completely and the scripture makes it very clear here that he said whether with many or with them that have no power.

Help us O Lord our God for we rest on thee and in thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord thou art our God. Let no man prevail against thee. So the Lord smote Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah and the Ethiopians fled.

And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gera. The Ethiopians were overthrown that they could not recover themselves for they were destroyed before the Lord and before his host and they carried away very much spoil.

Now you see again what happens for a man, for a people, for a nation that totally relies on the Lord. This mighty King says father we have no power, we have no might, we don't know what to do but pray.

We don't know anything that to seek God and God marvelously this million-man army was turned into confusion and chaos. You talk about disorder they were running everywhere those chariots the wheels came off.

There was an incredible victory, incredible victory. This was a powerful faith this man had and God was answering. So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before him and before Judah and the Ethiopians fled.

Victory, order, blessing, favor. Now Asa and his victorious army are now returning from this battlefield and Asa is leading this marvelous procession back into the city of Jerusalem. It comes to the main gate and they are loaded down with spoil with with gold and silver and jewels and cattle.

It was an incredible, the Bible said there was great spoil, tremendous riches that they picked up from this army that had brought, that they had spoiled the enemy army. Now in 2nd Chronicles 15 first seven verses, I'll read to you from King James, a prophet comes.

Now this man just had victory. This man's greatest victory in his life. A million-man army has been destroyed and they're loaded with spoil and I can see Asa just beaming with joy. And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded and he went out to meet Asa.

Now Asa's coming back from the battle and he said unto him, Here ye meet Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you be with him and if you seek him he will be found of you but if you forsake him he'll forsake you.

Now for a long season Israel has been without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law but when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel and sought him he was found of them.

In those times there was no peace to him that came out nor to him that came in but great vexations were upon all in the habitants of the countries nations and nation was destroyed of nation and city of city for God did vex them with all adversity.

Be strong therefore and let not your hands be weak for your work shall be rewarded. Now look this way please. What is this prophet saying to Asa? Now in verse 3 notice that in the King James in verse 3 says for a long season Israel hath been.

Now that's in italics that means it's not in the original and there is no verb no Hebrew verb in chapter in verse 3 and what that means that that could be applied not only to the past but the present Asa's time and to our time past present and future.

What he's laying down is a principle it's a principle and that principle is that when people are not walking in the law of God they're not hearing good gospel preaching they're not living according to the commandments of the Lord.

Every man's a law to himself they're in trouble. The scripture said in that time there was no peace he's talking about any time in history. Now there is no peace to those who go out and come in but great vexations upon all nations destroyed vexation adversity all of this all of this because they're not seeking the Lord not just what he's saying Asa I'm going to give you a Bible principle.

This is the way it was before you were born this is the way it is for you now and this is what it's going to be until the end of time. Any people will not seek the face of God any individual any nation any society that will not seek God with all their heart.

If they'll seek him they'll find me. I'll be faithful I'll bring favor and blessing. But if they will not seek me there's going to be chaos. There's going to be nation. There's going to be war. There's going to be turmoil.

He's giving a Bible principle. But he said Asa up to this time you have been blessed because you sought the Lord. Now make sure you don't stop seeking him. Make sure you keep on getting the victory the way you've been getting the victory not in your own strength not in leaning on the flesh not in trying to figure things out.

But you have sought God. Now Asa you're being warned by the Spirit of the Living God. Don't depart from that. He's describing explaining what happens to believers who neglect prayer who neglect reading their Bible.

They disobey the Word of God. They forsake the Lord in his calling. And God said then I will forsake you. He's saying King Asa you have learned how to receive the blessing of God by being shut in with him and waiting upon the Lord.

Asa’s Reforms and the Danger of Self-Reliance

Now King Asa was encouraged by that word. He launches a great crusade against sin. He goes and smites all the sodomites. He wipes out sodomy from the nation destroys all the heathen temples and their gods.

And he puts the bones of dead men on Baal's altar so that they're desecrated. He takes his own mother the Queen Mother from the throne because she has an idol. She's an idol worshipper. He removes her from being a queen for many years.

Now after this a number of years right up to his 36th year he reigned for 41 years right up to his 36th year this man sought the Lord. But but something happened to this man. Something happened in the 36th year of his reign.

Israel invaded. She's king of Judah. Israel came down and invaded Rama. Now Rama was a city was only two and a quarter miles from Jerusalem. And what King Bashir was trying to do is to stop all of the Israelites from coming down to worship in Jerusalem.

Because this was the main road from Israel to Jerusalem. It was also a main trade route to Judah. He's trying to cut off the trade route trying to bring the economy down in Judah. So he's he's captured Rama which is in the center of the Benjamite territory.

And he's fortifying it now. And and King Asa knows the consequences. He knows what's going to happen. He knows that their trade in their economy could be affected and it could destroy the nation. But this time we come now to the shocking sin of a perfect heart.

Here's the shocking sin. Here's a man who for 36 years in his reign has proven God faithful. Here's a man who's seen miracle after miracle a praying man a righteous man who has hated sin and brought down idolatry in the land zealous for the things of God.

But now rather than trust God he tries to conceive a plan. He lays up at night. He lays up in bed and he's restless. And he calls for his counselors. He calls for his princes. He calls for his advisors.

What are we going to do. And they devise this plan. They don't even pray about it. They don't even see God about it. They do what they think is right. They do it just because this seems to be the only way out.

And so he strips the treasuries of the temple. And it taken years to replace those treasures that had been robbed by previous invasions. And he goes to the king of Syria a heathen king a heathen nation.

And he says I want you he said. And he bribed him. He gave him all the wealth over even his own personal wealth. And he sends ambassadors to the king of Syria. He said I want you to attack the northern cities of Israel.

And I want you to preoccupy so that they will have to take their army from my gates and Rama. And they will have to go up and defend their north border. And it worked. The Syrians attacked the northern cities three major cities and other lesser cities.

And Basha in panic forsakes Rama. Asa moves in with his army tears it down and rebuilds Rama in another area. And he's he said that worked pretty good figured it out. But in the eyes of God it was a shocking abominable sin.

Because this man was not praying now he's not seeking God. He's moving in the flesh. He's trusting in the arm of the flesh completely trusting in the arm of the flesh. Folks I want you to know in 2nd Chronicles 16th chapter.

You'll see go to 2nd Chronicles 16th chapter verse 7. Beginning to read. See God sends another prophet. I'll tell you something folks look at me for just a minute. God loves you enough. If you've been a praying man or woman you've been walking with God.

He ain't gonna let you go easy. I'll tell you he's gonna send a prophet your way. He's gonna send a word. You're going to get a word. It'll come from a pulpit like this. God will God because he loves you gonna speak to you.

I don't know who this is for this morning but God's speaking to some people. Chapter 16 verse 7. And at that time had an eye of the seer. The prophet came days the king of Judah and said in him because thou hast relied on the king of Syria and not relied on the Lord thy God therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thy hand.

What are you saying. They're going to come down and invade you one day. And you missed out this opportunity. You could have defeated them. We're not the Ethiopians. And the lupins a huge host with very many chariots and horsemen.

Yet because thou didst rely on the Lord he delivered them into thy hand. Now listen to this. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong and behalf of them whose heart is perfect.

That means trusting toward him herein thou hast done foolishly. Therefore from henceforth thou so have wars disorder confusion chaos. Because you didn't trust God. You trusted in flesh. You did it your way.

Oh it worked. But you did it without me. That means you're going to spend the rest of your life doing it your own way. You're going to forget me. You're going to neglect me. You won't be in the secret closet anymore.

You won't be in my word. You're going to backslide and go hard. God said I'm gonna lose you in the process. And he sends this prophet. I want to tell you something. Listen to me. We think it's no big deal to do things our own way.

We think it's no big deal. Well I have the mind of Christ in me. I I can do. Surely the Lord will bless anything I put my hands to know. My Bible says in all your ways acknowledge the Lord and he will direct your path.

That word in Hebrew took knowledge is to wait for instruction. That's what it means. He says wait for instruction in all your ways and I will direct you. My Bible says in in Isaiah hear ye that are far off what I've done in you that are near acknowledge my might.

And he says take instructions and then believe my power to do it. Folks you and I do not. We have not yet come to the understanding of how grievous and abominable this sin is to have a crisis in our life to face problems marriage problems financial problems all kinds of problems family problems.

And fed over it and will sleep over it and try to figure it out and make a phone calls and run here and run there until we're run ragged. And God says am I not your God. Have I lost my power my might.

Have I not told you that if you would seek me I'd give you direction. I deliver you from your fears. I would make a way where there is no way. Oh folks don't get careless. And this matter about seeking God.

Don't get careless about it in seeking him in all things. Remember what the prophet said the Lord's with you while you're with him. And if you seek him he'll be found of you. Hallelujah. Asa spent the last two years of his life looking for doctors to heal his diseased feet.

He got a very serious grievous disease in his feet. The Bible says yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord but to the physicians. Now folks there's no sin in going to a doctor. But the Hebrew here suggests that this man gave his life over into the hands of doctors.

He was looking for specialist after specialist run everywhere. Every doctor in any nation they can find. He's not talking to God. He's not trusting God. He's not praying about his disease. Now folks my my family one of the best friends is a physician dr. Rice.

He's on my board. I have no problem with people going to doctors. Because any wisdom anything the doctor knows. God gave it anyhow. And I'd say what a doctor can cut and sew but he can't heal. What would any operation do if God didn't coagulate the blood they bleed to death.

And how many doctors. How many. Every doctor. I know there's not a doctor anywhere that hasn't at times given up on people now to sit back and dumbfounded that God took over. But you see this man is not trusting God.

Folks we trust God in our home. We believe Jesus is a miracle worker. He's a physician and he uses doctors. He is that. But this man is he's not trusting God. He's not looking to God anymore. He's relying if I can just find the right doctor.

He had the right doctor all along but he's still looking for another doctor. You can be a Christian who has has been faithful to the Lord. You prayed you sought the Lord over the years. You've seen miracle after miracle and God has done things.

But now after all these years walking with God folks I have seen ministers like that. I have seen people Pentecostals especially some old-timers. I think about yesterday. Well finishing up this message face after face came to me some great old timers who were prayer warriors intercessors.

But they always lived in fear. They always had a distrust. There was always something was going to happen bad. They never had that complete confidence in God. And even to the dying day I've been in some of their homes where we're near death they trembled not even knows they were saved not even known if trusted God enough to take them through into eternity.

Because toward the end they lost their faith. They lost their confidence in God. Now I'm gonna wrap all this up. I want you go to second Peter. Please second Peter offer you new converts. You can go to Hebrews and turn right two chapters.

You'll find first and second Peter. I want you go to second Peter the first chapter verse three and four. Now just hold that for a minute and let me make a statement first. Can you hold that with your finger.

Seeking God Through Prayer and Scripture

Then look this way. How many are getting this so far. Are you getting this. How about in the annex. They're sitting in the annex folks thinking they're getting away with it. But they're they're hearing it right there in this day of grace God's prepared us something better than Asia could have ever had or imagined.

There's something better was made possible by the cross when the veil was rent and you and I were given access into the very holy presence of Almighty God. Well we're invited to come boldly because our sins are covered by our high priest.

We walk right in. The Lord invites us come freely boldly right into my presence. Hallelujah. And if something happens for those who take advantage of that that's called seeking God. That's my message.

That means somebody that's sitting here now says I have made up my mind to seek God. Many of you have been seeking God with all your heart. You have a daily time unhurried. You're no hurry. You're seeking God.

You're waiting upon him. But let me tell you what happens. Let's read verse 3 and 4. First according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness to the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.

Verse 4 whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises. But that by these he might be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption of his world through lust and beside this.

Well let's just operate their corruption that is in the world through flesh that she might be partakers of the divine nature. Now look at me please there those who seek the Lord and they have given priority having a quality time with the Lord.

Something incredible happens in his presence something you can't see and sometimes can't feel. But something as absolute and positive as anything that you can know in this world happens in that place of prayer unhurried with the Lord.

There is an infusion into your body into your spirit of the very nature of Jesus Christ. It's infused now the Bible says partaker of the divine nature. It means to share. And what happens in the Greek.

You find the inferences that he plants a sprout when you go to his presence there's a sprout or seed that's planted in your heart. And every time you go back into his presence he waters it. He's growing something.

He's doing something in the heart. To partake means to share it to have some of the very character infused into us. And in other words is it the inference there. In fact the root word says to pour in his liquid.

When you go into the presence he's pouring something into you. He's doing something in you. Now I want you to follow me very closer with you. I want to explain to you the difference between a seeker after God and a lazy lukewarm Christian who doesn't pray or read the Bible but seldom.

What's the difference. The difference is simply like like this. The have you ever seen you've seen. What a stupid question to ask. Have you ever seen road construction in New York Long Island Expressway.

They'll be doing that till Jesus comes. No we couldn't get in last night in the Lincoln Tunnel. We had to go all the way up George Washington Bridge because an hour and a half delay because of construction.

They've been constructing that for the last 11 years. They haven't done. I haven't seen him do anything. I go out and I see all of these roadblocks. You'll go two miles before you see a man or a piece of machinery right or wrong.

And usually when you do they're poking around and I think they just delight to sit there say it's three miles now look at five miles we have now. Let me give you my point. I haven't gotten off the track because a Christian who goes and prays is always under construction.

The difference between the man who prays and the person who doesn't pray is that person. He's just like those roads who get no attention no construction work. They just deteriorate bigger holes. I mean everything goes wrong.

It just falls apart family life. Everything falls apart. But the man who prays is going to be under construction all the time till Jesus comes. You're under construction. God is working. And sometimes I'll tell you what.

When you are under construction the devil knows he sees what you pray. He sees when you read the Bible he hears you praising the Lord. And he's going to send every infant hell to provoke you. He can use members your family your children husband wife.

He can use friends around you on the job and he'll go in because you're under construction and you're telling that you're a child of God. And yet there's comes a time on the job. The devil he's going to provoke you because you're under construction.

He's going to provoke you is never before folks the people who don't pray who don't see God don't get provoked. Not by the devil and by the flesh. Yes but not by the devil. But the devil will put it into the hearts of people to provoke you to lose your temper to say things that you don't want to say that are unlike Christ.