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Heart

Of the Heart

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Did you know the heart is what really matters? Physically it is the hollow, muscular organ that circulates the blood by alternate dilation and contraction. The heart needs to operate within a certain pressure and rhythm for your body to stay healthy. If it fails to operate then the body ceases to function and you die. The health of your heart is very important. This is also true spiritually. Spiritually the heart is the center of feelings and the seat of the affections. There are several versus that describe how important your heart is your spiritual life. Matthew 15:18-19 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?
What is in your heart guides your speech, your thoughts, and your actions. A heart that is full of sin cannot produce good fruit. Your heart is what the Lord sees. I’m not saying he doesn’t see your actions or deeds but your heart is where God wants to be.

1 Samuel 16:7 For the Lord seeth not as man seeth: for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

This why the greatest commandment given is “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” (Matthew 22:37)

You might ask how do I change my heart from being evil to being good? David said “Create in me a clean heart O God;”

Ezekiel 11:19-20 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh. That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

Psalms 34:18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart: and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
I have read scriptures in the Old Testament that talked about serving God with a perfect heart. What does this mean? Does it mean that you are without sin? That you live a perfect life?

1 Chronicles 28:9 And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee:…

Serving the Lord with a perfect heart doesn’t mean that you are a perfect person. I feel that it means that your heart is fixed on God and that he is at the center of your life. Your thoughts are toward Him. Your desires are toward Him and His way.

Psalms 57:7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.

This verse doesn’t include doubts about what your purpose is or fear of what might happen. It says your heart is determined and settled. Sometimes in the journey of life we lose our focus. Our heart becomes drawn away by our own desires and we dwell on our circumstances instead of seeking God first in our lives.

I was reading my Bible and read the verse below and God convicted my heart. Like me you might be going to church, reading your Bible, doing good to others but if your heart isn’t fixed on Him then you will feel empty. When I read this verse I realized that I wasn’t seeking Him with my heart. It’s when my heart seeks after Him that I am blessed.

Psalms 27:8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face: my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.

I think this is what is lacking in our worship of the Lord. You can go through the actions and follow the program but if you heart is not seeking and fixed upon Him then the heart will not be filled as it needs to be but will be empty of that strength that it needs.

Matthew 23:26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

I desire a closer walk with God. I want to make a greater difference in this world. I want to feel more of His Holy Spirit in my life.

I want God to work miracles in the lives of those around me. I want to be in God’s favor and under His wings.

God doesn’t measure us on our ability to do great things. But God does search our hearts to see if our heart is for Him. A heart that is fixed recognizes that God is omnipotent, God is in control, God knows best, and God is the center of your existence.

Psalms 28:7 …my heart trusteth in Him, and I am helped.

Peace: The Harmony Between The Heart And Mind

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Proverbs 3:5

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

If we only live to please our mind we only live by our flesh and what will appeal to the senses. If we are only pleased by our senses then we are very likely to accept what we see and feel as opposed to what faith tries to change in us.

If faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen then we realize faith is not kept in the mind for the mind attempts to depend on sight. Faith is kept in the heart.

As the spirit stirs your faith, your faith stirs your heart, and as your continued desires before God continue your mind is transformed by not depending on sight but by what dwells inwardly.

We are tempted in our minds to change the way our heart can continue to hope. We are aggravated in the flesh to cause us to think with our mind first and not with our heart.

The mind is the part of us that thinks and reasons; the heart is the part of us that contains our deep longings and desires. Although the mind is important, the heart is even more important because it is the engine room of our personality—the part from which come our drive and motivation. That is why our Lord says,

Matthew 12:34

O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

John 14:24

He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.

The heart of Jesus Christ was the very heart of God the Father; consequently, the words Christ spoke were the exact expression of God’s thought. Jesus’ tongue was always in its rightful place. He spoke not just from His head but from His heart; His heart and His mind were one.

The heart is the central altar and the mind the outer court. What we offer on the central altar will show itself in due course through the outer extremities of personality.” In the search for unity of purpose and integration, there is no doubt that the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.

Romans 12:2

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

What God is trying to get us to see is that we must not live to please only our mind or only our heart but to transform ourselves to be the kind of people that (like Christ) can have their minds and hearts as one. This is known as peace

Philippians 4:6-7  

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Romans 14:17-19 

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

2 Corinthians 13:11 

Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another,agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

1 Peter 1:2 

according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:  May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

Romans 5:1  

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

Creating A Miracle Atmosphere

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A miracle is defined as a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency.

I am slowly learning the purpose of miracles in my life.

Miracles are not to brag or boast about, they are to humble you by the fact that without God we cannot do anything.

Miracles are not for us to forget but for us to remember that there is a God that loves us.

While miracles surprise us naturally on earth they are commonplace in the supernatural.

Miracles do not happen for history to continue and repeat itself. Miracles come for us to learn and to be thankful for our newfound knowledge that we would have otherwise have lacked without God.

The base components of a miracle are:

  1. a welcoming environment for the godhead (god, spirit, son)

  2. a recognizing of needs beyond our control

  3. unwaivering faith not crumbled by doubt and temptation

  4. compassion for others and a willingness to help

  5. full and entire obedience to the full call of God

1) This miracle of sight to the blind shows that if we will not over complicate our approach to God and bring a humble faith that things can begin to be opened!

We must learn to open our hearts and welcome God in the midst of our lives

Matthew 9:27-31

27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us.

28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.

29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.

30 And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.

31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.

2) The virtue going out from Christ shows that through our advocate of Christ that our faith is enough to cause miracles to come to pass, only but be faithful!

Luke 8:43-48

43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,

44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.

45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.

47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.

48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

3) Though it was a spirit of infirmity, an evil spirit, that she was under the power of, Christ has a power superior to that of Satan, is stronger than he.

Luke 13:10-17

10 And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.

11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.

12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.

13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.

15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his donkey from the stall, and lead him away to watering?

16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

17 And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.

4) This miracle of faith shows that it is far more easier to exercise compassion and faith towards God than to act as though we are going to ever help people by judgments and forms of reason

Mark 2:1-12

2 And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.

2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.

3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.

4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.

5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

6 But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,

7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?

8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?

9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?

10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)

11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.

12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

5) Jesus’s demonstrated lack of fear and hesitancy toward the leper showed that God wants to reach out to others to whom the world would call “untouchable” by our full and entire obedience

Luke 5:12-16

12 And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.

14 And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

15 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.

16 And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed

Do You Hear God Speak?

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Genesis 22:1-4

[1] And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
[2] And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
[3] And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
[4] Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

Never was any gold tried in so hot a fire. Who but Abraham would not have argued with God? Any that would have argued with God stand with a weak heart. Faith had taught him not to argue but to obey. He is sure that what God commands is good; that what he promises cannot be broken. Whoever consults with flesh and blood will never offer up his Isaac to God. As time passes what we see that causes us to stumble leaves us weak to have faithful follow-thru.

Genesis 22:6-9

[6] And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
[7] And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
[8] And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
[9] And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

Abraham, even when he was weakened through the voice of Isaac still prophesied to the promise of God. In present difficulty God wants us to not get lost on our way to where he speaks. If God wants you to do something very important, he will not only use the place that you get to but the journey on the way to understand the answers that we could get lost trying to find.

Genesis 22:11-14

[11] And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
[12] And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
[13] And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
[14] And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

The answer begins to be revealed as we sell out completely!

Genesis 22:15-18

[15] And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
[16] And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
[17] That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
[18] And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

The blessing far exceeded the natural vision, for faith when exercised defies our nature and ideals to reveal exceeding beyond what we were even promised.

Hebrews 5:11-14

[11] Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
[12] For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
[13] For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
[14] But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Once we get to a place when we finally turn our ears to listen to God we then are taught to evolve and overcome. As we overcome through each part of the journey God speaks and keeps leading us into starting to exercise the ability to learn and discern.

Keep On Fighting The Good Fight

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There may be some of you have been praying for strength in tough situations because you may have felt or feel like you are defeated. I know this sounds silly when it is being said, but sometimes one of the best things we can do is to keep on fighting through the confidence of faith in God. There is a lot to be said about people that still have the willpower to fight even when they are being knocked down. I like to call these sorts of folks “scrappers”. Scrappers may get beat up or overwhelmed from time to time but never lose the confidence to believe that if they keep fighting that they will win. Some of the most successful athletes in sports today were not the most talented or athletic but possessed the ability to keep fighting. I would take a scrapper any day over anyone who is not used to staying strong in the fight!

Though we may have moments where we feel like we are down for the count, I speak to your weariness and tell you to get back up and keep on ‘scrappin’. The devil can only go so far into your life before (through your faith) you take a stand and declare defeat unto the enemy! Paul, towards the end of his life, acknowledged his perseverance through his life and ministry by stating that he had fought the good faith and reiterated the same analogy to his real thought that he had kept the faith! As we are faithful to God when our human nature attempts to decline in confidence God will move in kind (through the holy spirit) to bless you in that right-now time. The bible identifies this by stating that God is a present help in a time of trouble. So when you are in the middle of the fight you can expect the second wind of the spirit to come! You are not alone in this fight. Do not let the struggle of the fight keep you from still believing that through Christ that you can still win.

Do not be discouraged. Stay confident in God. And as Paul encouraged his people I encourage you today with this same exhortation that God placed within my heart for you: Keep on fighting the good fight.

What We Can Find In Christ

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Matthew 11:28

[28] Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

There is rest for the weary!

John 14:27

[27] Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

There is peace for the troubled!

John 15:11

[11] These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

There is joy for the sorrowful, remaining joy!

John 10:10

[10] The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

There is life for those that may feel spiritually dried up or dead. Through Christ there is life!

John 15:9-10

[9] As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
[10] If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

There is love for the forsaken, continuing love of Christ!

John 14:2

[2] In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

There is a heaven for those lost without a home for their soul!

Luke 12:32

[32] Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

There is a throne in glory for the lost!

Worship Is Best Seen By Example

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I was meditating the other day and thought back to a church service that I was in. Some of the more active people were worshipping freely while others were sitting back in more of an observe mode. As I look back to that moment it led me to wonder if the rest of the church that knows how powerful worship can be to others would not just step up and join everyone in unity.

But you see, that’s just it. One of the greatest lacks that can be identified in the church today is a lack of leading by example. The very moment you ever question anyone about their participation the minute they grow defensive against you. It is a very hard issue to tackle and without proper love and understanding can be mishandled very easily.

The very first step to leading by example and is essential to do is to possess love in your worship. Enjoy yourself and be proud of your God. If people can see love in you then it helps them to let their guard down and allow their vulnerabilities to be touched by God’s spirit.

Another important principal is to take moments here and there is to encourage others to worship. Don’t do it when you are frustrated. And certainly don’t so it without love in your heart. You don’t have to ask a million times nor do you have to even wait for a response. Sometimes people just need a little nudge in the right direction. It is in their free will to decide to worship and is important to remember that you are the example and not the rules for it.

And finally, please remember to keep worship continual in your life. It is not just with hands, with dance, and with tears. It is in everything that you do; all that you show your passion for. Worshipping by example will above all things teach the new and upcoming generations to know where their true joy will come from!

Say It Now, Forget It Later, Yet The Impact Stays Forever

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Anytime I have ever began to think about all of the silly/hurtful/irrational/confusing/deceiving/terrible/negative things that have came from my mouth it causes me to have very silent times. Thinking and considering the magnitude of how much my personal actions can have an effect on others leads me to the thought I have in my heart today. Whether you hear it come from your lips, feel them on the page/device, read them words with your eyes, or hear them by your ears words spoken with ill intent always affect people.

By comparison I would like for you to see the power of negative thinking through the means of someone throwing a rock in water. First of all when I think of a rock in this thought I consider that a rock in its intent is meant to be built upon, set in its purpose to provide support and its composition to provide stability. When I consider the water I see something that submerges everything that comes in its path; in fact it not only submerges it but attempts to break the substance of what it has encountered to be more like waters own qualities. The human element causes a rock to be thrown by our own willingness and physical force to take something from its intended position to direct it somewhere else. We as humans tend to use rocks in their advantage of being a weapon to break something. Whether it be to hurt, provoke or to insult words the negative speech that comes from your mouth can only break things when they come by force. In the casting of a rock by the human element to be forced into water, I want to remind us of the “ripple” effect that happens as the words hurt immediately, fade away, and stay rooted in the depths. A rock once it has been thrown must land somewhere. And unless great strides are made to keep the land or object that holds the water clear from obstructions it prevents the use of water being able to produce life.

To put this more simply, every word you exert by your own force without God’s love will only cause unnecessary issues for others. And while we (as well as the other party) can forgive what we have spoken and heard there is an impact that takes a great deal of love to overcome. As with any disease that our human bodies fight today we know that the best means to overcome a detrimental hindrance is to prevent it. Take caution and exercise it when you speak life and death in today’s world. You may say it now and forget it later, but there is an impact as a consequence of the action as well as the ultimate price (answering for our every idle word in the day of judgement).

Pray much, love much, and love others (and talk to them) as you would have them do unto you!