Guard Your Heart

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Proverbs 4:23

The heart is a sacred and vital organ to your physical and spiritual life… Let's take the analogy of the heart being a pump. We know that whatever is inside the heart will be pumped out (in the physical since this is the blood that travels through our veins, in the spiritual we are talking about whatever Godly or worldly things reside within)…This is why we are reminded that if we want to live, we must keep our heart…  The heart is the source, the critical point, and the very place you’re most likely attacked by the devil… Luke 6:45 says, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” 

How often do you give your heart to others? How many times have you found yourself allowing someone or something to have authority over you by controlling your heart…Whether we have come to realize it or have not comprehended it yet, the heart is the center of our living and being… David wrote in Psalm 37 that if we delight in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart… God knows how critical it is that we maintain our hearts; He knows the importance of the heart and has told us that if we place Him first in our lives, He will give us the things that we seek… God knows the things that we seek are love, appreciation, acceptance, and happiness… Today we are reminded that just because we seek those things doesn’t mean we try to obtain them at all cost… The proverb today reminds us that we must “Keep thy heart with all diligence…” 

The bottom line is that you must protect yourself and your life… If you’re careless with your heart and give it to any and everybody, it will be shown by how torn and tattered your life is…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Your Struggle Will Be Over Soon

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.

Malachi 4:2

When you feel dejected and ready to throw in the towel, just know that “the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings…” Jesus was persecuted and appeared to lose; however, His death on the cross produced His greatest ministry (and victory)… Today, know that you will be persecuted, but in your most troubling days, your ministry will be much more intense and exalted…  God knows that walking under His guidelines subjects you to many obstacles and hardships… The Lord realizes that every time you choose to follow Him, you risk losing friends and having sleepless nights; however, He wants us to find encouragement in today’s study verse knowing that we will run free in victory and overcome the storms we face… This verse starts by saying, “But for you who revere my name…” We must stay the course and revere (honor, respect, and admire) the name of the Lord… Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” No matter what you face or what opposition comes before you, stand upon the promises of God and trust Him knowing that when you revere His name, He will protect and keep you… Malachi goes on to inform us that the sun of righteousness will rise again, there is a day marked on the eternal calendar, an hour when the clouds will part and Jesus will return unto this earth… 

When the sun goes down darkness covers the earth; this very principle is one that we must apply today knowing that dark has covered the earth… If we understand that He will rise again, we must understand that things must appear to have fallen first; situations must seem to be insurmountable, trials must seem unconquerable, sin must feel too tempting and Satan must appear to be winning… Understand that our hope may not be evident in the present sufferings that we may be encountering right now; however, Malachi reminds us today that in revering God we patiently await His return and our rescue from this world of sin… We all have been enslaved at one point in time in our lives… We have been imprisoned by our bad choices, locked up behind our fleshly desires, and hindered by our own transgressions… There is good news today for those who revere the Lord, those who serve Him in spirit (within) and in truth (through circumstances)… When Christ returns (rises again) He will escort us into His kingdom and Sabbath will have no end… It is because of Christ's healing that we are even alive and reading this message, it’s because of His sacrifice that we will be able to leap like calves released from the stall. The stall is your current circumstance, your stall is the way you feel when you don’t think things can get better, your stall is the ceiling that has been placed in your life when you think that you can’t go any higher… Your stall is your current limitation, but when you know the one and only true God when you understand who is the author and finisher of your faith, you will be able to hold to God’s hand, you will be able to keep your joy through sorrow and suffering! For there is healing in His wings, He has heard your cry, He has understood your moans and He will deliver you from your current bondage (stall) unto the eternal Promise Land!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Do Your Part So God Can Do His

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

Revelation 2:17

Hold on just a little while longer; keep fighting and running the race laid before you… The words of today’s focus verse provide encouragement for what lies ahead for the believer… Those who have exhausted high levels of energy; and those who have pressed through sweat and tears should find comfort in knowing that your work is not in vain. The Lord teaches us today that “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna…” All your aches and pains will be eased; all the tears you have shed will water the seed of abundance that God has planted in you… The Bible declares that weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning… This verse provides hope to the man or woman walking in the spirit of faith; understand today that joy may not come tomorrow morning, but as a child of God you are assured that it will come… Let us not become weary in well doing, for in due time we shall reap a harvest if we faint not… These are the words that Paul uttered to the church of Galatia as they endured the storms of life… Today, we must live by those same words, being reminded that we must overcome to receive the good and perfect gifts from the Lord… John reveals to us today some of the most precious promises God offers; however, the first thing that we must do is overcome… To overcome something, you must recognize that it is an obstacle, trial, or hardship… This is the first and greatest step that we must take… Understand today that a lot of things that we face in life hinder our faith walk because we fail to recognize what they are or represent… 

A close friend can be a stumbling block, a desire for a particular person can be a hindrance, and a false sense of security can lead to your demise… This verse penned in John’s revelation calls for all to pay attention to the things that God will reveal unto us, we will eat of the hidden manna and receive a white stone which will have a new name written for us… The promises put forth unto us today are that we will no longer suffer from the things of this world; the offer put forth is that God will reveal himself unto us and we shall be revealed unto ourselves as to who we really are… John reveals to us that we will have a new name, will receive blessings from the Lord, and come to know some of the secrets of God, but to receive the revelations and promises, we must accept the will of God for our lives on this earth and overcome the battles we have faced, are facing and will face in the future… The battle of temptation must be overcome, the battle of retaliation must be overcome, the battle of peer pressure must be overcome, the battle of priorities must be overcome, the battle of addiction must be overcome… God made several covenants with many people in the bible, today He makes a covenant with us through the revelation of John… A covenant is a vow, promise, or contract… To fulfill a covenant, both parties must meet the obligation they have agreed to… God vows to blot out your sins and make you whole; now we must turn and seek His face… “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;”

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Avoid Worldly Thoughts

And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

Luke 16:15

As a child of God, we seek to please our Creator; not those who were created like us… Luke reminds us today that we can fool people as we strive to find justification in and through them; however, the heart from which your actions derive is what God takes note of… I know how hard it is to accept people not liking or accepting you; however, Luke brings our attention to the fact that the people we seek to please cannot get us to the Eternal Rest that we desire… As you journey through life, what is your objective daily? When you open your eyes, when you open the door to leave; what is your mind set on to accomplish… Are you striving to hear the words well done from your supervisor or your Father…? When you are faced with a choice that will lead you to your divine destiny or away from it, which path do you choose…? Despite what people may want you to believe, pleasing God and obtaining His approval is all that matters…

The question that must be asked at this time is, do we really believe…? The answer to this question is not given verbally, but lies in our walk on this earth… It isn’t about what you say you’re about; it's about what you display… Yes, you can be highly esteemed among men and yet find yourself being an abomination in the sight of God… There are a lot of us walking this earth that fit this description… We have completely strayed away from the path that God outlined for us; however, we believe that everything is under control because we are getting the proverbial pat on the back from our friends and colleagues… So many people are fooling themselves because they believe that they actually can fool God since they can fool others… Luke writes today about the difference between being men-pleasers and a pleaser of God… The bible tells us that you cannot serve two masters and Luke reminds us today that when we are justified by men, our heart is known by God and it is indeed an abomination to Him… Seek the only approval that matters...His!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!