What's in Your Heart? In His Word 9-10-18

What’s in Your Heart? -In His Word-9-10-18

            

What’s in your heart?

With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord!Teach me Your statutes. Psalm 119:10-12

The word of God tells us that it is what is in our heart that either defiles us when it comes out of our mouth or it can also lift us up and those around us.

 Be alert. Continue strong in the faith. Have courage, and be strong.  Do everything in love. You know that the family of Stephanas were the first believers in Southern Greece and that they have given themselves to the service of God’s people. I ask you, brothers and sisters,  to follow the leading of people like these and anyone else who works and serves with them. 1 Corinthians 16:13-16

It was a little different back in the day when Paul was writing to the Corinthians because believers were hard to come by. Today we can share across so many different venues. From emails, ‘blogs’, articles, both online and in print forms, reach out to many people around the world to encourage them to keep on fighting to good fight and complete the work we are called to. Not to mention actual hand written letters that still circumnavigate the globe in order to give information, peace, or encouragement to workers in this Mission field  called Earth. We have so many means to let people know that we are praying for them in their time of trial or trouble and to share good and bad news. Still many things catch us unaware because we get caught up in the cares of this world.

Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirty fold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” Mark 4:18-20

We want to bear fruit not thorns, we want to encourage others to walk right before the Lord because then they too will bear good fruit. Then as their fruit matures it will also bear good fruit and so on and so on.

We are not of the world, but yet we live in it and it is so easy to get caught up in the things and desires for more fun activities and forget that the purpose God has given us is to seek and to save the lost. It is hard to stay on top of things all the time sharing the Word of God, the Love of God, and the Hope of life everlasting with people; it is easy to let it slide and become lazy in our sharing. There is no problem with resting now and then, but we must rest with one eye open!

If we sleep we must sleep alert, in what I was once told was condition yellow; ready and alert for things to go wrong, ready to save the day, to push the buttons to stop the problems or to right the wrongs in a situation. I don’t mean sleep as when we sleep at night but when we rest from working on ‘church things’ or taking a break from ministry work; we are told to rest in Him. Jesus took time to pray for strength, before the cross. He separated Himself from among the disciples and too a time of rejuvenation in the presence of the Father.  

Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 
 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.  For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,  who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good.  Abstain from every form of evil. 

1 Thessalonians 5:6-21

In order to keep the Holy Spirit fire from being quenched we need to be in the Word, we need to be in prayer, and we need to be meditating on the Word of God, worshiping Him in Spirit and in truth.

When we are ‘caught up in prayer’ we can be strong in His power and might. That’s when we can do those “greater things” I wrote of last week. If we wait too long before we get into personal prayer time with God then we will become weak in our walk. That’s when the enemy will tempt us the most! He will see us over worked and tired because we got too busy with Ministry work and forgot to take time being ‘ministered to’ by the Holy Spirit.

Participating in group prayers is awesome, but also take time for prayer alone with God. Spend time seeking in His presence, He is with you always. Spend time thanking Him for all the great things and small things He does each day, and spend time just basking in His presence allowing your time to reflect on your daily reading to sink in to your heart and mind. When we do this we will find that it’s not only easy to share what God has done in your life but we will find that it is easy to invite others to find the same peace we will exude in a crisis or sad time.

Take time today to thank Him for His Word.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing your Word to us both in written word and in the Holy Spirit. Draw us nearer to You Lord by opening your Word to us each day, each time we open the pages speak to our hearts and minds in a way that we will know that You are speaking to each of us today, In Jesus’ name Amen.

Suggested Readings: Mark 4:1-41, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-28, 1 Corinthians 16:1-25 and  Luke 6:1-46