Tuesday, August 23, 2011

The Secret Place

There are thoughts and musings in my heart that are a secret that no one else knows. There are ideas, plans, and conclusions in my heart that have never been uttered out of my mouth. My heart has a chamber marked "secret". Frankly the things in this chamber of my heart I am not even fully aware of. Their are only special times that I even have the right keys to open the secret place of my heart. When I go into that room it is a deliberate act that is contrary to what the rest of my body wants to do. When I shut the door it is an intentional cutting off of all my minds activities. When I begin to pray to my Father something shocking happens. That chamber marked "secret" begins to open and I realize that the Father has been dwelling there all along. At first I am amazed and little ashamed that God has a totally different view of me than what I do of myself and what others have of me. The things I begin to discover as I talk to God are so liberating, comforting, reassuring, and challenging. I get this extreme safety to be transparent about my faults but at the same time this assurance that I'm forgiven. I get this freedom to share my confusions but at the same time this calm sense of guidance and direction. In the secret place is where God's thoughts towards me and what I believe collide and my faith is forged to tackle another day. I can now go about my day recieving rewards that I discovered in my secret place where the Father dwells.

Matt. 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in sceret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"He who fails to pray does not cheat God. He cheats himself."-George Failing
"The greatest tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer."-F.B. Meyer

Inspired by Oswald Chambers devotion: His Utmost for his Highest

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Monday, August 15, 2011

Ten Lies I almost believed about Parenting

Below are ten lies that I almost believed about parenting.
1) I couldn't afford to have children
2) I would be stressed out everyday.
3) That my children will grow up to hate me if I spanked them.
4) That you can't raise children to happily obey the first time.
5) That I had to get a bigger place and new car when the baby was born.
6) That yelling, threatening, and intimidating is the best way to demand compliance.
7) That God's ways for disciplining children are archaic and out of date.
8) That having more that two children is irresponsible.
9) That children desire video games and toys more than you.
10) That young children don't understand what you are telling them.

Some parents have been fed a bill of goods. Parents are limiting their family size, parenting out of fear, and altering they way they discipline all off of lies.

What are some lies you almost believed?


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Saturday, August 6, 2011

Lead your heart!

I posted a quote a while back from J. Murphy which said, "Don't just follow your heart - LEAD it. Don't let your feelings & emotions do ALL the driving." A friend posted a great question: "If you are not leading your heart, then who is?"

There are 7 passages of scripture about the heart that we need to explore:

1) 1 John 3:19-21 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. (20) For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. (21) Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
2) Jeremiah 17:9,10 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? "I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds."
3) Psalms 26:2 Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind.
4) Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
5) Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
6) Psalms 37:30-31 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. (31) The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
7) Proverbs 3:1-6 My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, (2) for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. (3) Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. (4) So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. (5) Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. (6) In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Summary

1) God is greater than our hearts. Our hearts which carry feeling and emotions can leave us feeling uneasy and condemned. But during those times we have to remember that GOD is greater than our hearts and therefore we must allow God to lead us.

2) Our hearts left alone are wicked, selfish and decieving. Our hearts need to be surrendered to examination by God to ensure that our ways are pleasing to God. A heart unchecked will naturally default to self serving pursuits. The Lord the creator of our heart must be on board to keep our deceitful hearts in check.

3) God has made provision through the death of his son Jesus Christ to create in us clean hearts and give us new hearts.

4) A heart which has God's word and law written on it is lead by God's word. And we are reassured if we follow God's law none of our steps will slide.

5) If we yield our hearts to trust in the Lord versus following our own understanding on matters our paths will be clear and straight and our steps will not slide. Often our hearts are cluttered with emotions and feelings which if followed can lead us to come to conclusions that are completely false. We must surrender our hearts to be lead by God and God's Word.

Our hearts need to be Lead by God and his word. The Holy Spirit has been given as a gift to all that ask and surrender their lives to Christ. The Holy Spirit is deposited in your heart and will lead your heart when you yield to Him.

A person with a heart that is lead by God has the confidence to be exposed and open to love others freely. A person that follows the emotional undulations of a heart unchecked by God will often protect and preserve their heart leaving it closed and unable to freely love others. Conscious belief in what Jesus did on the cross for us empowers us to make decisions to love others that may not even be loveable.

There are some decisions that FEEL so right but are yet so wrong. That is why the heart needs a regulator and the Holy Spirit has been regulatiing hearts for centuries. God has a unique way of peeling back the onion and getting to the core motive of our decisions. The good news is that God does it with our good in mind so we can completely trust Him. So don't just follow your heart, LEAD it!

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