The Secrets of your Heart

"He knows the secrets of your heart." Psalm 44:21


I've said it and heard it what seems like a million times, God knows EVERYTHING. He always knows what you are thinking and what you are going to do before you even decide. He knows us better than anyone, even ourselves. He knows when we are telling the truth. He knows when we are lying and being false.

Think about yourself like you would a house. When I was a child, I hated going into our basement (I'm sure it stemmed from some sort of horror movie). It scared me. There was the cellar down there that I swear, I heard noises and could have sworn there were evil spirits in there. I think of that cellar as my most inner heart. What is in there? Is there fear in the cellar? Shame? Anger? Self-doubt? Pride? There could be a number of things.

We live in a secular world, one that we are accepted by other people's perceptions of us. We are accepted when we are thin enough, pretty enough, talented or rich enough. Unfortunately, being judged by the world standards leaves us feeling inadequate.. Alone. We are isolated from relationships that are meaningful. Those that could impact us the most with other people and the truth of God's Word.

But God doesn't have those rose colored glasses. HE KNOWS US!! We are his works of art, designed for something special. We are made to be loved by God and share those meaningful and loving relationships with Him and other people.

 

He wants the places of your heart to be filled with Him! Ever sit in a park and watch a Daddy with his child. He waits for the little one and holds his hands out for him to reach up. God is doing that. He's waiting for you to reach for His hand, allowing Him to lead you through each of those secret places you hold in your heart. He is waiting to help you proclaim His Name and His power as ruler over the things you are hiding. He wants you to know that He is your protector. He is keeping watch over you as you take this journey. He is lighting your life and your way. He wants you to feel free, without the burden of your fears.

He's waiting for YOU! Reach for him; it's okay. You can do it.


My precious Daddy, I need you. I thank you for being patient enough for me to come to you to clean out the cellar of my heart. I proclaim the Name of Jesus Christ, that you are the one and only ruler of my heart. Lord, free me from those areas of my life that I try to hide and open my eyes to the knowledge of those that I am yet aware of. give. Free me from my feelings of inadequacies and help me feel your power in my every day. I know you are with me, Lord. I know you will never leave me nor forsake me. I am so very forever grateful for that and praise you forevermore. In Your most Heavenly Name, Amen.

Are you eating God's words every day?

Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Matthew 4:4 (NIV)

My husband and I are working on losing weight. We went to a restaurant a few weeks ago and decided to eat a big meal. We knew if we ate it, we would feel miserable. It was something we were willing to deal with afterwards. Do you know that we are told as Christians we should eat god's Word and that it will be joy and strength to us? Not something that will only bloat us and make us feel gross, but something meaningful for our lives. (Jeremiah 15:16, Matthew 7:24-29, John 15: 7,11)    

Ezekiel was a prophet who was told by God to eat his Words which were written on a scroll. While the command seems odd, it was a visual lesson to show Ezekiel and others what God wants us to do with His Word. God desired for Ezekiel and the rest of us to allow His words to saturate our hearts and minds so that we can speak and live them. They are there for our nourishment, for our hearts. (Psalm 119:97-105, 1 Peter 2:2)
    
The voice (God) said to me, “Son of man, eat what I am giving you—eat this scroll! Then go and give its message to the people of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll. “Fill your stomach with this,” he said. And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. Then he said, “Son of man, go to the people of Israel and give them my messages...So don’t be afraid of them or fear their angry looks, even though they are rebels.” Then he added, “Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself...Ezekiel 3:1-11 (NLT)

The picture of Ezekiel eating a scroll, often made of leather or parchment sheets is actually pretty gross. I don't see myself eating a book anytime soon, but as you can see in the scripture above, it ended up being sweet. God's words are life to our soul. God's words are better than cookies and cakes to Christians, even those words of judgement. As Christians, His words bring us salvation and teach us to be more like Jesus.

We should read, study and memorize God's words daily so that we know them enough to alter our thoughts and actions. There will be times when we are out and unable to have our Bible right in front of us. It is our reference book in which we should study and become familiar with. So many times in life we are faced with days and decisions that we cannot make without God. Knowing His word, helps to ease those decisions.

There are many ways to start your journey into The Word. I am not an all knowing individual. I am human and while I do completely enjoy my time of devotions I am unable to know it all. I hope I grow each day through my readings, but I know there are days when I am just going through the steps with no real thoughts to what I am reading or what I am praying. I am challenging myself to do my best to focus on what I am studying. I challenge you to do the same.

In Christ,
Kim :-)

Accepting God's Gifts

Today's devotion comes from Job 2:9-13. 

Job 2:10

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁰ But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Job's faith is so very clear in this verse. He's rebuking his wife, but rather than calling her a foolish woman, he is telling her she speaks like a foolish woman. He's not attacking her but suggesting that this is a temporary lapse of faith on her part. He is saying she has begun to repeat the words of stupid, foolish women with no knowledge of the grace and glory of God. You see a tenderness in his faith by that gentle rebuke. He reasserts the sovereignty of God by saying, "Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" Job's wife thought life should be pleasant and that without that it was not worth living. Even today, that philosophy is widespread.
But the book of Job, I believe, is here to show us that life is not to be lived on those terms (our terms). The reason we are here is not to have a good time, well not all the time at least. Despite when life brings us challenges, there are still meaningful objectives to be attained. Even though living is not always fun, life is still worth living. Job reaffirms that. We take God's joy and His pleasure, the pleasant things in life, with gladness and gratitude. If God chooses to send something that is difficult or hard, do we then abandon that gratitude and begin to curse Him in protest because life is suddently not what we thought it would be?

The reason we are here is not just so we might have a good time, and this is taught everywhere in the Scriptures, not just Job. God, provides us so many hours of joy and gladness and pleasure and delight, and it is right to give thanks. But do not abandon that when the going gets tough because that is what Satan wants us to do. He wants us to complain and protest to God; to be upset, angry or resentful; to stop going to church or being in the Word. That's Satan's plan- his attack on our lives.

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you, in good times and in bad. No matter what the day brings that might try to push me down. I pray that you strengthen my faith in You, that I can accept both good and evil from Your hand, as Job did. Thank you that Your purposes for me, though sometimes painful, are always good.   In Your Son's Name, Amen.