Tag: heart

Always Having a Grateful Heart Through Him

nofearlindaLeave a comment

ThankfulnessIn Colossians Paul talks about specific areas in our lives that should create thankfulness within us.  “15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” Colossians 3:15-17 NLT

Paul teaches that we are to be thankful always for the peaceful living that is possible for us as brothers and sisters in Christ as we work together for the cause of Christ.  Next,  he reminds us that our worship should reflect our thankfulness to God.  Lastly, Paul explains that we need to be thankful to God as we are able to speak as a peace of christrepresentative of Christ because of His sacrifice for us.

One of the key elements in our thankfulness is the peaceful living in Christ we experience towards one another causing us to be thankful always.  Singing praises to God creates in us a state of worshipful living in the presence of God causing us to have grateful hearts and because of Christ we can be His representatives living in and with Him causing us to give thanks through Him.

May the peace you experience this season of Thanksgiving with your brothers and sisters in Christ make you always thankful.  May your times of worship be rich and fill your heart of jesusheart with gratefulness and may your times of sharing about Christ remind you that you speak for Him to others and cause you to give thanks though Him.

Thankful always for you -my brothers and sisters in Christ,

Linda

Be on the Thankfulness Track!

nofearlindaLeave a comment

Thankfulness

This week as we draw nearer to Thanksgiving, I wanted to focus my thoughts on being thankful.  It is a state of mind and being that pours out of us because of who we are in Christ and what He did for us on the cross.  In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he wrote, Col 2 7“ And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.  Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7 NLT

Look at the key steps Paul gives in these verses that result in thankfulness.   1- You accepted Jesus as your Savior,   2-You are committed to following Him, 3- You are growing in the knowledge of who He is and what purposes He has for your life 4- You are striving to live for Him and build your life on Him, 5- Your faith is growing and you are learning more and more about His truth.   All of these steps lead to *** overflowing thankfulness in your life!   The result of having Jesus in our lives will be thankfulness.  If you are not experiencing thankfulness- at which step above are you faltering?  Do you know Jesus as your Savior?  Are you committed to Him or is your faith just a Sunday thing?  Are you taking time to get to know Him-through Bible Study, prayer and fellowship with other Christians?  Are you trying to apply God’s truths to your life by letting the power of the Holy Spirit work in and through you?   Jesus knew commitment was hard and spoke of our need to be single minded and focused on His kingdom in Matthew 6:20-21. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart [your wishes, your desires; that on which your life centers] will be also.”  AMP  

What does your heart reveal?  When you look inside yourself, do you see thankfulness?  If not, turn to Jesus today and get back on the thankfulness track.  It is never to late to step back into the steps Paul outlines and head towards overflowing thankfulness!

thankful peopleBlessings of thanks,

Linda

A Transformed Heart is filled with….kindness, compassion and forgiveness

nofearlinda2 Comments

In Ephesians Chapter 4, Paul is exhorting Christians to be Christ honoring in their behaviors.  He encourages them to clean up their speech, eliminating unwholesome talk, and speak only words of encouragement that build others up. (29)  He does not want us grieving the Holy Spirit by our actions, thoughts and deeds that he lists in verse 31, bitterness, rage, anger, arguing, fighting, being slanderous, or doing any kind of evil.  TenderheartedIn Ephesians 4:32 Paul tell us what actions and thoughts would be Christ honoring in our lives.  “Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”

What does it mean to be tenderhearted?  The dictionary defines it as ‘soft-hearted, sympathetic’.   Does that describe your heart?  Because of Christ’s transforming love, do you react to the world with a kind, forgiving and sympathetic heart?   Paul is telling us that because we are forgiven and Christ lives within us we can react and interact with the world through a kind, tenderhearted, forgiving heart.  Let this be your challenge today.  Ask Jesus to let you see the world through a heart that is tender and loving towards those around you.

Loving with a tender heart is what Jesus did while on earth and He desires us to continue showing that love towards others in His name.

Linda

What fills your Heart today?

nofearlindaLeave a comment

psalm 9 1Psalms is filled with images of the heart.  Today think about some of these and see if you can identify and claim them for your own heart towards God.

A heart filled with Praise and Thanksgiving, Psalm 9:1  “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
    I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.”

A heart filled with Confidence, especially in times of adversity, Psalm 27:3  “Though an army encamp against me,  my heart shall not fear;  though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.”

A heart filled with JOY because of God’s Word, Psalm 119:111 “Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.”

A heart that is willing to wait upon the Lord, Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the Lord;  be strong, and let your heart take courage;  wait for the Lord!”

A heart that is unafraid to call upon the Lord for help, Psalm 119:145 “With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O Lord!  I will keep your statutes.”

A heart that yearns for God’s presence,  Psalm 84:2  “My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the Lord;  my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.”

psalm 138 1A heart filled with Praise and Gratitude,  Psalm 138:1  “I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;  before the gods I sing your praise”

Our heart attitude needs to begin and end with praise and thanksgiving each day.  God’s Word is so descriptive and really points to the true needs of our hearts in relationship to and towards God.  Do you see confidence in Him? Joy in His Word? A willingness to wait upon Him?  Fearlessness in talking to God about your problems? A yearning for God in your heart?  Let His Word be your guide today as you examine your heart before Him.

Desiring a heart that is looking to God,

Linda

The True Nature of our Hearts vs God’s Power = Victory in Jesus

nofearlindaLeave a comment

God knows the true nature and intentions of our hearts.  Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees as they had observed the disciples eating food without washing or cleaning of their hands.  The Jewish law required certain observances before eating for yourself and the food.  Jesus called them hypocrites in Mark 7 saying they were more concerned about the outward appearances and not about the heart’s intent.  His disciples questioned him after this encounter.   “And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,22 coveting, wickedness deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”  Mark 7:18-23

Lord looks at heartJesus knew the heart of man is where the problems lie.  The Pharisee’s desired to destroy Jesus out of greed, envy, jealousy and hatred.  It had nothing to do with eating ‘unclean food’ with ‘unclean hands’.  Jesus knows our hearts too.  He knows our true motives and desires.  Our hearts are bent toward self-gratification, self-glory, self-power and self-adulation.  It comes from a heart that is not right with God.  An old hymn calls it a sin sick heart that is in need of saving, cleaning and setting right before God.   We can not deny the true nature of our hearts but we can bring our hearts to God and allow Him to transform and make our hearts clean before Him.  Jesus gave us this new way to reconciliation with God.  Hebrews 10:21-23 describes this power, “21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God (Jesus), 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”   Jesus can clean our hearts and minds.  Then we can hold to our faith with assurance and hope!  He can and will root out the evil intentions of our hearts with His indwelling Holy Spirit and mold and shape us to His will and His ways.  First, we need to be cleaned by faith in Jesus’ work on the cross (death and resurrection) and then willing to be molded and shaped by His Holy Spirit.  God’s transformation is complete and 2Corinthians5.17permanent.  He replaces the old desires with new desires.  2 Corinthians 5:17 calls us a new creation,  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”   Praise God for His transforming power!

Praising Jesus and His power to make me new!

Linda

Integrity- is it attainable?

nofearlindaLeave a comment

 

Psalm 119        Beth

psalm 119 119 How can a young person stay pure?
    By obeying your word.
10 I have tried hard to find you—
    don’t let me wander from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart,
    that I might not sin against you.

The Psalmist begins part 2 of Psalm 119 by questioning how can you keep yourself pure or living uprightly with integrity?  This is a question that both young and old ask themselves daily.  The psalmist confesses he is seeking God and asks God’s help in staying true or close to God’s ways.  He wants to be obedient and walk with God.  He then gives the action he has taken to stay true to God.  He has hidden God’s Word in His heart to protect himself from temptation and sinning.   God’s solution for keeping us close to Him and keeping us away from sinful actions is to have us immerse ourselves in His Word and commit it to memory.  Why is this an answer?  God in His wisdom knows that we need to imprint His Word and His ways upon our hearts.  Memorizing or internalizing the Word of God does that for our heart, mind and soul.  How long has it been since you memorized a piece of scripture?  It is easy to get started.  Choose a favorite verse, write it on a card or use the App Scripture Typer on your phone and review it daily.  Before you know it you will have it memorized and ready for recall when you need it most.  Recalling Scripture gives you strength and power to walk with integrity, just as Jesus would have you do.

The Jews had a portion of scripture in the Old Testament that they recited twice a day.  The Shema, Deuteronomy 6:4-9, was their confession of faith.  God is wise and wants us to know His word and have it in our hearts and on our lips. He knew that having these words on their lips repeatedly would help to keep them focused and walking with Him.  4 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

shemaMay you delight in God’s Word today!

Linda