"Shut The Door"

"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he..."  Proverbs 23:7a

The Bible tells us to guard our hearts.  Whatever gets into your heart, whether it is good or bad, does so by gaining access.  Therefore, we must guard our hearts.  How do we guard them?  How do we stop what is bad from gaining access?  The access point to your heart is a door.  You stop access by putting a "guard" on the door to your heart.  What is the door that leads to your heart?  It is your mind.  Your mind is the door to your heart.

When bad, evil, wicked, wrong, ungodly, negative, unkind, fearful, hateful thoughts come, you have to take them captive or else they will gain entrance into your heart.  They will come right in through the door.  You will be letting them in.  

When these thoughts come, capture them and cast them down.  Don't give place to them.  Don't hold the door open to them.  Close the door.  Close it by renewing your mind.  Counteract those thoughts with the Word of God.  Use your "sword of the Spirit" against them.  Post God's Word at the door.  This is what Jesus did in the wilderness.  The enemy was trying to gain access to His heart.  He was trying to find an open door into His heart.  He used thoughts that would promote pride and lust. (Matthew 4)  But Jesus guarded His heart and shut the door each time to the enemy by capturing His thoughts and renewing His mind with God's Word-- "it is written".  You and I have to do the same.  This is how we protect and guard our hearts.  We close the door.  The mind is the door.  We close it by renewing it with God's Word.

Have a great day.  Close the door of your heart-- stop holding it open.

"Just Because"

"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."  Hebrews 13:15

 

Have you ever received a "just because" gift?  It was given to you by someone "just because".  It wasn't your birthday.  It wasn't an anniversary.  It wasn't a special occasion.  They gave it to you just because they love you.  They gave it to you just because they were thinking about you.  They gave it to you just because they knew you would like it.  Who doesn't like a "just because" gift.  They are special blessings.

 

When was the last time you gave the Lord a "just because" gift?  When was the last time you spent time with Him just because you love Him-- you didn't spend the time asking for anything?  When was the last time you went to Him for no reason at all other than to bring Him a gift of praise?  When was the last time you just wanted to lavish your love on Him?  When was the last time you just sang to Him, or gave Him thanksgiving, or told Him how wonderful He was?  These are all gifts that we give to Him-- and He loves them.  If it has been awhile, then maybe today you might want to think about giving Him a "just because" gift.    

 

Have a great day.  The Lord loves "just because" gifts too.  

 

"The Known God"

"For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To The Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you."  Acts 17:23

 

To many people the Lord God is an unknown God.  They either haven't met Him yet or they don't want to know Him.  Some others think they know Him but they only know "facts and figures" about Him. 

 

When Paul saw this altar to the unknown God, he begin to tell the people who He was.  He began to make Him known.  Why?  Because it is God's will that we know Him.  He doesn't want to remain "unknown".  He wants to reveal Himself to you.  He wants you to know Him.  He wants you to know Him in a personal and intimate way.  This is one of the reasons why He sent His Son Jesus into the world. 

 

When Jesus came, He revealed Father/God to mankind-- when you have seen Me you have seen the Father.  He made known His power to us-- He went about healing the sick, casting out devils, raising the dead.  He made known His grace-- neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.  He made known His love-- by dying on the cross to save us from our sins.  He made known His mercy-- I will have mercy on you.  He made known His compassion to us-- when He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion.  Jesus made known the Father's provision-- He fed the 5,000 with fish and bread.  Everything we needed to know about Father/God Jesus revealed.  He showed us everything from His great love to His tender mercies.  And He let us know that it is God's will that we know Him.

 

Do you know Him?  Is He still unknown to you?  Do you want to know Him?  You can.  He wants you to know Him.  He knows who you are and He desires that you not only know who He is, but know Him through a relationship.  How do we come to that place of knowing Him?  By calling out to Him and asking Him for that relationship.  Accepting that it came through Jesus Christ and place your faith in Him as the way to come to know the Father.

 

Have a great day.  The Lord wants you to know Him. 

"Ball And Chain"

"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."  Matthew 6:14,15

I read something yesterday that said-- Forgiveness will not change the past, but it will enlarge the future. 

Just because you forgive someone doesn't mean it will change the past.  What happened, happened.  It can't be changed.  It can't be undone.  But on the other hand, holding on to unforgiveness won't change the past either.  Some people hold on to unforgiveness and bitterness toward someone for something that they did.  Do they think that by not forgiving it will change what happened, or make it better, or make it go away?  Nothing can change the past.  But your forgiveness or unforgiveness will change and affect your present and future.

How will forgiveness "enlarge" your future?  For one, you will have freedom to move on.  You will have freedom to accomplish your life's mission.  You will have freedom to pursue life.  Holding on to unforgiveness is like carrying around a "ball and chain"-- it is there reminding you and stopping you from progressing any further in life.  It entangles you.  It oppresses you with its weight.  It slows you down.  It hinders you.

Forgiveness and unforgiveness are choices.  You have to choose to forgive, but if you don't you are automatically choosing unforgiveness. 

Do you want freedom in your life?  Do you want peace?  Joy?  Do you want abundant life?  Do you want to fulfill your destiny?  Do you want your life to have purpose?  Do you want to fulfill God's plan and mission for your life?  Unforgiveness will stop that from happening.  But forgiveness will make it possible. 

Have a great day.  Unforgiveness will weigh you down.  Forgiveness will free you.

"Captured Heart

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."  Proverbs 4:23

The word issues is also translated fountain.  Our heart has a "fountain of life" in it.  That fountain is Jesus-- the Way, the Truth and the Life.  His life is suppose to be issuing (flowing) from our hearts so that others can taste and see that He is good.  It should be flowing so that they will know that He quenches the thirst of our souls. 

The Bible lets us know that our hearts have a "door" on them.  Sin is always crouching at the door awaiting access. (Genesis 4:7)  When we open the door to sin, sin will come in.  Once it does, it starts taking over our hearts.  It starts holding the life that is in us captive so that it can't freely flow from us.

For example, when bitterness comes in, it takes love captive.  We are so taken over by bitterness that love can't flow from our hearts.  When fear is allowed in, it takes faith captive-- faith can't flow from us.  When we open the door to confusion, peace can no longer flow from our lives.  That is the way it is with any of the characteristics of sin.  It demands to rule the whole heart and takes captive anything that is there. 

This is why we must guard our hearts from opening the door to anything that is connected, or related, to sin.  We must be diligent and watchful because sin is crouching, that means it is in the "ready, set, go" position.  It will move so fast to gain access that it is in the door before you know it.  Keep on guard.  Keep watchful.  Keep attentive.  Don't let down your guard.  Keep your heart full of the life of Jesus. Keep your heart full of the Spirit.  When you do, the door will stay shut to keep out sin.  And when it is open to release the fountain of life in you, that fountain will be so strong that it will be like a "river" that will carry sin away from the door and down stream.

Have a great day.  Guard your heart.  Don't let sin in to hold it captive.