WORDS THAT BESPEAKS THE HEART!

...for out of the overflow
of his heart the mouth speaks.
(Luke 6:45c)

Like many of you, I'm still suffering a bit of righteous indignation at the alleged remarks by the P.O.T.U.S.
about Africa and Haiti!  I can't say that I was surprised but I did feel tremendous sadness!

Sadness for the timing (not that there is ever a good time), days before the celebration of a great Son of Africa, Dr. Martin Luther King! Sadness for our nation, another huge embarassment to the world as we prepare for Black History Month.  But my most profound sadness was reserved for the man!

This scripture immediately came to mind: The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks (Luke 6:45).   Neither you nor I are qualified to judge a person's heart.  That's God's job! But as the context of this verse confirms, we can know a tree by the fruit it bears!  For this president... it has not been a good season!

Believe it or not, I've made it a point to pray for the hearts of my leaders! You should too!  Not just in the White House, but in the House of Prayer, and even in my own house!  For I understand, personally what the Prophet Jeremiah says:  The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9)

A quick word study on the heart (kardia, Strongs 2588 in the Greek) tells us that physiologically, it is the most important place in the human system.  Life cannot exist apart from it!  But spiritually, I think it even more important!  For all the brokenness in our lives spiritually can be measured by our hearts!  Here's why:

• It reveals the hidden man (I Peter 3:4)
• It  explains our bad choices and behaviors (Hebrews 4:12)
• It is the seat of our emotions (2 Cor. 2:4; Luke 24:32)
• It verbalizes our worldview about good and evil; right and wrong; value and significance (Prov. 21:2; Prov. 10:11)

We don't need a polygraph to know if a person is lying, just listen to their heart.  What do they talk about most!  We don't have to see every good deed that a person does.  Just follow their actions -- what things are they involved in! We don't have to wonder if a person cares.  Track their giving and where their hearts of compassion leads them.   The people they spend time with, listen to, and come to their aide. 

February, is the month set aside for Matters of the Heart. But we can't afford to WAIT!  Examine Your Heart!  Watch Your Words!  And don't forget to Pray for the Damaged Hearts of the Unredeemed!   

 UNTIL NEXT TIME...

If you would like to leave a comment please send an email to: sisters4sisters@att.net OR  scroll to the bottom of my blog page at  http://alittlewiser63.blogspot.com  click on the  no comments by the pencil and it will change to a writing space.

NEVER TOO LATE ...TO BEGIN AGAIN!!

Here we are...entering another new year!  For many this is a time for reflecting.  For gathering our thoughts about what we accomplished or  perhaps what we didn't.  Let me caution you to be careful and not become too overwhelmed with the latter!

The great thing about being a Christian is that it's never too late for us to begin again!  No matter what it is!  This is what makes our relationship with God so different than other religions! It is what keeps us who really know Him, centered and free from the stress and pressures of the world.  We don't need a new day or even a new year to to start all over. All we need is a new resolve and commitment to finish the course! No matter how long it may take! (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

I love Philippians 1:6.  It's a simple statement of God's truth that emboldens my faith and fills me with the knowledge that God has my back!  Maybe this is what you need to hear right about now! A bit of encouragement to inspire you to climb right back into the saddle, and ride toward your divine destiny!  Those things that you treasured in your heart; your goals and aspirations did not die in 2017 when the calendar rolled over to 2018.  If God is in it you can still achieve it!

Paul tells us that we first must have confidence (faith, belief, and assurance) that it can be done! Where is your confidence today?  Is it in your abilities, finances or in others who look like they've made it?   I John 5:14  tells us this: And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. 

Once, in a study of the Holy Spirit, I came across a term that changed the whole meaning of Psalms 37:4 for me: Delight yourself in the the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. We hear that verse quoted so glibly don't we as if it's a sure-fire way to get our selfish desires met. But in this study I learned that the true desires of our hearts are Spirit planted desires!  That's when God replaces our fleshly desires with holy ones.

When we surrender to these desires we never experience failure for He that began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. (Phil. 1:6b) Can you see how important it is to evaluate our successes according to God's will and not our own?  We walk around thinking that we have not made significant achievements because we are weighing them on a faulty scale.  We need to let God judge them. (2 Cor. 5:10).

Time seems to be another parameter that sucks us into the depression of underachievement! The Enemy keeps telling us we're running out of time to do things that please God! What a bunch of  Hooey!  It's never too late and we're never too old to do what God has told us to do!  We impede our own progress with the temptation to compare ourselves with others!  Older Saints become obsessed with their lack of energy, prowess, and seemingly respect that younger Saints are getting and just give up on their dreams. This is not the time to do so! Your influence can only be felt if you continue to inspire by your good words, works, and testimony of faith! ( Heb. 11:2)

This is the promise given in Philippians 1:6c: Our salvation, our ministry, our testimony is sealed, complete, relevant and efficacious (effective) until the day of Jesus Christ! Don't get bogged down with what you didn't do or didn't get done in 2017. Pray up and Gear up for the opportunities ahead:  IT'S NEVER TOO LATE...TO BEGIN AGAIN!

UNTIL NEXT TIME...

If you would like to leave a comment please send an email to: sisters4sisters@att.net OR  scroll to the bottom of my blog page at  http://alittlewiser63.blogspot.com  click on the  no comments by the pencil and it will change to a writing space.