A Matter of the Heart

Prayer  Father God,  I am desperate for you. Give me a heart, an earnest desire, and a willingness to serve you in all that I do. Give me a pure heart so that I may see your grace in my life. Help me to be grateful for your blessings each and every day. Strengthen me so that I will endure each blow that life send’s my way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.    A Matter of the Heart by Veronica Garrett    Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:24)   My fitness trainer told me, “I’m going to start you off with cardio.  Walk briskly one minute, run for one minute and do this for one mile.” This exercise strengthens the heart. In time I am able to run the mile. I have found that before I can run for Jesus I must first learn to walk with Him. In the life of a Christian we have to learn how to walk with God. It all starts with the heart. Salvation begins with a changed heart, one that believes that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead.  In order to work out our salvation we must learn to have an intimate walk with God.  This strengthens a heart for God. Far too often Christians lose their passion for Christ.  He calls us to good works that he prepared in advance for us to do. The work itself brings the greatest fulfillment and passion for life. Each Christian has a race to run that is very personal and specific to God’s plan for their lives. Running the race that God has prepared is the source of your greatest joy.  I cannot run your race.  You cannot run mine. In order to live life abundantly we have got to run the race. Many say that God created you for tremendous blessings of wealth, power, and influence. Even so, the source of joy in the life of a believer is not attached to tangible things. Pursue God and His will for your life and you will have passion. To run the race you have got to have heart. Ask any coach what gets an athlete farther talent or heart.  He will tell you that you have got to have heart. The race doesn’t go to the swift or the strong but to the one that endures to end. In order to keep from quitting during the tough times you have got to have heart.  A strong heart towards Christ is what keeps you going.  It all started with the heart. And crossing the finishing line, in essence finishing your God assigned race, is a matter of the heart.

The Power of Prayer

Prayer  My Lord, My God, I thank you for the outpour of your blessings, your rich presence, and the work of your Spirit. At times I struggle in prayer, searching to find the right words to express my concerns.  I'm confident that even when I don't know how I should pray the Holy Spirit intercedes with groans on my behalf that I cannot understand. Help me to pray continually about the cares of life. Bless our nation and its leaders that they may govern righteously. Prick the hearts of your people, draw us closer to you and reveal yourself to us daily. Open the eyes of our hearts so that we can serve You faithfully. In Jesus' name, Amen.   The Power of Prayer by Veronica Garrett    The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16     Years ago, I was a frequent business traveler.  I was very comfortable flying the friendly skies.  On this particular day all passengers were seated with belts fastened because the stewardess had completed her safety demonstration. The doors to the plane were secure and the carrier had pushed away from the docking zone. The airplane began to taxi to the runway. Sitting on a busy runway of a major airport, we awaited our turn to take off. Eventually, the airplane began to move forward with sure speed.  This particular day I felt a sudden urge to pray.  I can only explain that often I feel the prompting of the spirit but this moment I felt a tremendous urgency. This had never occurred during a flight I begin to pray for family, friends, and the airplane and travel safety.  I can recollect that my instant thought was regarding those I loved.   I didn’t immediately consider that my flight was in jeopardy.  Almost immediately the Boeing 747 airplane suddenly stops. The passengers quickly became quiet because this was not a normal flight occurrence. I sat in astonishment knowing that I had bombarded heaven just seconds prior. The pilot came over the loud speaker only to tell us that another aircraft had erroneously taken off when we were about to take off. I thank God for his prompting and allowing me to experience the power of prayer in such way.  Far too often we organize our prayer petitions in the "draft" folder of our heart and yet fail to "send" the prayer towards Heaven. We definitely want to feel the effects of answered prayer but we must always remember it is asking, seeking, and knocking we experience the blessing of answered prayer.

I Belong To God

I Belong To God Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Romans 12:1

Christ gave the most extravagant gift. He gave His life for us.  As we express our gratitude with gift giving we must understand that the most extravagant gift we have to offer in response to His perfect gift is to surrender our lives to Him. We have a tremendous opportunity for Christ to live through us. Everything tangible thing we have been entrusted with came from Him.  There’s no point in re-gifting our presents and giving them to the One who gave them to us.  Emptying our lives so that the life of Christ can flow through us can be at times excruciating. To be alive but yet choosing to die to our desires, plans, or opinions can be challenging. The exponential return on His precious blood is that our hearts would become circumcised to Him and His very life would flow through ours. Make no mistakes. Circumcision of the heart is painful because yielding one’s life and denying self is unnatural. I once heard a bible teacher say “Being dead to ourselves and alive in Christ is the being more alive than we could ever be without Him!”  In primary school we labeled all of our belongings so others would know the proper owner. I wish our hearts would testify, “I belong to God.” “This belongs to God.” Everything belongs to God. Fancy Cars. Nice Houses. Savings Accounts. Retirement Funds. 501Ks. IRAs. Hoopties. Old Homes. No Homes. Checking Accounts. No Accounts. Children. Marriage.  Singleness. Clothes. Jewels. Bills. There is freedom in this. If I own nothing then nothing owns me.  The bills can’t keep me up at night because God’s money, God’s stuff, God’s.  It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. It doesn't matter what I think or feel its what He says.  I’m not finding a new trinket for Him. Not an extra hour on Sunday. I’m not picking a cause. Nor a women’s event. I’m going all out. I’m giving my best to Him because I belong to God.

Fatherless

“This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,   your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:8-10 Our Father, which art in heaven.  Hallow be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9-10 Most recently there's been a great deal of  discussion about children who grow up without fathers  and the lasting impact it has on their lives. This is not a new discussion.  From the classroom to the courtroom, from the pulpit to the precinct, it's impact is far reaching.  This topic has been thoroughly discussed in the "real" world. Many who grow up without fathers are often challenged by feelings of abandonment and rejection from an early age.  Many times wounded hearts bleed into other relationships. Some who are filled with empathy don't have a solution to this problem. We are having conversations and making suggestions and although we admit that a father's love is fundamental to one's development, we cannot specifically make a case by case assessment of it's impact on each life.  Every situation is unique.  Our sorrows, sufferings, and pain are specific. How do you fill a deep emptiness and answer its longing? Acknowledging a problem is the first step but it is not a solution. Facing the raw reality of rejection is too much without resolve or redemption. It's too much!   There is One who has proclaimed His love so boldly that He has given everyone the opportunity to call Him Father. In fact, the nature of His relationship precedes that of a biological father because before we were formed in our mother's womb He knew us (Jeremiah 1:5).  He was intentional about getting us here and watching us blossom into men and women who would realize an unfailing love.  Our acknowledgement and acceptance of Him answers our deep longing for a love that is unconditional, as well as assures us of our worth.   We can never been inferior or superior to any person because all were created in the image of God. His love is lavishly demonstrated in a God's willingness to sacrificed Jesus Christ so that we could be reconciled with Him.  Jesus' love is not pushy but yet He beats at the door of our hearts wooing us to Himself. He stands and knocks, open the door, welcome Him in and He will enter.    God never leaves us due to His omnipresence. He is always there even in the darkest and loneliest hour.  Call up His name and and you will be saved from a hemmorhaging heart because He, and only He, can make you whole from broken pieces.  When we accept God's love and realize that He is the loving Father who never leaves and will never forsake.  He is the One who loved us most.  God's love goes beyond words. It's demonstrat-ed  by the cross.  He did it by giving us His best while we were at our worst. He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ to die for our sins.  Sin is when we miss the mark, not by our standards, but by God's perfect law.   Only an unblemished and perfect sacrifice could be made in our place and Jesus willingly died a gruesome death on a cross, for this reason His name is the name of love. Jesus. He did not die because He had done wrong, but for our wrongs. The veil of separation between man and God the Father was completely ripped apart by Christ. His triumph over the cross  gave us access to God the Father. Jesus knew our needs were great.  His earthly ministry ended so the person of the Holy Spirit could fill the hearts of men and women who believed on Him (John 16:7). God's great Comforter is expressed in the person of the Holy Spirit that leads us to truth (John 16:13). He is  like an internal GPS  (global positioning system),  navigating us to hope and healing so that our lives will accomplish the Father's will on earth.  Jesus Christ sits next to God the Father where He makes intercessions for believers.  The Holy Spirit is making intercessions for believers(Romans 8:26).  Inspite of all the beauty in the world God chooses to dwell  by the Holy Spirit in human temples.  If you sow a seed of faith in your heart the size of a mustard seed,  by receiving God's love through Jesus it will bring forth a sizeable tree.  It's branch will bring shade for what is beneath in your past as well as a resting place for whatever is beyond it in the future.  It's roots will run deep to stabilize.  No longer will you search for love on shallow ground when you are filled in the deepest place.  When we really settle the point of believing God by accepting Christ, everything changes. You are loved extravagantly by the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.  He is the only One who does not sleep or slumber and you are the apple of His eye.  While an earthly daddy may not comes  into your life, your "real" Daddy, God the Father, is eager to hear your voice and to speak to you!   He is the One that we can always call upon as Father, Abba, or Daddy. If a boyfriend, husband, or friend has left it's okay. God the Father is the One who never leaves. The God man, Jesus Christ, is the One who loves you sacrificially. He gave His life for you. The Holy Spirit is the presence and power of God that lives within a believer of Jesus. The triune God is the power packed solution to bind every wound of the brokenhearted. For every empty place there is a God who knows, cares, and can fill it. He brings hope and healing to a bleeding heart like no other.  He is the Father that every girl dreams! A middle age wife and mother told me her story. She said I never had a father.  My mother was a single parent back when it was a shameful thing. Even as a child I felt the shame of not having a father.' The lady went on to say, 'My grandmother told me if you make one step, Jesus will make the rest.  I was concerned about walking the aisle to ask Jesus into my heart because all those people would be looking at me, the fatherless child.  I was a young girl and I didn't understand what my grandmother was saying at the time but one Sunday I  made one step forward and Jesus met me there.' She looked at me and her emotion was as real and raw some thirty years later. She said, 'From that day forward, I have always had a Father!' This woman's testimony is the solution to fatherlessness.  Our Father which art in heaven...He is the one who heals the brokenhearted and binds their wounds.  According to Oprah's Lifeclass, 21 million kids grow up without his or her father. Shouldn't we spread the good news of Our Father's love?  When I truly know that God loves me, by His amazing grace, His love can fill every empty place!!! Our Father's Love The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made Him known. John 1:17-18