What's in your heart?

We must allow the word of God to correct us the same way we allow it to encourage us.

A.W. Tozer

Whatever a man depends upon, whatever rules his mind, whatever governs his affections, whatever is the chief object of his delight, is his god.

Charles H. Spurgeon

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matthew 6:21

What really matters most to you is not a difficult question to find the answer to.

I have found that the older I get, the more the world is pulling for our love and affection. 

And it's coming up with more and more ways to do so!

I know I've said it before, but back in 2014, just a couple months before we had our son, Jack, I made the decision to permanently delete my Instagram account. Which was my only social media avenue.

I understand that this isn't going to be everyone's conviction. And more than a conviction, I saw that it was pointless to my life, it was not adding lasting value. This is just my little personal story. Everyone is different. I honestly felt I was living life through a little 5 inch screen, rather than noticing the details of the people around me. I won't go into further details, but to me, it just wasn't healthy. I always keep stuff simple in life and I always ask, "is this helping me spiritually or is it feeding my flesh more?" For me personally, again, for ME, social media had way more cons that pros.

I said all that to say, it's important to me to not purposely place any distraction in my life that could potentially bring me down, even just 1% down, spiritually.

I like to compare my decision to leave Instagram with this quote by A.W. Tozer.

"Whatever keeps me from my Bible is my enemy, however harmless it may appear to be."

I made more time many days for Instagram than I did really studying God's Word.

So for me, it was sin.

It was a sin hidden in my heart.

 I saw in my prayer journal the other day where I wrote down years back the name "Bella Bush." She is doing good right now as far as I know, but for a huge part of her little life, she has fought cancer. And buddy, she has fought! Any time I think I'm having a bad day, or I don't feel good, I often think of Bella and her courageous parents and siblings. I know many of the lows we've faced don't compare to cancer. And if you are a Christian, I can almost guarantee you know what I'm talking about. That is why it's so important for us to put on that WHOLE armor of God. Not just one or two pieces.

I believe we are seeing physical and spiritual attacks left and right and for that reason, it is a serious matter for you to consider what is in your heart. When you're faced with a trial, where do you run? When you have prayed and prayed and still the sickness remains, will you cave? When your family and friends forsake you, will you press on? If a knife was held to your neck for your belief in God, would you tremble with fear and denounce?

We are living in the last days and I believe that the Christian who will not stray, will face adversity because so many people out there, including Christians alike, will say you are being too holy, you're being too forgiving, you're being too humble. Oh, where are the Christians today who will stand up for what is true and what is righteous and what is pure? Where are they at? I know there is a remnant of them out there. May I ask, will you be found spotless and without blemish or wrinkle if the Lord steps out and calls His children home today? Or is there bitterness, hatefulness, or envy (Raylea learned this word in school this week, so incase you don't know it's meaning, it simply means wanting/longing for what someone else has.)

What is in your heart, sir? Ma'am?

C.S. Lewis said, "For pride is spiritual cancer; it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense."

Pride. 

We don't want to admit we have any, because, well, we're prideful!

Do you live by rules/laws and view God as someone pressing His big thumb down on your helpless life?

C.H. Spurgeon said, "If I hate sin because of the punishment, I have not repented of my sin, I merely regret that God is just."

When you're pride is ridden, you can walk in the freeness of God's amazing grace, peace and forgiveness.

Unforgiveness

Spurgeon also said, "Until seventy times seven, said Christ to Peter; we have not yet reached that, and if we have, let us begin another seventy times seven, for God has forgiven us countless numbers of offences."

A holier than thou attitude

"It is not the absence of sin but the grieving over it which distinguishes the child of God from empty professors."

A.W. Pink

We all need to fall on our faces and humble ourselves before God, no matter how "good" you think you are.

Letting grace be a license to sin

Really, think about this one.

"Since I know that Jesus bled for little sins, I cannot wound his heart by indulging in them."

C.H. Spurgeon

People pleasing


That may be considered a "little sin" to some. Wanting approval of others. I'm sure anyone of any age can relate, but if someone walks out your life, either on purpose or maybe they decided they don't have the time for you anymore and you slowly drift away, it hurts. You grieve.
I want you to know though, that God calls us to love others, not chase them down and force them to love you back. That is a lesson I learned the hard way in my adult life.



I encourage you to be a true friend to others, but don't neglect those who have loved you in the good, the bad and the ugly, to try to win over those fair weather fickle friends. :) That was a tongue twister!


False friends will give you a quick fix by telling you how important you are to them and how significant you are in their life, yet, when trials hit, when you are at your lowest, when your name is brought up in a negative way, when you have nothing to offer, when you feel like nobody truly cares... this person will tuck their tail and run. Remember, don't worry if other people are being true to you, just worry about yourself, and YOU be the true friend, even if a single soul never returns the favor. God sees your heart.

God will send you a true friend, or maybe two in life and I also encourage you to take the time this week to write them a card thanking them for their constant love and friendship.

Iron sharpens iron.

"God allows us to feel the frailty of human love so we'll appreciate the strength of His." 

C.S. Lewis

Doubt

This is not my quote, instead it's unknown to me, but so true.

The serpent did not tempt Adam and Eve to steal, to kill, to commit adultery; he simply tempted them to question God's Word.

Your thoughts

Remember that thought is speech before God.

C.H. Spurgeon

Ouch!

Idleness

The idle man tempts the devil to tempt him.

C.H. Spurgeon

Being angry about God's timing

There is a level of spiritual maturity that only comes from seasons of waiting and struggle, trusting God through adversity. 

-Matt Brown

Living in the past

When I got saved nearly 14 years ago, I stood there spiritually speaking, completely exposed before the Lord. All my flaws, all my insecurities, all my sin. Rather than telling me I was dirty, unworthy and broken, He called me beautiful. Righteous. Justified. As I knelt at that altar at a little church in Wellington, Kansas, I found that I could now live for the future instead of living in the past. 

Eyes for the World

Those who have truly seen Christ in His glory have eyes for nothing else.

A.W. Tozer

Thinking God's grace will cover your willful, continual sin

Evil comes from the abuse of FREE WILL.

CS Lewis

Being too sensitive

The man after God's own heart must be dead to the opinions of his friends as well as his enemies.

A.W. Tozer

Lastly,

Refusing God

Repentance is not when you cry, it's when you change. 

Some of you don't know me. You'll never meet me on this side of heaven. I know this because a great portion of my readers are out of the USA. 

But I want to share with you this. My life goal is to help others realize that nothing in life will satisfy their craving for love and worth until they meet Jesus. I'm a mother who has chosen to stay home to raise her three kids until they're graduated from high school, whom I also have chosen to homeschool until their graduation days. I understand I'm not someone of much value to the world, and I don't have a single college degree to tell you of, to maybe get some respect from you otherwise. But, I can tell you this, my whole heart is turned toward God. The Maker of you and me. The One who forgave me of my sins on March 15th, 2006. The One who afforded me the opportunity to marry a godly man, who preaches the Gospel with God's anointing on him. There is no thing, no relationship, and no success that compares to the peace I have in my heart, knowing that my soul is peaceful because of Jesus' blood shed. I don't just ask, but I beg you, whether you are saved or not, to seek God like you never have before. Tune out any distractions that aren't necessary for your survival if need be. Television. Busy work schedule. (Take a few days off if possible to revive your spirit. We take vacations for everything else, why not take time off to spend with your Best Friend?) Social Media. Your cell phone. A hobby. An ungodly friendship/relationship. If this person is pushing and keeping you away from serving God and keeping you from those who love you the most (your parents, your children, your spouse, even!) If this person is keeping you from God and other godly people, take a big fat timeout from that person. They'll find someone else to leach onto, I promise you that.

If you're not saved, read in the Bible John 3:16 and Romans chapter 8. You can find it online if you don't have an actual Bible. 

Seek you the Lord while He may be found, call you unto Him while He is near. 

Isaiah 55:6

As always, thank you for taking time to read what God laid on my heart.
2020 will be a wonderful year, in JESUS name.