What are you holding in your heart today? What are the things you choose to fill it with? (Key word: CHOOSE)
It is the day after Easter. The day after we celebrate the resurrection of the One who gave EVERYTHING for us. The One who overpowered death's grip. What a glorious day; a day without which we would have NO hope! Easter fills my heart with JOY, LOVE, HOPE, EXCITEMENT!
In stark contrast to that, my heart has also been filled with many others things. Things that are not nearly as rosy. Sadness. Frustration. Confusion. Disappointment. Even Anger. How could such things reside in the same place that JOY, HOPE, and LOVE do? I'll tell you why...for one thing, I am human...very human. Another reason is that the enemy and his minions never rest and never let up. Another reason...I CHOSE to place those things in my heart.
BUT...and that is a BIG OL' BUT...the great thing is...I AM INTROSPECTIVE. I am constantly evaluating what is in my heart and in my mind, on an ongoing basis. This is something that I have not always done, but have learned to do over the past couple of years. Giving yourself a completely honest, no holds barred look into your heart and soul, many times a day can be LIFE CHANGING. I look to see what is inside. Then I ask "WHY is that there, did I put it there, did I allow my enemy to place it there, or is it of God?" Then I ask myself , "Is it beneficial to my walk in Christ or is it counterproductive?" This process takes complete and utter honesty. Not always fun, but always worth it! Most of the time, it's really easy to find when I am harboring resentment, self-loathing, anger, envy, etc...AND to find its source. Once you recognize the "demons" in your head, it's much easier to deal with them and flush them out. But if you never take the time, the effort, and choose to endure the discomfort of doing this, you'll just deteriorate your heart and mind with the corrosion that comes from the enemy. And those things (your heart and your mind) my friend, belong to HIM, not you.
Take inventory daily. Flush out the negativity. Flush out the feelings (whoa whoa whoa feeeeelings...Ed Young reference, I couldn't resist) that are there because of the enemy's attempt to win your heart over tiny piece by tiny piece. Anger, hate, jealousy, envy, self-hatred, and the like are not of God. We all face them. We all are bombarded by such things. But man...we have got to be on the proactive side of this thing or Satan will get a foothold, and let me tell you he has a wicked grip, once you allow him to take hold.
Jesus did not come to this earth, to die a tortuous and excruciating death, defeat it, and rise up again, so that you would fill your heart...(which belongs to Him), with such blackened, rotting, pungent, sludge. He came to bring HOPE, LOVE, JOY, and LIFE!!!
Take a look, you are human, there will be some very undesirable things trying to take up residence in your heart. Don't look away. Don't "deal with it later". Don't play the avoidance game. Don't wallow in your unhappiness. Dig down deep and clean it out. Give Him the junk and funk. He'd LOVE to take it away from you. Let Him fill the remaining space with His gifts. JOY, LOVE, HOPE, GRACE, and LIFE!!! It's YOUR choice. What is in there, is there because it is what YOU choose.
2 comments:
Once again, on the money! I too, started frequent analysis of my heart years ago, when I kept finding myself being overwhelmed by negativity. Sure enough, the enemy had been there pouring in his venom, and I had been too busy to dredge it out. Problem was, by the time I got around to it, I was at a spiritual standstill. Good advice for all who wish to EFFECTIVELY serve a risen Lord.
Great post! Thank you for being such an encouragement to those around you.
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