Guard Your Heart - - A Clean Heart

 

Psalm 17:3

You have tried my heart; You have visited me in the night. You have tested me and found no evil; I have resolved not to sin with my mouth.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 974

Tried: examine, test, prove

From the Hebrew word 'bachan' (pronounced baw-khan'). 

    In the night watches, The LORD tries His people. He tests our hearts to see if we are ready to do His will, to serve Him, to work for Him.

    How does He visit His people? In prayer. We must be awake to pray with our LORD. We must be conscious and meet Him on a heart to heart level. For the LORD looks on the heart, not the mind or the face (1 Samuel 16:7; Luke 16:15). (Psalm 42:8). In meditation on His Word (Psalm 77:6). The LORD searches our hearts (Proverbs 20:27; Jeremiah 17:10; 1 Chronicles 28:9; Acts 1:24). 

A CLEAN HEART IS CREATED BY GOD

    Psalm 51:10

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

    Psalm 32:1

Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered!

    Matthew 6:12

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

A CLEAN HEART IS A FORGIVEN HEART

    Isaiah 1:18

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool."

    Isaiah 42:35

"I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more."

A CLEAN HEART IS A MALLEABLE HEART

    Ezekiel 36:26

"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh."

    John 3:5

"Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit."

A CLEAN HEART IS A PURE HEART

    Matthew 5:8

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

    When God cleans our hearts, it is not merely that our slates are wiped clean, but that we may be useful vessels for God. When we let Him, God decides how best we may serve Him. 

    We have several vases atop our hutch. We do not use most of them and one of these days some of them will become garden decorations. But for now, they are in a waiting period. Like some of us: we offer ourselves to God, then wonder why we aren't doing some great deed for Him. 

    While we think we are just sitting on the shelf, God is testing us, proving our hearts to be His. The Spirit searches all things (1 Corinthians 2:10). If our hearts truly belong to God, then God knows that we are His people. And He wants us to be ready. Even if our readiness includes sitting on a shelf. 

    The LORD hears our cries (Psalm 61:1; Psalm 130:1-4). 

Psalm 27:7

"Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for Himself; the LORD hears when I call to Him."

O LORD, make us clean. We repent of the wickedness of our hearts, of our transgressions against Your Word, of the sins we have committed. You say to me, when I have awakened, 'Wash you, make you clean before you begin your work'. And every morning I wash my face and make me clean. 

But You, O LORD, desire a clean heart and a renewed spirit. These things only You can do, LORD, but I must ask You to do so. For I know You want to be asked, that You are not a controlling God, but a loving God, Who wants only what is right for us. You have given us free will, the conscious ability to choose right from wrong, to make decisions for ourselves.

Forgive me, LORD, for I do so want to be found in Your good graces. So, try my heart: test me, prove me; examine me according to Your Word, Your Will and Your Way. Remove anything not good in me and replace it with the better thing You have for me. 

You are the God of my life and I want no other.

In Jesus' Name, I pray,

Amen.

O COME TO THE ALTAR 

COME AS YOU ARE

CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART 

SANCTUARY

FILL ME UP 

    

    

Guard Your Heart - - Godly Diet & Exercise

 

Matthew 15:10, 11

Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, "Listen and understand. A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it."

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 2840

Defiled: to make common
From the Greek word 'koinoó' (pronounced koy-no'-o): I pollute, make unclean, desecrate; I regard as unclean. Treating what is sacred as common or ordinary.

WORLDLY DIET & EXERCISE

Touch Not, Taste Not

1 Timothy 4:3 

3. They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 

Self Discipline For Personal Gain

1 Corinthians 9:25

Everyone who competes in the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable.

GODLY DIET & EXERCISE

Taste The Word

Psalm 34:8 

O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusts in Him.

Psalm 119:103

How sweet are Your words to my taste—sweeter than honey in my mouth!

1 Corinthians 11:23-25

23. For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, 

24. and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

25. In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

Exercise Godliness

1 Timothy 4:8

8. For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for the present life and for the one to come.

WORLDLY WISDOM

Colossians 2:20-23

20. If you have died with Christ to the spiritual forces of the world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its regulations: 

21. “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”?

22. These will all perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings.

23. Such restrictions indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-prescribed worship, their false humility, and their harsh treatment of the body; but they are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

GODLY WISDOM

Job 28:28

And He said to man, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.'"

Psalm 111:10

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts gain rich understanding. His praise endures forever!

Proverbs 1:5

A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels.

EXERCISE GODLINESS

2 Peter 1:3

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

    So, how can we live a godly life in this day and age? For many are offended at the least little thing. A man's article of clothing is resented by those around him who demand he remove it 'because it's offensive' to them. Everything a born again Christian does or says is going to offend someone somewhere. That's just the way it is when we faithfully follow Christ and we need to accept that as fact. 

    The Bible tells us that the very name of Christ is offensive, that the gospel of salvation through Christ offends other religious factors. If you want to live a life that offends no one, then you will offend God, but I'm determined not to walk that path, for that way only ends in God's wrath and eternal damnation. 

    Being obedient to the moving of the Holy Spirit on our lives is of more value than being obedient to the offended spirits who control the people who obey those spirits. The spirit of antichrist is any person who rebels against Christ. 

Matthew 24:5 "For many will come in My name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many."

Matthew 24:24 "For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible."

Mark 13:22 "For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible."

1 Timothy 4:1 "Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons."

1 John 2:18 "Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour."

    But, remember that you are valuable to God (Matthew 10:31) and blessed. 

Matthew 5:11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me."

Matthew 10:22 "You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved."

1 Peter 4:14 "If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you."

    Come, let us taste of this Word which The Lord our God has given us today. Let us pray together for understanding The Word. It is bittersweet: bitter to the hearing yet sweet to the tasting.  The result is the betterment of our souls. We are enriched. 

    Lord, increase our faith. Help us to live godly lives which glorify You and humble us. Spirit, lead us in godly wisdom that our souls may prosper, even as The Word prospers in us. 

In Jesus' Name, we pray,

Amen.

Better Than Life

Peace 

Taste & See

Honey In The Rock  

Bread of Heaven 

       

Guard Your Heart - - Guard Your Faith

 

1 Timothy 4:1, 2

Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 868

Abandon: to withdraw oneself from, to fall away

From the Greek word 'aphistémi' (pronounced af-is'-tay-mee): I take up a position away from, repel, leave, abstain from, to lead away from.

LATER TIMES

    The later times, often referred to as latter days, are not the same as end of days. The later times refer to the age in which the church is being built up in the faith, in the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. And we are still in these days, for this age will continue until the church is taken up by Christ when He returns for her. 

    Even in the beginning of the church's growth,  sedition (rebellion) and apostasy (desertion, falling away from) began to rear their ugly heads. Religious groups outside the church began impacting the way the church was being run, inserting their own laws and rules ahead of God's law and rule. 

    In Paul's letter to Timothy, he reminds him of this and to warn the brethren (the brothers and sisters in Christ) under Timothy's leadership to be careful of what is being let into the church and what is to be kept out. 

    Since the Spirit of God never lies we know that then, as now, many have been deceived by their faith leaders into believing what has been presented as truth, but in actuality is false. We are to beware of (be aware of and avoid) false teachings which are delivered by false teachers and false prophets: imposters and evil spirits. 

    And in order to know who is speaking Truth and who is lying we need to know what The Word of God is for ourselves. We need to grab hold of the written Word of God and begin to read and study it out and pray over what we are reading and studying, asking God to reveal Himself in His Word. 

HYPOCRISY 

    Most of us know by now that a hypocrite is a person who says one thing and does the opposite. They are pretenders, snakes. On the outside they appear morally righteous; in their hearts and behind closed doors they are anything but. 

    The born again believer who follows closely the Word of God will be on the lookout for deceivers and heretics who try to enjoin themselves to the church in which the believer participates. It is why we need to remain in a state of prayer, constant communication with our heavenly Father, that we may be able to discern the wicked from the righteous. 

    The Spirit of God has told us how we are to be in these latter days. If we pay closer attention to how we receive The Word then we will be able to tell the difference in the Spirit who is and who is not a Christian. 

    What does the word Christian mean? It is a designation of nationality. Not only are we Christ-followers, but we are living in Christ and Christ lives in us. Perhaps meant as an insult in the beginning, the Christians embraced the title. Therefore, not everyone who calls themselves Christians really are Christians.

TRUTH: GOD DEMANDS OUR WORSHIP

Because God is Creator, only God creates. Genesis 1 and 2 we read that God created all of nature and all of the universes. Exodus 20:1-5 reminds us that God is to be worshiped, not God's creations.

LIE: Making statues of people and animals is fine.

TRUTH: ONLY PRAY TO GOD

Matthew 6:5-7 Jesus tells His disciples to pray in secret to their heavenly Father. Psalm 4:3 God hears the prayers of the godly.

LIE: Praying the name of a saint gets results. Lighting these candles will cause your prayers to enter God's light. 

TRUTH:  GOD IS HOLY, HIS NAME IS HOLY

Exodus 20:7 Taking the Lord's name in vain (swearing) is a punishable offense. Using God's Name as an epithet is not acceptable in any part of the believer's life, especially their tongue.

LIE: Swearing is normal; everybody does it.

TRUTH: OBEY THE WORD OF GOD WHEN HE SPEAKS TO YOU or Suffer the Consequences

1 Kings 13:11-34 is one example of not obeying God's specific words given to one of His prophets. 

Deuteronomy 28:1-14 details the blessings of God when His people obey Him, while Deuteronomy 28:15-68 details the curses of God when His people disobey Him.

LIE: The Bible is ancient history. It is a storybook filled with tall tales and fables. It is irrelevant in today's age.

    Beware, church! You who say you are God's people! God knows who belongs to Him and who does not. Make very sure you know you belong to God. Guard your faith, pay very close attention to what you are reading, hearing and believing.

2 Timothy 2:19

"Nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, The Lord knows them that are His. And, Let every one that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity."

 TRUTH: GRACE IS A GIFT

 It can neither be bought nor sold. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar and a thief. We cannot buy our way into heaven. 

Ephesians 2:8, 9

"For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." 

LIE: Buy (my water, this brick) and your reward will be in heaven. Make your charitable donations public and generous and you will be blessed.

    We beg you now, to return to fold, to repent of your wicked ways and fall on your faces before The Lord God. Do not die with regret in your everlasting shame. For God has made a Way for you to be forgiven. And that Way is to humble ourselves, not just getting on our knees in prayer and praise, but humbling our hearts to submit to the Authority of God's Word. 

    Let us draw near to God that He may draw near to us, as we are so aptly reminded in The Word: James 4:7, 8.

IN CHRIST ALONE

AMAZING GRACE MY CHAINS ARE GONE

I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED  

WORD OF GOD SPEAK

GLORIOUS DAY

REDEEMED

 

 

 

     

    

Guard Your Heart - - Keep His Word

 

John 14:23

Jesus replied, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him."

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 

Keep: to watch over, to guard

From the Greek word 'téreó' (pronounced tay-reh'-o): I watch, I guard, I maintain, I keep intact. 

    I keep intact His Word. Not a phrase one would normally associate with keeping God's Word, yet it is completely accurate. For what does Christ say in Revelation? Revelation 22:18, 19 "I testify to everyone who hears the words of prophecy in this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and the holy city, which are described in this book."

    If anyone 'adds to' or 'removes from (takes away) the Book of Prophecy, God will take away that person's share in the Tree of Life and the holy city. A person will lose their life and their spiritual inheritance, when they detract from The Word. Death and destruction will be their reward. 

    Denying The Word, ignoring The Word, living in defiance of The Word is not keeping The Word. Twisting The Word to suit your own selfish agenda is not keeping The Word. 

     

KEEP MY WORD

>Be Diligent

2 Chronicles 31:21 "And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered."

>Be Careful

The Lord's instructions to Joshua: 

Joshua 1:7, 8 "Above all, be strong and very courageous. Be careful to observe all the law that My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in all you do."

>Be Faithful

John's revelation from Christ: 

Revelation 22:9

"Behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book."

THE WORD IS LIFE

John 8:51

"Truly, truly, I tell you, if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death.”

John 11:26

"And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?"

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Philippians 2:16

"Holding forth The Word of Life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain."

THE WORD IS THE FATHER'S WORD

John 14:24

"Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words. The word that you hear is not My own, but it is from the Father who sent Me."

John 7:16

"Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me."

John 12:49

"I have not spoken on My own, but the Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it."

John 8:26

""I have much to say about you and much to judge. But the One who sent Me is truthful, and what I have heard from Him, I tell the world."

THE TRINITY TAKES UP RESIDENCE

Our key verse for today:

John 14:23

Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him."

Revelation 3:20

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me."

Matthew 28:19, 20

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

    Let us open the doors of our hearts, invite Jesus in and He will feed and sustain us with The Word of God in The Spirit of God. Let us put out the welcome mat for The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit now that we may dine at the welcome table. Believe, Receive, Rejoice.  

Words of Life - Statler Bros. 

Ancient Words - Michael W. Smith

Abide In Me - Andrew Marcus 

Abba - John Mark Pantana

Welcome, Holy Spirit - Jimmy Swaggart

Guard Your Heart - - Understand His Ways

 

Hosea 14:9

Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right, and the righteous walk in them but the rebellious stumble in them.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 1870

Ways: commandments, journey, manner, distance, road

From the Hebrew word 'derek' (pronounced deh'-rek). This word 'ways' has a few definitions, but in this Hosea 14:9 the translation is "commandments".

    Hosea 14 is a call to Israel, to God's people to repent: to repent of their idolatry, their faithlessness (apostasy); to confess their wrongs to Him and to return to Him. It is a call to remember that their blessing lies with God; it is God who makes us fruitful, but only when we are faithful to Him.

    HIS WAYS ARE JUST 

Justice of God

Deuteronomy 32:4 "He is the Rock, His work is perfect; all His ways are just. A God of faithfulness without injustice, righteous and upright is He."

Revelation 15:3 "They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!"

    HIS WAY IS PERFECT

Perfect: Sound, wholesome, having integrity; without blemish or defect

Genesis 17:1; 2 Samuel 22:31; Psalm 18:30; Psalm 19:7

    Matthew 5:48 "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." It is a call, a commandment, to be people of integrity. People of integrity have a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Perfect: Entirely in accord with Truth and Fact

Job 1:1; Deuteronomy 10:12

Joshua 24:14

"Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and Truth; cast aside the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt, and serve the LORD."

    HIS WAY IS RIGHTEOUS

Psalm 145:17 "The LORD is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works."

    HIS WAYS ARE EVERLASTING

Everlasting: of long duration, from antiquity to futurity, from ancient times to times not yet, continually existent

Habakkuk 3:6 "He stood, and measured the earth: He beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: His ways are everlasting."

Revelation 1:8 "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."

    HIS WAY IS STRENGTH TO THE UPRIGHT

Proverbs 21:15; Isaiah 40:31; Psalm 1:6

Proverbs 10:29 "The way of the LORD is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity."

Ephesians 6:10 "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."

    HIS WAYS ARE TAUGHT

Micah 4:2 "And many nations will come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion and the Word of the LORD from Jerusalem."

    THE LORD SHOWS US HIS WAY

Psalm 25:8 "Good and upright is the LORD; therefore He shows sinners the way."

John 14:6 "Jesus answered, “I am The Way and The Truth and The Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

    HIS WAYS ARE TO BE WALKED IN

Walk In: Live in, be obedient to, follow after

Isaiah 30:21 "And whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This is The Way. Walk in it.”

2 John 1:6 "And this is love, that we walk after His commandments. This is the commandment, That, as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it."

   To understand His ways is to know His ways AND be obedient to His Way. Many will say they knew Him, but because they refused to obey Him, He will know they are lying. 

Matthew 7:22, 23; Matthew 25:41; Luke 13:25, 27.

    The born again believer not only pursues understanding but follows the blueprint of obedience and blessing which The Lord has laid out for those who love Him. 

    I do not want to know everything about The Lord now. Knowledge is responsibility. Knowing what little I do know of The Lord Jesus Christ, I know that He saved this wretched sinner from everlasting death and brought me into everlasting life. So, I, too, encourage you to get into His Word, follow His Way and obey His will for your life. 

    Let us walk the walk and talk the talk: in the Love of God, in the Way of The Lord. 

Understand - Jeremy Camp

The Worth of Knowing You - Austin Bratton

I Have Decided To Follow Jesus - Lydia Walker

Simple Pursuit - New Wine

Guard Your Heart - - Invest Your Time Wisely

 

Ephesians 5:16, 17

 Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 1805

Redeeming: buy up, ransom, rescue from loss

From the Greek word 'exagorazó' (pronounced ex-ag-or-ad'-zo). I buy out, I buy away from; I ransom, I redeem, I purchase, I choose.

'Time is a talent given us by God, and it is misspent and lost when not employed according to His design.' - Matthew Henry Commentary

    To pay careful attention is to closely watch, keep an open eye on. To be very attentive to. 

    Do we drive with our eyes closed? Kinda hard to see the potholes that way, isn't it? Can we even walk alone with our eyes barely open? I can't. Even within my home I am thankful for even floors and close walls: I hold onto the walls and take baby steps on the floors. I walk cautious.

    It is the same in our spiritual walk with God. Being ready to walk requires preparation. Have we knelt before God and given Him our allegiance? Our full allegiance, not just lip service, but heart service. 

TALENTS OF TIME

    Remember the Parable of Talents? The Master took away from the fearful servant, who had the least amount of talents, and gave it to the one who had been given the most, the one who doubled for the Master the talents he had been given. 

    Now, money-wise one talent equals one year's wages. Imagine being given double your wages. But not for your own pleasures. The two years worth of wages is yours to invest and return to the Master when He returns. 

    But consider, as Matthew Henry does, that one of the talents being given is Time. A reckoning of time spent will be required by The Master at His return. We must consider now, therefore, how we have invested the Time He gave us. 

    Have we honored Him with our time? Have we invested our time or wasted our time? Not all my times on this earth have been used to glorify God; to my shame. Coming to the realization that my time is not my own, I endeavor to glorify God with the best use of my time, that time which God has given me, that I may show Him when He returns and claims again the time He gave me. 

DEVOURER OF TIME

John 10:10 "The thief comes only that he might steal and might kill and might destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly."

1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour: Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brethren throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering."

    Our time is best spent in serving God. In searching Him out in His Word, in seeking His face in our prayer times. In submitting ourselves to His service the way He desires to be served, not the way in which we think He should be served. 

    The enemy of our souls seeks to devour our time, to fill it up with emptiness and dissatisfaction. Time spent not serving God according to His Word, His Will and His Way is time lost; time lost cannot be recouped. 

REDEEM THE TIME

    Acknowledging that we are not the best at deciding how to spend the time we have been given should lead us to seeking God on how best to use the Time He has placed in our hands. And He always has an answer for us. We choose to take back time and use it for Him, not wasting it on us.

    Seek first the kingdom of God.

        Matthew 6:33

    Repent and be baptized.

        Acts 2:38

    Ask Me for Living Water.

        John 7:39

    Love one another as I have loved you.

        John 13:34

    Clothe yourselves in Righteousness.

        Ephesians 4:24

    Put your spiritual battle gear on.

        Ephesians 6:10-20

    Persevere in your race and Endure with patience every trial.

        Hebrews 10:36

    Pray without ceasing.

        1 Thessalonians 5:17

    There are many, many more ways in which we can increase the value of the Time we are given. We just need to study the Word for ourselves and come together as a group (what is commonly referred to as 'going to church'), that the Word of God may be made plain to us who want to hear the clear Truth of God's Word. 

    Our hearts must be ready(prepared to be His sanctuary) and willing (eager to hear) to receive what God wants to plant in us. Let us be ready for Christ's return, not spending the time we have now in regret, but using it for Him. 

Redeem The Time Medley 

        

        

    

    

Guard Your Heart - - Watch Your Ways

 

Jeremiah 17:10

I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 3629

Reins: kidney

From the Hebrew word 'kilyah' (pronounced kil-yaw'). Figuratively speaking, considered the seat of emotion and affection; where the character of a person is thought to originate; the mind, the interior self. 

THE LORD IS MY JUDGE

Psalm 26:2

Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.

Jeremiah 20:12

O LORD of Hosts, who examines the righteous, who sees the heart and mind, let me see Your vengeance upon them, for to You I have committed my cause. 

    Even before I meet Him face to face, God judges my heart and my mind now to see if I have been faithful to Him. He knows my thoughts, He sees my heart. Therefore, in my decision to follow Christ, I must also control not only what I think, but how I think. 

    Cursing the person who cuts us off in traffic is not Christ-like. And, yes, calling them names is not Christ-like either. Just roll with it. Getting angry at rude people is not Christ-like. Where is the compassion? Where is the mercy? Why condemn when we can forgive? 

    I am a slow-moving woman. While I do not drive any more, I am a passenger. And I have the tendency to be frustrated at other drivers. So, I need to watch myself. I need to be more prepared to be in the midst of rude, selfish, inattentive people and not be one of them. 

    This includes indoor traffic. Like, say, grocery shopping. People whip around me like I'm not even there. Because I'm slow. And my little scooter irritates them. Even here I need to show compassion and understanding. Why? That my witness, my testimony not be tainted. The Lord Is My Strength. He hears my thoughts. He knows my heart. And because I belong to Him I am accountable for both aspects to Him.

MY REINS

    I don't always know what I'm thinking. I used to do things without thinking. Scary thought! Careful thought is given to how I may serve God and others, but seldom do I think carefully on how best to take care of myself. I'm still learning to not only think for myself, but to make wise choices after careful thought.

    Psalm 19:12 "Who can discern his own errors? Cleanse me from my hidden faults." Hidden faults. There are hidden thoughts in me. Not always knowing my own mind how can I know what is hidden in my reins, my mind? So say I, too, "Lord, cleanse me from my hidden faults." 

    Job 13:23 "How many are my iniquities and sins? Make me know my transgression and my sin." Show me, Lord, where I am doing You wrong, where my errors lie. Reveal the sin in me and remove it far from me. For I do not want anything to separate me from You. 

MY HEART

Psalm 17:3 "You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress."

Psalm 39:1 "I said, "I will watch my ways so that I will not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle as long as the wicked are present."

    What is in the heart comes out of the mouth. Again, many times without us even thinking about it. It is another reason we need The Lord to fill us with His Word, that His Word would take root and grow in us: filling our hearts and our minds with Himself. For He is a patient God. A loving God. A forgiving God. A just God. A compassionate God. A merciful God. A faithful God.     

    When God looks on our hearts, what does He see? Does He see His own image or does He see a deceitful heart? When God listens to our thoughts, can He hear us glorifying Him or are we displeasing to Him, causing Him to turn His face away from us?

    David wrote in Psalm 26:1 that he had walked with integrity, that he had trusted the Lord without wavering. Have we walked with integrity, with uprightness of heart? Have we faithfully obeyed God, trusted in Him with all of our hearts, our minds, our souls the way He wants us to trust Him?

    Deuteronomy 6:4, 5

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."

All our hearts. All our souls. All our strength. Is to be dedicated to loving The Lord our God. All of His people. All of the time. 

THE LORD REWARDS

Job 34:11

"For according to a man's deeds He repays him; according to a man's ways He brings consequences."

Isaiah 40:10

"Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and His arm establishes His rule. His reward is with Him, and His recompense accompanies Him."

Matthew 16:27

"For the Son of Man will come in His Father's glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done."

Revelation 22:12

"Behold, I am coming soon, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to what he has done." 

    Think on this: will we be rewarded for our faithfulness and enter into the joy of The Lord? or will we be found wanting and sent into utter darkness, away from the presence of The Eternal God?     It's actually our decision. We have free will, the ability to choose. Our decisions, what we think and how we behave, are ours to make. Let us watch and pray. Watch not only ourselves, but for His return. Let us open ourselves up to God completely, allowing Him to show us the error of our ways and surrendering completely to His ways.

My Portion by Mark Barlow

Let This Heart Not Wander by Young Oceans

Jesus At The Center by Darlene Zschech

I Give You My Heart by Hillsong