Anatomy of The Heart

     When we think of how we make decisions and choices in our lives, we think of the mind as creating thought and the heart as something that must be followed. When in all actuality it is through the heart that all decisions, all thought, all follow-through is done.
     

The spirit-heart starts out black, because we view sin as black/dark. Only the Light of God's Love, Jesus Christ, can turn the heart from black/dark to gold/light.

When we first come to knowledge of the saving grace of God through the cross on which His only begotten Son Jesus Christ died, the blood which Jesus shed is applied to the darkness of our hearts. We call this being saved.

We also call this not enough to live holy. God calls us to holiness in our every day lives because He is holy and He cannot be in the same room as sin, because sin is rebelliousness to God and God's Holy Word. Therefore, we also need God's Holy Spirit to continually work on the darkness of our hearts, like water forming and shaping the rocks in a body of water: constantly flowing, never-ending shifting over and around and through us: making us holy and filling us ever more with God's Light and Love.

But that takes time and effort. Time to allow the Holy Spirit to deconstruct the darkness and construct us into honorable friends of God, holy and acceptable to Him.

First, the heart is washed clean by the Blood of God's Lamb, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. 

Anyone who believes that Jesus Christ is LORD is saved. Romans 10:13 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the LORD shall be saved." That is when the blood is applied to the heart because Romans 10:8-10 "But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: that if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him out from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved." 

Why do we want to speak out our salvation? Why not? There is nothing to be ashamed of: but there is everything to rejoice aloud! 

So we see here in these three verses that the heart makes the decision to believe and the mouth speaks what is in the heart. 

But the heart had to be able to hear the Word before the Spirit could apply the Word in the heart. How did the heart hear the Word?

So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ. Romans 10:17

The Word that was preached, the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ, who died on the cross in our stead, was buried and rose from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of the Father is the Word that the heart did hear and receive upon believing this to be truth. 

Our spiritually anatomically correct heart does not stop there, though.  We now know that our hearts can think, and hear so let us continue our journey through The Word. 

Because the heart is the decision maker, it is also the place of understanding, where wisdom is applied; therefore the heart can also see: 

Ephesians 1:16-19 "I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened (shine brightly), so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength."

Job 42:5 "My ears had heard of You, but now my eyes have seen You." Proverbs 18:15 "The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks it out." Whether discernment or hearing, it is the heart doing the work.

     Through Psalm 34:8 we see that our hearts have mouths, as it is impossible to taste or chew without a mouth. 

"Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!" And again in Hebrews 6:4-5 "It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened (shone brightly), who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit---who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age--..." 

     The heart also drinks in through the mouth the Living Water that comes from Christ Jesus. In Matthew 5:5 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled." And again in John 7:38 "Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’” These 'streams of living water'? The Holy Spirit. John 7:39 "He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified." 

     We could say that our spirit-heart resembles this:

It is a busy heart, indeed. And when the heart has accomplished all which God has set forth for it to do, the heart will be holy and pure and acceptable to God the Father, ready to be in His eternal holy presence. 

12 Days of Christmas 2019

So, I decided to make a 12 Days of Christmas Series which began on December 13 to count up to Christmas Day. Since two Sundays had to be counted in there, I just tried to make the Names of Christ as Christmas-centered as possible, sandwiching them in-between the days of the week. 
This is the cover art:

And this next is December 13: 

December 14

December 15 (Names of Christ Series)

December 16

December 17

December 18

December 19

December 20

December 21

December 22

December 23

December 24

December 25

JEHOVAH-GO'EL

This is not the only verse in the Old Testament writings which refers to God as our Redeemer. Isaiah alone contains more than a handful of references. 

Blessed Increase_Deuteronomy

The increase, the fruitfulness, of the one who obeys God, is promised to the believer over time, since one's property cannot multiply over night. 

This verse reminds us that God will bless every living thing we have in our household as long as we follow His Word. 

I have found it is best to follow Him willingly and with my whole heart (all my love) than in increments. 

Blessed, to be envied, happy shall be the increase of your children,  your lands (including, but not limited to, gardens, fields), the increase of your cattle, the increase of your kine (four-footed animals not related to cows, i.e. horses, oxen, buffalo, yak, deer, etc), the increase of the flocks of your sheep. 

Not only do our souls prosper under the watchful guidance of our Lord and Savior God, but everything around us will prosper, as well. 

Naming The Names In The Books of The Bible

NAMING THE NAMES IN THE BOOKS

OF THE BIBLE

JOSHUA Yahweh Is Salvation

RUTH Friend and Companion

SAMUEL Asked of The LORD

EZRA One Who Helps, Supports

NEHEMIAH Yah Comforts

ESTHER Star

JOB Persecuted; He Who Turns To God

SOLOMON Complete Peace & Restoration

ISAIAH Yah Has Saved, Delivered

JEREMIAH Whom Jehovah Has Appointed

EZEKIEL God Strengthens, Establishes Himself 

Securely, Encourages

DANIEL God Is My Judge, Defender, Vindicator

JOEL The LORD Is God

AMOS Bears Our Burden

OBADIAH Servant of Yah or Yahweh

JONAH Dove; Effervescent

MICAH Who Is Like Yah?

NAHUM Comforter, Consolation, Compassionate

HABAKKUK Embrace, Clasp Hands (around)

ZEPHANIAH Yah Has Treasured, Has Hidden Away

HAGGAI To Make A Pilgrimage To Hold Festivals

ZECHARIAH The LORD Remembers Me

MALACHI My Messenger

MATTHEW Engage In Battle; Contend

MARK Large Hammer

LUKE Light

JOHN The LORD Has Been Gracious

TIMOTHY Of Precious Value to God

TITUS Defender

PHILEMON Affectionate Friend

JAMES He Who Overthrows, Usurps

PETER Stone Found Along a Pathway

JUDE The LORD Is My Praise

Blessed Workplace-Deuteronomy 28

Blessed Obedience_Deuteronomy

HEARKEN: to hear, to listen obediently, to hear and obey; to listen carefully and attentively; to make known, to proclaim, to summon. 

I used wind here to illustrate the breath of God, the voice of God, the Spirit of God. For it is wind that comes upon us, overtakes us and surrounds us. Though we cannot see wind, we are able to see what wind can do. 


God has spoken to us through His Written Word in the Holy Bible, the Holy Scriptures, what we are to do pertaining to same: Hearken. 

It is not enough to just listen to the Word of God, we must obey His Word, as well. Could we just hear our Mother or Father tell us how to behave? No. We had to obey, do what we were told to do or suffer the consequences. The consequences of not obeying God in this chapter of Deuteronomy are found in verses 15-44, which is a separate study. This month we are continuing THE BLESSED study. 

We are not to listen and obey just anyone, either. We are to listen obediently to the Voice of THE LORD our God. We recognize that He Is LORD of all, including us. And that He Is THE LORD our GOD, not just any god, but GOD ALMIGHTY. He Is the Forever, Eternal God. 

Almost 16 years ago I could no longer find it possible to just sit in a pew and do nothing with what I have heard. Nor could I just read or peruse my Bible. So I became a preacher, a minister of the gospel. I am compelled by the Holy Spirit of God to study The Word and proclaim the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ and none other. 

I want the Blessings of God to come upon me and overtake me. "Come upon" sounds lovely doesn't it? When we're outdoors in the summer heat, a gentle breeze 'comes upon' us. When we search and search for that one thing, suddenly there it is before us: we have come upon it. When the blessings of God come upon us, they rush to meet us, welcoming us into a closer relationship with our LORD. 

And when He overtakes us, He wraps Himself around us with the wings of His favor, enveloping us with His love. We are captured by Him, encircled by His joy and completely enraptured to be with our LORD GOD. It is a love like no other, an all-encompassing love, that takes our breath away........

I will hearken. I will listen obediently to God. I will endeavor to be more obedient than I have been. And God will bless me. 

Blessed Seed

This is a two-fold promise. The first promise is to all who are descended from Abraham through Isaac,  and Jacob, as confirmed in Acts 3:25.    
The second promise is to the faithful believers not of Israelite lineage, as seen in Galatians 3:8,9. 

The promise of this blessing was made manifest in another descendant of Abraham: Jesus Christ. While both Joseph and Mary were descendants of the house of David, it is through Mary's bloodline that Jesus was born, thus becoming the Son of David and, therefore, able to sit on David's throne. Galatians 4:4.
Furthermore, in Galatians 4:4-7, we who believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord, are now grafted into Him (John 15:4, 5; Romans 11:24) and have become of the seed of Abraham.  
Galatians 4:4-7
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 
To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 
Wherefore, you are no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
John 15:4-5
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in Me. 
I AM The Vine, you are the branches: He that abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without Me, you can do nothing. 
Romans 11:24
For if you were cut off of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?
Ephesians 2:11-13
Therefore remember that formerly you—the Gentiles in the flesh, the ones being called the uncircumcision by that being called the circumcision, made by hands in the flesh--
that at that time you were separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, not having hope and without God in the world.
But now in Christ Jesus you, the ones once being far off, have become near by the blood of Christ.

We are blessed through our faith in Jesus Christ. And as long as our faith remains in Christ, and we continue in obedience to God's Word, we will be forever receiving blessings of promise from God.

Blessed Is Israel

Blessed_Saved_Psalms

Blessed is that people, that is in such a case: Yes, blessed is that people whose God is The LORD. Psalm 144:15 

 
What case are these blessed people in?
People of Praise - verse 9
Salvation - verse 10
Deliverance - verse 11

They, we, are a joyful people because:
1 Peter 1:8
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy.
My GOD Is The LORD. I know JOY.

Exuberantly joyful are those people in such a case: Yes, exceedingly happy are those people whose God is The LORD.