The Father's Heart

Our Heavenly Father’s heart is filled up with so many truly amazing and wonderful things. I sometimes find myself wondering why it is that He desires so deeply to pass those things on to us. Yet in His infinite wisdom He so liberally shares of His heart. This is the beauty of our Heavenly Father. His deepest desire is for us to grow, to prosper and to expand His kingdom. Our Lord is not stingy. He does not withhold from us the things we need to know to further His kingdom. Since this is our Father’s heart for us then shouldn’t we have that same desire for those who come behind us? Shouldn’t we desire to train others up in kingdom living? Shouldn't it be our heart’s desire to train others in kingdom expansion?

As I find myself asking these questions I also have to ask, “Am I preparing the next generation to take over for me when I’m gone?” How about you? Are you training up anyone to take over for you?  It is so important that we have the type of heart that is preparing the next generation to take our place. Far too often in our competitive, capitalistic society we keep the next generation at arms length rather than training them to know everything we know in hopes that they will exceed us and do a far better job than we ever could. We push our young people aside just so we ourselves can get ahead, and for what? We can not take our jobs, houses, money, cars, or even the physical things we did here on earth to further the kingdom with us. All of those things we leave behind for the next generation to carry on. Rather than leaving them to fend for themselves, we should be training them up to take over the family business. What is the family business you ask? The family business is simply “kingdom expansion.” Are we training others to expand the kingdom? Are we training the next generation of believers to grow the kingdom or are we carrying this load all on our own?

When I look at fathers in the Bible who trained up their children in the family business Paul is my most favorite example. Now, as far as I know Paul did not have any natural children of his own, but that does not mean he did not raise up others to take over the family business once he left this earth. Paul poured into so many lives during his ministry, but the one life Paul poured into which stands out for me, is Timothy. Paul didn’t simply look after Timothy. Paul made opportunities for Timothy to grow, practice, and live out the very things he himself was doing. Paul gave Timothy a chance to see what Paul did, do what Paul did, and put into practice what Paul was doing both right along side Paul, as well as sending Timothy out to practice on his own without Paul being physically present. (To read more on this concept click here.) Paul knew and understood the importance of training up the next generation in kingdom expansion.

“If Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am. No one, then should refuse to accept him. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers.” 1 Corinthians 16:10-11

I love that Paul trusted Timothy enough to send him out on various missions. Paul trusted the time and energy he had invested into the heart of Timothy. Paul trusted the fruit that Timothy was producing and therefore had no problem with sending him out to carry on the family business. It is so important that we invest deeply in the lives of other believers so that they will carry on the torch of spreading the gospel. We can not carry the gospel to the ends of the earth on our own. We need others to help carry the load. God has designed His kingdom for us to pass along to others the things we have learned. The wisdom that has been imparted to our hearts is not meant for us to hoard away in the recesses of our hearts and minds. The wisdom that God has given us has been placed in our possession for the short time it takes for us to grow from it and then it is our responsibility to pass it along to the next person or people who are in need of that very slice of wisdom that has enabled us to overcome our obstacles. God’s kingdom is designed around the principle that “freely you have received; freely give” (Matthew 10:8).

Paul also made certain that others understood that Timothy was carrying on the work of the Lord just as Paul himself was doing. Paul spelled it out in black and white that they were to receive Timothy as if they were receiving Paul himself. How many of us as parents would want others to accept our children in the same way they would accept us? If I poured out my heart soul, mind and strength into the spiritual upbringing that Paul poured into Timothy, you better believe I would want people treating them with a certain level of respect. So, that is exactly what Paul was doing. He was telling the Corinthian church “Hey look, I have trained this young man up myself and I have full confidence in him. So, because I have complete confidence in his ability I would like you to treat him with the utmost respect. He has my personal stamp of approval upon him. If you do not accept him as you would me, I will come and deal with you directly!” Paul meant business and rightfully so. If we spent the amount of time and energy pouring into Timothy that Paul did we would react the same way. I’d like to think that as Paul was sending Timothy out, he was having a “proud daddy” moment. He was probably so proud of the man that Timothy was becoming that he just could not wait to watch Timothy get his wings under him and start to soar. Paul was launching Timothy into the tremendous responsibilities of ministry and he was excited and proud to have the privilege of doing so.

This is exactly how we should be with other believers. We should be so excited about their moments of soaring. We should be proud of them for stepping out in faith and going about the Father’s business. Like Paul, we should want to bring others up in the family business and watch them bloom. God desires for us to encourage and strengthen one another in this way, to hold up each other’s hands and fight the good fight of faith together. We can not do it on our own. We must be willing to adopt the Father’s heart and bring others along with us, while at the same time allowing others to bring us along side them. We can learn and grow from one another.

Lord, help us to have your heart for others. Help us to shower upon others the gifts that we have so freely received. Help us not to hide away the lessons we have learned on our walk with you. Show us what it looks like to teach one another with all wisdom (Colossians 3:16). Keep us from wanting to make advancements in the kingdom on our own, but rather bring others along with us so we can learn from them and we can aid in raising them up. We need help from our brothers and sisters in Christ. Keep our hearts from getting a superiority complex because we know that there is no room for a proud spirit in your kingdom. Thank you for the example of Paul who so diligently raised up others in kingdom living. Give us the kind of faith that expands the kingdom like never before. In Jesus precious name. Amen.

A Change In Routine

Have you ever been doing something one way for so long and then all of the sudden realized that you were missing out on some important things all because you had locked yourself into a simple routine? A while back I had an “aha” moment  about our children’s devotional time. We had been doing things one way for so long that I never thought about there even being a need to change anything. In today’s post, I would like to share with you this change we made in our household and what this change has meant for us as a family.

Change in routine

As I have shared with you in the past, we home school our three children. We have always been faithful about having a time of family devotions each morning, especially during the school months, but we have not been as diligent at translating that need for our children to foster their own personal devotional time with the Lord. So, this year we have been very purposeful in scheduling time for our children to have their own time to read their Bibles each day. We have been faithfully using the “Our Daily Bread” for our morning devotional time for years. This devotional has a special place in our hearts because it is the same devotional that my husband's grandparents used with their children and grandchildren and so we find if very befitting to carry on this precious tradition. However, lately we have found ourselves veering off the routine of simply reading the given scriptures and the short story provided with each daily devotional. The change in our devotional structure has to do with our decision to set time aside for our children to read their Bibles on their own. Let me explain. In each “Our Daily Bread” devotional there is a section that says “Bible in a year. “ They have broken down the Bible into small chunks of reading each day to make it easy to read through the entire Bible in one year provided that you remain faithful each day. They usually give you about three or four chapters each day and sometimes if the chapters are long they will break it apart into smaller portions. Several months ago I realized that this section was part of our devotional each day. My husband and I discussed the idea of having the children read through the Bible this year, partly for school, and partly because we wanted to foster independent devotional time.

A pleasant surprise

So on the first day of school we did our devotional time like normal and I assigned their first three chapters. I shared with them why we were making these changes. I told them that when we came back the next morning I wanted them to share at least one thing they learned, found interesting, or they liked about those three chapters. I released them to their assignment and was blown away the next morning by what happened. I had been a little concerned that my seven year old would find the reading too difficult or too long, but the complete opposite happened. She excitedly read the three chapters on her own and came to devotional time with so many new and interesting things to share about what the Word of God was teaching her little heart. I have to tell you it made my heart just melt to hear my children talking about the Word of God as if they were having an adult discussion. They were sharing verses that spoke to their spirit like they had been doing it for years. And to think I had been worried that they wouldn’t understand what they were reading, or that it would be like pulling teeth to get them to read. I have found that they are genuinely excited, and months later, they still continue to be diligent about reading. Most of the time I don’t even have to remind them to get it done. I simply write down the chapters on our whiteboard in the morning and they have no trouble getting it done.

One side note that I think you all should know is that when we invested in our children’s first full sized Bibles we specifically sought out a version that would be easier for them to read and understand on their own. Each of my children have their own copy of an “International Children’s Bible.” This particular version is published by Tommy Nelson, a common household name in Christian children’s ministries. We encourage our children to write notes, underline and highlight anything that speaks to them right in their Bibles. We want their interactions with their children’s Bible to be similar to the interactions we as parents have with our own Bibles each morning. We wanted them to explore God’s word for themselves. The “International Children’s Bible” simplifies the reading but doesn’t water the word of God down. Please note, that as I am sharing this product with you all, I am in no way affiliated with these companies. They don’t even know I exist and I surely don’t mind keeping it that way. My blog is not here to become a marketing scheme. The links to these sights are merely there for your reference. My only intentions is for you all to know what we personally use and how helpful we have found this resource to be for our children. (Sorry for the short rant but I just want to make that clear.) At some point we will graduate them to a different version, but for now we are enjoying the fact that they are writing God’s word on their little hearts and understanding it!  

Our devotional time

I can not stress enough the importance of getting into the word of God on a daily bases! I know for me personally, I need that alone time with the Lord so desperately and when I don’t get it, it throws my whole day into a tailspin. I get short tempered, easily agitated, and my peace seems to be non existent. Let’s be real here, sometimes I can get that way even when I have had my time with the Lord in the morning, but it somehow seems to rear it’s ugly head faster and with more fervency when I don’t. I’m no saint here! The Lord’s still working on me!  I can only figure that if I need the quiet time with the Lord just to keep my day balanced, how much more do our children need to learn at a young age the importance of having their quiet time with the Lord? Moreover, God longs to have intimate time with each one of us. What kind of a best friend would we be if ignore our friend, never call, or text and never want to spend any time with them. God is the same way. He desires for us to spend time with Him, to know Him on a heart to heart level. And this always starts with spending time in His word!

This is the basis for our family making the decision to read through the Bible this year. It gives my children direction in their devotional time and because we are all doing it together we have set up a platform of accountability one to another. Let’s be real, we can all use a network of accountability. It is so much easier to do things when you know someone else doing it right alongside you. Think about how much easier it is to go to the gym when you are meeting a friend there as opposed to just going by yourself. We can easily make excuses when no one is relying on us to show up, but when someone is counting on us being there it’s a whole lot harder to come up with excuses. If you are having difficulty with your daily devotional time may I suggest to you get find an accountability partner, someone who is willing to talk with you every day about what you have been reading and learning, someone who is willing to share with you the things that the Lord has been teaching their heart. This person could be your spouse, your best friend, someone from your church like a Sunday school teacher or classmate, an elder or deacon, it could be a parent or sibling, or even a neighbor. Spend some time praying about whom the Lord would desire for you to partner with in this venture. I do realize this can be a vulnerable position to be in, but it is well worth your effort to get yourself established in the word of God! Finding such a person will be such a valuable investment in your spiritual journey!

Lord, I pray that as each of us tries to establish a daily routine of delving into your word. Guide and direct each of us to the people who will encourage us in our walk. Direct us to those who will be willing to hold up our hands when we are feeling weak and vulnerable in this area. I thank you that you that you desire to spend time with each of us. I thank you that you long to know us intimately. Help us to dive into your word so that we can get to know your heart deeply and intimately. In Jesus precious name, Amen.  

Falling Into Place

Do you ever hear a song on the radio and one particular line of the song seems to catch your attention more so than any other part of the song? This happens to me quite regularly, and many times it’s not even chores that pulls my mind to a place of intrigue. It is usually a subtle, unsuspecting line that seems to draw my attention. One of the latest songs that has done this to me is a song by Casting Crowns called “Be Held.” The line that has caught my attention is the line that says: “Your world’s not falling apart it’s falling into place.”  (To listen to this song visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIZitK6_IMQ)

Have you ever felt as if your world was falling apart, being thrown upside down, turned inside out and twisted beyond recognition? I think we have all walked through a time or two riddled with hesitancy and uncertainties. I'm sure we can probably relate on some level to our world “falling apart.” This could come in a variety of different forms, from the death of a close friend or family member, the unexpected health problem, a freak accident, financial hardships, or relationship heartache, just to name a few. Our world can be peaches and cream one moment and within an instant it can take on the appearance of “falling apart. The thing is, God never promised our lives would be a bed of roses. He never promised that life would go according to our plans. His word does say that will face troubles and tribulations in this lifetime (John 16:33).

I woke up the other morning realizing why this one line from this song was continually repeating in my mind. I envisioned myself walking on a gigantic puzzle with millions of peaces all fitting together perfectly underneath my feet. As things seemed to be full of chaos in my life I saw random puzzle pieces falling from the sky. As these random pieces were falling, they slowly began to fall right into the missing holes, perfectly fitting where they were designed to fit. “Your world's not falling apart, it’s falling into place.” You see, we can choose to look at the falling pieces and assume that things are falling apart, but this is not how God sees it. This seemingly random falling apart is actually God orchestrating His creative handiwork to become a beautiful reality. It is God’s perfectly planned masterpiece coming to life! What a beautiful way to look at our trials and tribulations. I have a sneaky suspicion that James had this perspective figured out when he said…

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds” James 1:2

Sometimes we want to rush through things, avoid the hurt and the hard times, make them disappear and not walk through the valleys. What would happen if we asked God to take away all of those difficult times, so that we didn’t have to walk through the tough stuff? Here is the picture you would get. When we get to heaven and look back on our beautifully orchestrated puzzle we will see many holes and large sections of many missing pieces. When we ask God “Why are there so many missing pieces?” He looks at us with tear filled eyes, with all compassion in his heart and responds, “Those missing pieces, all of those holes that you see, are all of those moments you begged me to take the cup from you. They are all the times you pleaded with me not to make you go through the dark moments of life and the trials and tribulations. Those are all the times you asked me to take the moments of hurt from your heart because it was too much for you to bear on your own. In my compassion I took those things from you, but as a result, your masterpiece could not be complete.”  How disappointing that would be to look at this unfinished masterpiece and the only reason it is unfinished is because we would not allow God to take us through the valley of the shadow of death because we were too busy fearing evil when we should have been trusting God (Reference: Psalms 23:4).

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to get to heaven and look at an unfinished masterpiece riddled with holes and missing pieces all because of my unwillingness to trust in the Lord with all of my heart and not lean on my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). I want my puzzle to have as few missing pieces as humanly possible!  If we want our puzzle pieces to fall into place with completeness, we absolutely must trust that the Creator knows exactly what He is doing and put our trust in the fact that He can see our beginning and our end and that He is completely capable of filling in all the rest even when it seems like complete and utter chaos. God might give us glimpses of just a small portion of this enormous puzzle at times, but we can never see it in its entirety until we are standing beside the master creator himself. So in the meantime we are left putting our trust in the fact that “our world's not falling apart, it’s falling into place.”

For more reading about God's masterpiece visit: "You Are A Masterpiece", "You Are A Masterpiece (Part 2)", and "Our Creative God"

Father God, I thank you that you see all and know all. I thank you that you have orchestrated every falling piece of our lives to fit perfectly into place. Thank you for being patient with us as we teeter totter back and forth between fear and trust. Help us to land on the side of trusting that you have things under control even when we see nothing but chaos falling all around us. We place our trust in your hands today. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Cat And Mouse Game

I  saw a video on Facebook a while back of a mouse chasing a cat. Yes, it was funny, but it somehow did not settle well with me and later I realized why. It goes against the very nature of how these creatures were created. We all know that the cat should be the one chasing the mouse and the mouse should be the one running for his life. As I pondered this a little more I began to see that there was some very interesting spiritual application to this cat and mouse relationship. God has designed us to have power over the works of the enemy. Satan is a defeated foe. He was defeated by the shedding of Jesus’ blood on Calvary. We really have no reason to be running scared from him. Yet somehow like that video, the enemy seems to have us on the run, scared for our lives at times and this just should not be! We have been given power to destroy the enemy’s attempts in pursuing us. We are created to overcome! That cat just needs to realize a couple things. First of all he is bigger than the mouse. Secondly, and probably the most important reason is that he has been given the power to destroy that mouse! We have been given that same power. We just have to realize that we already possess the ability to control our cat and mouse dilemma. I guarantee when we truly believe that, our enemy will run for his life!

There are some very important things in backwards game of cat and mouse that we need to take note of. When satan is chasing us and we are on the run we have done something very substantial. We have taken the authority that Jesus Christ has over the works of the enemy, the very authority that He proved to be the unmistakable defeating blow and we have placed that authority into the hands of our enemy. We have in essence given satan permission to run us around like a scared cat. Satan does not have the power to or authority to chase us around like that scared cat unless we willingly throw up our hands in defeat and start running.  

Scripture says...  

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19

We have been given the power over the works of the enemy. But, if we never tell satan to stop chasing us, he will never stop. Why? Because we have not given him a reason to stop. If we never bind up the authority we have freely handed over to satan and place it back in the hands of Jesus Christ, then God will not step in and do it for us. That’s our job! We first have to bind up on earth so Christ can bind up in the heavenly realms. In other words, we need to stop running like the scared cat and start putting the authority where it belongs. We need to take the authority back from the devil that we have so freely handed over and put that authority back in the hands of the almighty God! There are going to be times in our lives when we just have to turn around and tell satan where he can go and to remind him that his tactics of trying to get us on the run is not a place he is allowed to be! We need to be the cat that God has called us to be, to work as the cat was wired to be. You do not see a lion running from a zebra in the wild. Why? Because they are not wired to run, they are wired to attack. God did not wire us to run from satan. God wired us to be on the defensive end of satan’s attacks, to take a stand against his foot in the door moments.

When I looked this verse up in various bible commentaries, the stance that they take on this verse is completely different than what I am sharing with you  today. Sometimes it is good to balance what we understand from scripture with what others understand from scripture and the history of scripture and culture. It helps us gain a better overall picture of what God might be speaking to our hearts. I wanted to share with you some history that I was unaware of until I did some digging.

Within the Jewish culture there was a protocol for releasing  new priests into the ministry of publicly preaching scripture. Before they could preach the scriptures to the people they would receive a physical key. This key opened the closet in the temple where the sacred books and tablets were kept. Gaining access to this closet signified the release of these priests into full responsibilities of the ministry. (Source: GodVine http://www.godvine.com/bible/matthew/16-19) I found this interesting because we need to place the key or the power in the hands of our priest, Jesus Christ in order to keep satan from running us like a scared cat.

Lord, forgive us for placing the power in the wrong hands, for allowing satan access into our lives through fear and intimidation. Help us to recognize when satan is trying to put his foot in the door of our hearts and get us on the run. Help us to remember that he is a defeated foe and we do not have to run from him. Give us the strength and courage to tell satan to back off and to remind him of his future. Help us to walk in the confidence of your defeating blow from the cross and resurrection.    

A Clean Cup

“When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.
Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.” Luke 11:37-41

Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for their religious looking “clean” cup. Yes, from the outside all looks pristine and lovely but all the while the inside their hearts were full of filth. The Pharisees were known for having the appearance of perfection in the religious world. They looked like they were doing everything right from the outside, but inwardly they were in complete opposition to the word of God. I think it’s safe to say that in one-way shape or form, we have all walked down this road before. We have all made ourselves appear to others as if everything is peaches and cream, but inside our hearts are not right with the Lord. As far as everyone else knows our world is perfectly fine, but we know that our hearts are not in tune with our Heavenly Father’s. We may even have a feeling of distance between us and the Lord. We continue to go to church week after week, put a smile on our face and wear that “everything is fine” mask. All the while, no one knows that our walk with the Lord is on shaky ground. Please tell me I’m not the only one who is guilty of cleaning up the outside of my cup only to neglect the inside. Yes, I have walked down that road in my past and believe me, if you are not there now, and you never have been there, please do all you can to keep your heart right before the Lord because living like all is well when your walk with the Lord is dying is a horrible place to be. God would rather our hearts be clean, pure and right before Him with our outward appearance looking like it’s in shambles then the other way around. 

“...The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

Another side of the “Clean Cup” Mentality
The other aspect of this clean cup mentality that I have been thinking heavily about is this whole disillusioned notion that we have to clean ourselves up before we come to the Lord. Some people will even go the extreme of thinking that before they can ever set foot inside the doors of a church building they need to be perfect. I can not recall one time in scripture where it says to get all your ducks in a row first before Jesus will have anything to do with you. In fact, scripture tells us just the opposite. Christ came to seek out and to save those who are lost (Luke 19:10). Christ loves us so much that while we were still in the midst of our wrongs, in the depths of our addictions, and in bondage to our sin, in that very moment is when He willingly laid down His life for us (Romans 5:8)! This is the beauty of our Heavenly Father. He loves us right where we are at. Now, please note here that while He laid down His life for us while we were yet in our sin, it is not His desire that we remain there. Christ did not lay down His life to set us free just so we can feel better for a short time only for us to return to the bondages of sin once again. No! Christ came while we were in the depths of our sin to set us free so we can stay free. So we can live a life that is full of love, joy, and peace. He called us to live a life that beckons others to come to the feet of Jesus and find freedom as well.  

Clean Enough
Have you ever gone to the Lord thinking that you have “cleaned yourself up enough” only to have the Lord convict your heart? I have to say, I must raise my hand on this one. I am so guilty of trying to clean up myself and then trying to approach the Lord only to realize that when I put my cleanest, whitest clothing on and then stand beside the King of Kings, I look quite dingy and stain ridden next to the creator of all perfection. It is in these moments that I all I can do is say, “Here I am Lord, dirty, spotted, stained, tattered and torn. And despite my best efforts, this is the best I can do. I place the rest in your hands.” Jesus, with all compassion in his heart, looks back at me and says, “My daughter, I never wanted you to try to clean yourself up. I just wanted you to come as you are. For it is an impossible thing for you to do. This is why I have poured out my blood on the cross for you. It is only by my blood that you can be made clean, unspotted, unstained, whole, complete, and as white as snow. I love you as you are. Let me do the heavy cleaning from now on.” It puts tears in my eyes just thinking about how much the Lord loves us, that He wants us to come as we are so He can do the dirty work of cleaning the sinful mess that we have made of our hearts. He doesn’t want us to try and do His job. Besides even when we try, we will always fall short. We are not capable of cleaning up sin. When we try to clean up the sin in our lives all we end up doing is making a bigger mess by smearing, smudging and possibly even adding to it. I sometimes wonder why we as Christians feel the need to do God’s job. Is it that we don’t trust Him with our heart or is it that we are too ashamed of what we have done and wished it wasn’t so bad? I’m guessing it’s a little of both at times. 

How to keep a clean heart
God is looking at our hearts and not just the outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7). He is looking at our secret place. He is looking at everything that everyone else cannot see. There is nothing hidden from the Lord (Hebrews 4:13). He desires for our hearts to be a place of righteousness, honor, and truth. He wants our hearts to be pure and upright. But what must we do in order to keep a clean heart?

1. Walk in Forgiveness
“ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

Our clean heart starts with walking in forgiveness. We must seek forgiveness from Jesus Christ in order for us to be purified and cleansed from our unrighteousness. Christ cannot and will not cleanse sin from our hearts if we are not willing to seek forgiveness first! A clean heart begins with forgiveness from our Savior! 

2. Walk in Humility
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 4:10

This was one of the problems that the Pharisees had. They refused to humble themselves. They wanted to be lifted up without walking in a place of humility. Walking in pride got them nothing but one big chastisement after another from Jesus. I don’t know about you, but I have found myself tripping over my pride more times then I care to admit. I thank God for his grace because without it I would find myself so deep in trouble that Solomon in all his wisdom might just be stumped in getting me out of my pit.

3. Walk in Love for the Lord
“He answered, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27

 Forgiveness washes us clean but love can keep us from going from wanting to go back and be repeat offenders of those same sins. Love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). Love can keep us walking in freedom from our past sins. It can keep us from wanting to run back to the bondages that we once found ourselves so easily entangled in. I can think of a time or two when the love of others has kept me on the straight and narrow. How about you? Can you think of times in your life when the love flowing from someone for you has kept you from sin and danger? This is just how our Heavenly Father works. He loves us so much that His love is capable of keeping our faces turned toward righteousness and away from sin in so many instances.

The same thing goes for when we love the Lord with a fervent type of love. It will keep us from the desire of sin in our lives. Now, does this mean that if we keep our love for Christ in a passionate state that we will never sin? No, because we are human. We are bound to miss the mark even when we are not trying to do so on purpose.  But loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength can sure keep us out of a lot of unrighteous situations.

4. Walk in Obedience
“He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” Luke 11:28

When we hear God’s word and obey what it says this is yet another way of keeping our hearts clean before the Lord. At the very core, this is what our Lord requires of us, to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). We can not walk with God if we are too busy disobeying His word. I would like to point out that this verse does not say blessed are those who hear the word only. The blessing does not come unless we hear and obey. Blessing comes with obedience. One of the blessings we get from obedience is having a clean heart before the Lord.

Lord, Help us to not just look at the outward appearance and pretend that everything is okay while completely ignoring the inner workings of our hearts. Help us to remember that we must walk in forgiveness, walk in humility, walk in love for you and walk in obedience in order for our hearts to be kept pure. You desire for our hearts to be righteousness. Help us not to just clean up the outside, but to clean up the inside as well. Thank you, Lord, for the direction of your word and we desire to walk in obedience to it. In Jesus mighty name, Amen.