My Heart to Yours

Two thousand years ago in the turbulent Middle East, the most deadly battle of all human history was fought. Not a conflict waged between two armies involving hordes of armed soldiers, but a life-and-death struggle between two opposing generals. At stake was the eternal destiny of the human race.

This event happened in the wilderness, as Jesus Christ launched His public ministry. He withdrew into the lonely isolation of the Judean wilderness for a time of intense prayer and fasting — only to face Satan in the spiritual battle of the ages. By Satan’s estimation, this was the most strategic time to successfully advance an all-out attack upon Jesus. By his sinister calculations, the battle conditions were now most favorable to score a stunning upset. The wilderness experience was, in Luke’s words, “an opportune time.” A time when Christ found Himself in the line of fire.

By studying Satan’s surprise attack upon Christ, we can learn the devil’s modus operandi and understand when he is most likely to ambush us. The tactics used by the enemy 2,000 years ago against Christ are the same that will be employed against us today. From this ancient war in the wilderness, we gain insight into Satan’s battle strategies.

I really liked this article. I often wonder why I was never taught about the enemy and his schemes and desires to kill, steal and destroy. He is real people and he is out to get us any way he can. Read on…..

OK guys, you can go on to something else because I am sure you won’t understand what I am about to say.

Yesterday as we were driving to my sons tee ball game I looked down to my hand and noticed something looked strange on my wedding ring. When I looked a little closer I realized the center stone, yes the solitare, was gone. I gasped in horror and immediately my husband looked and he gasped. I began to cry and the last 10 years of my life flashed before me. I thought about the night I met my husband, I thought about the night he put that ring on my finger, I thought about the day that he put the rest of it on my finger, and thought about how special that ring is to me. Well, needless to say it was all I could do to pull myself together for the game. But the rest of the day I felt sad in the pit of my stomach.

Later in the evening when I was trying to explain to my husband why I was heartbroken about it all I could say was “I just wanted to die with that ring on or pass it on to my daughter someday”. There is so much meaning and significance to me behind that ring. All he could say is “Honey, only the ring is lost…nothing else is lost or different”.

This time of sadness actually became a time of worship between myself and the Lord. As I laid in bed last night asking God to show me what else there was to this ring and why I was so upset all I could do was praise Him and thank him for all he has done for me. For giving me an awesome husband and life.

Then I drifted off to sleep singing a favorite song of mine by John Michael Montgomery, “Keeper of the Stars”. It was no accident, me finding you, someone had a hand in it, long before we ever knew, I know I don’t deserve, a treasure like you, thanks to the keeper of the Stars.

Yeah, yeah, I know ….. it is just a ring!

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10

John 10:10 is Jesus’ purpose statement. He says the whole reason He came was that we may have life. Abundant life. Heaping, overflowing, vibrant life.

Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ was grueling. I have never been so glad when a movie was over and I left the theater in grief. He suffered all that to bring me life.

What does that mean? We’re so tied to our senses it’s tempting to think that abundant life is sensual, like rich chocolate or a devastating sunset. What kind of life does He intend for us to have?

We consider living all the things tied to our life experience. When we glimpse a wealthy couple having a sumptuous meal on their yacht we say “now that’s living.” We hear how movie stars indulge themselves and say enviously “what a life!” Sears offers tantalizing shots of gemstones, power tools, and luxurious linens and urges “give the good life.”

On the other hand, when we see the man reduced to tears by his chronic pain, watching the clock till it’s time for his next pill or the elderly woman who can’t feed, dress, or take herself to the bathroom, we say “That’s no way to live.”

Good life, then, appears to be an existence full of pleasure. Bad life seems characterized by pain, suffering, the inability to take care of oneself, or other extremely stressful situations. However, what we glimpsed in The Passion is just one example of how Jesus’ experience doesn’t fit our view of good life. “Really living” for Him wasn’t a yacht and a buffet.

We see it backwards. The disciples went to the tomb on Easter morning to see about a body. In their minds, they were alive and their Master was dead. In truth, Jesus was the only one really alive, and they desperately needed the spiritual life He had to offer.

Life must be whatever Jesus is. In John 14:6 Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life…” We must look to Him for a better definition of life, because He is life. We become a fountain, a well of life to the extent that we are filled with Him.

Jesus, I spend so much of my time chasing the other kind of life—the things that please my body and emotions. Thank You for all the wonderful things with which You have blessed me. Help me to seek You first!

For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. John 5:18

Those Bible people did tend to make outrageous claims. What made them so sure of themselves? I’m afraid to claim God’s going to do something in my life.

Joseph had the audacity to tell his father and brothers they’d bow to him. Elijah mocked the prophets of Baal all day, had his altar built, and drenched it before he prayed God would consume his offering. How did he know God would answer?

David charged out to battle Goliath promising to chop his head off. He went with boldness. He never said, “God, I’ll sling this rock at Goliath, and if it’s your will, please, please, please let it hit him. But I know Your people have been shaking in their sandals instead of trusting You, so if you’d rather let them see where that gets them, please grant me serenity to accept Your will as Goliath tears me limb from limb and feeds my carcass to the birds.”

David knew God would answer him because He loved him. The Psalms are full of requests that God heal him, help him, save him, and forgive him according to His unfailing love. Joseph and Elijah recognized the voice of God and believed what He said.

In the same way, Jesus’ life demonstrated confidence in His Father. He was sure of God’s love, “For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does,” (John 5:20). He assured His followers that He was doing His Father’s will, that He had a plan for their lives, even that their sins were forgiven. He endured the crucifixion knowing that God’s way is best.

That’s understandable for the Son of God, but how do we develop such confidence? How do we know God will back us? That He loves us and is accomplishing His will in our lives?

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can only do what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:19). His assurance came from being close to His Father. He repeated what He heard His Father say. He went where His Father said to go. He walked with His head figuratively cocked to one side, ears attentive to divine direction. We must learn to do the same.

Sometimes it’s hard to believe He loves us that much. Of course He talked to David, Elijah, and Joseph. They were heroes, prophets, kings. Of course He talked to Jesus, His beloved Son. I can only put my faith in Him when I realize He loves me the same way. This is abundant life—to be wrapped in God’s love and walking hand in hand.

I cry out to the Lord; I plead for the Lord’s mercy. I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles. - Psalm 142:1-2 NLT

There was a time when I thought that voicing my complaints to the Lord was offensive to Him. But when I began studying the Scriptures more seriously, I realized that many of the people in the Bible whom God honored the most often poured their complaints out to Him. I love the depth of emotion revealed in the Book of Psalms. Those psalmists are real people I can really relate to. They express their anger, indignation, fear, joy, and almost every other emotion with honesty and sincerity. In Psalm 145:18, David writes, “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” We have a God Who wants to have an intimate relationship with His people. For that intimacy to be genuine, we have to be able to speak to God truthfully. He knows what we’re feeling inside. We can’t hide anything from Him. So why do we try to cover up our negative feelings as though, if we don’t acknowledge them, they’ll just go away?

The Bible says that God called David “a man after my own heart.” (Acts 13:22) It was David who penned the verses above in Psalm 142. The Scriptures reveal that he often poured his complaints out to God. Yet God loved him and honored him in awesome ways. God knew that David’s heart was right toward Him. David didn’t go around grumbling and complaining about how God ot other people were treating Him. David took his complaints straight to God. And that’s what we need to do, too. If we don’t go to the Lord with our grievances, we’ll end up going to other people. If we do that, we can end up taking unwise advice or grieving others’ hearts, especially when they feel helpless to aid us. We need to go to the only One Who is equipped to solve our problems and meet our deepest needs. I’m not saying that it’s always wrong to share our troubles with other people. I’m saying that at least most of the time, we should take our complaints directly to God. This is especially true if we are complaining about other people. God might well understand our coming to Him with grievances about other people, but if we voice them to others, He might consider it gossip, in which case He will not be pleased. Also, the more we talk about others to other people, the more angry and indignant we often become. But if we have that same conversation with God, we will feel a sense of relief afterwards. We can ask the Lord to forgive us for our grievances, and to cleanse us of all anger and resentment. And if we’re being treated unfairly, we can ask God to work justice for us. In Psalm 62:8, David says, “Pour out your heart to him.” My prayer is that you will take David’s advice and open the door to a new level of intimacy with the Lord. Be encouraged with this precious verse from the psalmist’s pen today, “I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer”! (Psalm 120:1 NLT)

Prayer: Lord, teach me to pour out my complaints to You, instead of to others. Remind me that You are the only One Who can really help me when I’m in need. Give me an understanding of how much You love me and desire to be my everything. Show me how to have a genuine and intimate relationship with You. Thank You that I never need to feel guilty or condemned for sharing my true feelings with You!

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, He will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. - Galatians 5:19-23 NLT

I recently had a client who was a young woman who was bitterly disappointed in a young man she had allowed herself to get close to. She was well acquainted with God’s commands in Scripture that tell us: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers…What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? ‘Therefore, come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.’” (2 Corinthians 6:14,15,17 NIV) And she was careful to make sure that her closest companions were Christians. But because she was so focused on this man’s profession of faith, she failed to give serious attention to his un-Christlike behavior, and the relationship left her deeply hurt and disappointed.

As I prayed for this young woman and thought about her situation, God impressed upon me a simple truth: a believer who ACTS like an unbeliever can do us just as much harm as someone who actually IS an unbeliever. That’s why the Scriptures command us to avoid close relationships with carnal (worldly) Christians. The apostle Paul wrote: “You are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a Christian yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Don’t even eat with such people.” (1 Corinthians 5:11 NLT) These sound like harsh guidelines for God’s people, but they are necessary to prevent us from having a false sense of security around other Christians. I’ve seen many believers let their guard down around people they should have been more wary about, simply because these folks professed to be followers of Christ. Sadly, this casual attitude left these believers wide open to deception and destruction. Jesus said: “I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. Be as wary as snakes and harmless as doves.” (Matthew 10:16 NLT) The Lord wants us to find the perfect balance between having suspicious minds and being gullible. He expects us to use godly discernment in all of our dealings with others. We can do that by being sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and by having a working knowledge of God’s Word.

Jesus said, “By their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:16 NIV) The Savior knew that others would try to deceive us, and that’s why He warned us to put people to the test by examining their actions. He told us not to just pay attention to their words, but to look at how they live. He said: “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you apart. You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit.” (Matthew 7:15-16 NLT) Though the Lord was referring to false prophets here, the principle is the same for others who would attempt to mislead God’s people. Jesus goes on to say: “Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to Me as ‘Lord,’ but they still won’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21 NLT) If my client had given more attention to this man’s actions, and less to his words, she might have avoided being misled. But either because of ignorance or willfulness, she ignored the warning signs.

When we’re faced with the possibility of forming a new relationship with someone, we shouldn’t just ask ourselves, “Are they a Christian?” But the real question should be, “Would this relationship please and glorify God, and is it His will for me?” Scripture says: “Above all else, guard your affections. For they influence everything else in your life.” (Proverbs 4:23 TLB) The kind of relationships we make and maintain will affect every aspect of our lives, either positively or negatively. The choice is ours, and we should choose wisely.

And one more thing, trust your gut when it comes to people, The Holy Spirit could be trying to get your attention.

What does your fruit say about you????

Lord, teach me how to devote myself to prayer and the study of Your Word, so that I may develop the spiritual discernment I need to avoid the relationships that are out of Your will for me. When I’m inclined to get close to someone, remind me to examine their “fruit,” and to look for the characteristics that Your Word says believers should exhibit–”love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23) Thank You that as I seek to please and glorify You with my relationships, You will bless me with godly, faithful, and loving companions!

Some would say that looking at the fruits of others is being “judgemental”. What do you think? Do you think “you will Know them by their fruits” is asking you to judge or to use discernment??? I would like to know what you think?