Align Your Heart
With the Heart of Jesus
While walking early one morning in my neighborhood I came upon a beautiful group of trees. The trees are small with heart shaped leaves. The leaves come forth in early spring as a brilliant crimson/red and as they grow they deepen in color. The veins in each leaf are so visible. I share the picture I took with you to see that the leaf in front is bright and followed closely by the others. I could not help but think of the heart of Jesus being followed by the hearts of His believers.
Remember, God sees your heart. When I looked at this tree branch I thought this may be how God sees us. We are countless hearts cleansed by the blood of His cherished Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus’ heart goes before us to set us free. You are set free from sin and the bondage of this world if you choose to closely follow Jesus. Where is your heart?
Are You Free or Trapped?
Sadly, many Christians do not walk in this freedom. Are you shackled by your circumstances? Are you bound by the actions or words of others? Are you unable to forgive yourself for whatever indiscretions you may have committed? Remember, what is going on in the deep recesses of your heart will come forth in your life. It may manifest on the physical, emotional, mental or spiritual level but it will come forth. Deep heart issues that are not excised at the root will affect every relationship in your life.
This toxicity will spill over into every area if not removed. Where is your heart?
Be Careful Where You Park!
To cleanse your heart takes commitment and a deep relationship with the Lord. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit can you clear and maintain a heart that is pure before the Lord. Is heart clearing a one-time event? Absolutely not! Some days it may be minute to minute. The key is to walk very closely with God and learn to hear His still small voice that will convict (not condemn) you when you get off the narrow path. Repent and move forward. Do not self flagellate. Do not repeatedly discuss it and give it power. Do not park there. Keep moving forward.
Remember, God wants His best for you. He does not look for ways to punish you. He loves you. There is much teaching out there that would have you riddled with guilt and therefore unable to move forward. Sadly, I have seen people stay stuck because of something they said or did. That is not scriptural. Once you truly repent and seek God’s forgiveness He forgets your trespass. The God of the universe has forgotten. So must you forget. To do otherwise is to keep yourself ensnared in a heart constricting trap set for you by the enemy. It is not of God. Where is your heart?
Check Your Heart
This week take time to look into your heart issues. Ask the Holy Spirit for help as you cannot do this alone. Let Him show you what needs to be removed and filled with His love and grace. Let Him help you weed out some seeds that have not yet taken deep root. Learn to catch ungodly heart issues before they become entrenched. It is far easier to forgive others and yourself daily than to let something fester and create a deep heart abscess.
Take time to realign your heart with the heart of Jesus. The closer you get to Him the more you will imitate His ways in your life. Your heart will begin to beat in rhythm with His heart. Your heart will exude His compassion to those you encounter. Your heart will soften. Let go of a heart of stone and release yourself to go forward in the fullness of your destiny in Him. Where is your heart?
Quotes to Ponder This Week
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” ~Jesus, Matthew 5:8
“For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” ~Jesus, Matthew 12:37
“These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” ~Jesus, Matthew 15:8
“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the lord looks at the heart.”~ 1 Samuel 16:7
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” ~Psalm 103:12
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who live it will eat its fruit.” ~Proverbs 18:21
A Prayer Request
Thank you for your continued faithfulness to pray. Please keep all who serve our country, our servicemen and women and their families in prayer for salvation and safety. They are our front-line on the battlefield, let us be their front-line in the spirit. Also, let us cover all who have come home wounded that they and their families will receive the kindness, help and support they need to go forward in their lives. God bless all our diplomatic and military personnel and their families. May the Lord keep them safe.
Pray for all throughout the world for hedges of protection against radical Islamic extremists and all forms of terrorism. Pray for Christians who face violence and death for their faith. We have long prayed for spiritual victory over radical Islam in Esther’s Warriors Ministry. We now see the reality of this threat come to the forefront in this time in world history. As Iranians and Islamic extremists are shouting ‘Death to America,’ let us speak life, hope and a return to God in America!
Please pray for all in authority over us, for the full truth to come forth concerning Benghazi. May God richly bless the United States of America, bring to light every single crooked place and keep her safe. The lives lost in Benghazi, the continuing targeting of conservative groups by the Internal Revenue Service, Operation Fast and Furious, the Department of Justice targeting journalists phone records, the National Security Agency overstepping its legal authority are hardly “phony scandals.” We continue to pray for truth to prevail in each of these situations. Pray for the families who have lost loved ones, for those relentlessly targeted and for all of us who are proud to call ourselves American.
May we may arise united once again as One Nation Under God in this auspicious season in our country’s history. These are treacherous times and now more than ever we must maintain our walk with the Lord, saturate this country in prayer and stand for all that is right in America. Fail not in this hour.
Pray for peace in Israel. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
Please Join Me In Prayer
Father God, we thank You for the ultimate price that Jesus paid to set us free. I pray in agreement with each person reading this for the peace that surpasses all understanding. In the name of Jesus, Father, I come against any attempt of the enemy to keep Your people from the fullness of their destiny in You. I pray hedges of protection around each and every heart. I plead the blood of Jesus over each person reading this. Thank You for Jesus’ precious blood that washes each heart clean from worldly distraction.
Place deep in our heart the love of God and love of country that has guided our Nation from its inception. Lead us to pray without ceasing for our brothers and sisters who suffer at the hands of Islamic terrorists. Open the eyes of our leaders to arise in this season to defend the very belief in You upon which our Nation is founded. Thank You for keeping Your hand on America. We humbly pray this in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen and Amen.