A Change of Heart

"'The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,

and desperately wicked.

Who really knows how bad it is?

But I, the LORD, search all hearts

and examine secret motives.

I give all people their due rewards,

according to what their actions deserve.'"

Jeremiah 17:9-10

"God has set up a moral law no one can escape: We reap what our actions sow. And our actions spring from the heart, which God alone knows. Even if you're a believer, you will live the results of your actions for good or bad. Perhaps this is what "fear of the Lord" is: living with the sure sense that God will give all of us our due reward, according to our actions, based on our motives. The answer is not the actions, then, but the heart. Let God change your heart, and your actions will be right. Then you will reap the rewards that follow."

—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

Been feeling out of touch with God lately?  Then examine your heart.  Ask God to expose anything  and everything that might be causing spiritual interference.  Maybe you already have an inkling as to why you are having a disconnect with God lately yet you are in denial.  Perhaps there is something going on that you just flat out refuse to surrender to the Lord or trust Him with.  Whatever the case, our actions (or lack thereof) is the physical expression of our hearts.  An unsurrendered heart will eventually show up in the physical realm in the form of our actions.  When it does, God allows the consequences of such to play out. 

We can hide our hearts from others, even ourselves.  But our hearts are laid out open before God. God knows our hearts completely...the good, the bad, and the ugly.  There is nothing we can hide from Him.  Therefore our best course of action is to wholly surrender our hearts to Him.  He can shore up our weaknesses and help us to live 'in fear' of Him - changing our hearts from the inside out!  Surrending to Him and trusting in Him will lead to a heart change...and a life change!

Live for Him today...moment by moment surrender your heart to Him!
Grace and peace!

In His Love, Cathy

Nail Scarred Hands

Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;

your walls are continuously before me.

Isaiah 49:16

He doesn't forget us, how could He?  We were inscribed so painfully on the palms of His hands...there's no way He could or would ever forget us.  So let's not forget Him today.  Live your life to Honor His Name! 

In His Love, Cathy

Spacious Places

I called out to the Lord in distress;

the Lord answered me and put me in a spacious place.

...

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.

Psalm 118:5, 8 (HCSB)

In times of distress and troubles, what or whom do you place your trust in?

Do you place your trust in your own strength, relying on yourself to 'handle it'?

Do you place your trust in others, relying upon them to rescue you from your problems?

Or is there some 'thing' that you fall back upon time after time, something other than God?

I mean, when it really boils down to it, where is your trust?  What or who do you rely upon the VERY MOST in times of trouble?   

If you want to really know what you trust the most, simply take a look at your initial reaction during a crisis.  What is your first instinct?  Does your immediate reaction or thoughts have anything to do with God, even if for a split second?  Or do you immediately turn to someone or something of this world, without even a thought of God until much later on?  Do you follow God's tugging in one direction in a situation, or do you follow the familiar stand by that's worked before but that isn't necessarily the best solution?  I understand that under some circumstances we must react quickly, especially if lives are at stake.  However, if our initial thoughts or actions seek out others and never once reflect on seeking God's help in the situation, we might not have our trust in the right place.

When we trust in God first and foremost as our refuge and strength, He WILL answer our prayers!  And not only that, HE SETS us up in SPACIOUS PLACES!  Now my idea of a spacious place is one where I can spread out, relax, and experience peaceful restoration - no one pressing in on me, imposing their ideas or human limitations upon me.  Yes, my idea of the spacious place in this passage is one in which God surrounds us completely in His presence - acting as the buffer zone of our lives.  When we are in the midst of the storm, we can count on Him to buffet the wind and the waves!  This spacious place He puts us in enlarges our territory for His work and glory!

In addition, we can view our problems as opportunities for God to position us in a spacious place - a better position where He can fully cultivate us into Christ's image and can utilize us in even greater works!

In God's spacious places we can withstand all that comes up against us.  We can't weather the storms of life without Him.  We can trust HIM as our refuge!

Grace and Peace!
In His Love, Cathy

Another Fave

It is I who sweep away your transgressons

for My own sake

and remember your sins no more.

Isaiah 43:25

How often am I tempted to remind others of past offenses...to hold a grudge and not forget or forgive.  Thankfully, when God forgives our sins He also FORGETS!!!  And what's more, He never brings them up again!  Wow! 

We should translate this forgiveness and forgetfulness to others as well.  We must forgive others since God forgives us.  I mean, Christ forgave those who spat on Him and nailed Him to the cross.  Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. (Luke 23:24)  Jesus also said, "But if you don't forgive people your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing."  (Mt. 6:15)  My devotional put it this way, "In refusing to forgive others you break the bridge over which you yourself must pass."     

God can help you forgive those who have hurt you.  It's hard  to forgive sometimes and much easier said than done.  I get that.  I, too, have been hurt deeply many times in life.  But, God's Word is very clear here.  Unless we forgive, we won't experience His forgiveness.

There is FREEDOM in forgiveness! 

Grace and Peace, friends!
In His Love, Cathy

A New Fave

"Indeed, it was for my own welfare that I had such great bitterness,

but Your love has rescued me from the Pit of destruction,

for You have cast all of my sins behind Your back."

Isaiah 38:17

This is my new favorite verse.  King Hezekiah uttered these words of thanksgiving after receiving a message through Isaiah that God had heard his prayer and would spare his life. 

Words can not entirely convey the depth, height, and width of the LOVE our GOD has for us.  (Ephesians 3:18)   I am also convinced no words can completely describe the depth of His mercy and grace.  Yet these words spoken by Hezekiah describe exactly what God has done, and continues to do for all who turn to Christ. 

Our sufferings bring us to the breaking point, the point at which we realize our limited humanity and recognize God's infinite glory!  Our sufferings bring us face to face with the truth of who we are internally and eternally.  For some, this realization is an affirmation of their relationship with God.  For others, it is a conviction of the heart and recognition for a need for God.  Hard times can grow our character, make us spiritually stronger, and draw us closer to God.

There is good that can come from great suffering, especially if that suffering leads us to the foot of the cross!  We can trust in God to bring forth something beneficial in times of bitterness and troubles.  Look for what it is He is wanting to do in and through you during those tough times.    

God isn't out to get you.  He's out to SAVE YOU! 

In His Love, Cathy