What is in your ‘heart’ matters to God! The bible tells us; “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) The ‘heart’ ~ that place deep within your being that is the center of who you are. This is where you connect with God, and it is top priority for God to connect with you!
God tells us in his word, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23) Why do you think God is so concerned with you ‘heart’?
It is with your ‘heart’ that you ‘connect’ with God. Your relationship with God begins with believing in him in your ‘heart’, and it is with your ‘heart’ that you continue to develop a strong relationship with God.
There are so many things in life that are tugging for the attention of your ‘heart’. Why do you think this is? If other things can get the attention of your ‘heart’; you will soon find that it is difficult to connect with God. You can be certain, the enemy wants you distracted and disconnected from God.
Things that may be tugging at your heart are; hurt, fear, offense, anxiety, mistrust, unbelief, jealousy, unforgiveness, and anger, just to mention a few. Involvement in sin will also clutter your heart. Things such as these will cause you to be disconnected from God.
I challenge you today to examine your ‘heart’. What are the things in your life that you are giving your ‘heart’ too? What things are cluttering up your ‘heart’? A cluttered ‘heart’ has no room for the love of God. Is connecting with God your top priority?
God wants all of your heart, not just the ‘left overs’. The bible tells us, “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”(Mathew 22:37) God wants your ‘heart’ so he can fill you with his joy and his love. Ask God to search your ‘heart’ and reveal anything that is a barrier between you and him. Ask God to send his love to cleanse your ‘heart’ and make you whole.
It is never too late to turn your ‘heart’ back towards God. Give God all of your ‘heart’ and watch him do amazing things in your life.
Thank you SOOOOOOO MUCH!!!! I really, really needed to read this tonight. I’ve struggled a lot the last 10 months with a disease called CRPS which causes constant nerve pain in my leg. I can’t walk and I have surgery on Wed. the 21 of Dec. to put in a spinal cord stimulator, this is my last chance at getting to walk again, otherwise I’ll be on crutches or in a wheel chair the rest of my life. I am alive because God’s in my heart. I have held a gun to my head multiple times because I couldn’t find a reason to go on anymore but God always spoke to me just in time and got me to put down that loaded gun and tell someone. I love all of the verses in this article, they are all written on sticky notes in my room. I have a teacher that always tells me “Chin up….heart open” meaning keep my head up when I’m struggling physically and emotionally and to keep my heart open to God’s love, let Him fill my heart up so that I have the strength to keep going even when it gets really really hard. With the disease I have I’ve learned that no matter what as long as God is with me I will be ok, I might still struggle and I might not always make the right choice but by becoming emotionally and physically “broken” it allowed God to pick up the pieces and put them back together making his own perfect masterpiece, something totally different than what I thought I was supposed to do. I thought I was supposed to go to college on a cross country scholarship, I think God has something totally different planned out for me. I heard this the other day and it really made me think: “We choose the direction we walk in life, but our individual steps are lead by God” I think of this as plotting your destination and then instead of taking the highway to get there you take the gravel roads that take you through the country….You will still get there but you might find God’s true plan for you along the way, something you never would have discovered if you had taken the highway to get there the quickest.
Jamie,
You will be in my prayers regarding your surgery! Know that God is with you. I pray for wisdom for the doctors, may God direct their minds and their hands as they treat you. I am blessed to know that you are staying connected with God. Keep your heart opened and be expecting God to direct your path. I like what you wrote about taking the gravel roads and making discoveries along the way. I am a pilot, and I often say that after hours of flying high and fast in the sky, it is nice to take a slow ride on the highway and see all the sights in between. So I can relate to what you are saying. Be blessed knowing you are loved and are being prayed for. Stay in touch!
This is SO, SO true!!! Thank you Lucy Ann!!! as humans, especially us girls, we are constantly comparing clothes, appearences, grades, cars, and ect….
:):):):)
those things are “good” but they aren’t great. God doesn’t want us to be “good enough” he want’s us to be great. i often struggle with my controling parents, especially my mom, and sometimes I have to remind myself when things go wrong and life gives my some very sour lemons that if God wants something to happen, it will happen, but it won’t be in MY time, and it might not even be how I ever dreamed it would turn out, but God’s ways are always the BEST ways. “For God works all things together for those who trust Him.” My desire is that I live each day on fire for God and that those around me can see that God is in me and if God is for us, who can ever stop us!!! When people look back over my life and the only thing they remember is that my life was centered around bring glory to the Name of Jesus, then I’ve done my job. I encourage anyone who reads this to simply answer the question: Whom will you serve, God or other things??? You simply cannot serve two masters either you’ll hate one and love the other or vise versa. If you let God take control of your life, you’d better believe He’ll use you to do great things!!! Great faith in God helps you to do great things!!! Blessings:) May you never forget the TRUE meaning for this season is Jesus!!!!
Jamie,
I am also praying for you and your surgery. Please know that you are loved and cared about. Whatever God’s plan is for you is so spectacular you can never even imagine it. You are a blessing, that’s why you are still here. God’s not done with you. I know you’ve touched at least me with what you are going through. I thought what I was going through was bad, but it’s nothing compared to what you are going through, and hearing your story really encouraged me. Keep sharing your story with those who need to hear.
Heidi
I will be praying for you jamie!
God will be with you during surgery and will protect you.Thanks soo much for the article by the way!!! really inspiring! I love this website sooo much! Every morning i check my
mail and read whatever devotional i’ve gotten and keep it with me
for the day. And i always bookmark the devotionals so i can look at them in my times of need. Thanks so much guys for making this website!! A really great idea
This is such a great blog. This really helps, I know I have so many time compared myself and thought I was not pretty, and thats when I’m not connecting with God. Thanks Lucy Anne for this inspiring article. People like you are the reasons girls can get over problems, because you deliver the message of God<3
Madi,
It is a blessing to be here for all of you girls. God loves you all so much and has a great plan for each of you. Keep checking in with us and staying “connected to God”
Blessings!!!
Elaine,
It is encouraging to see that you girls are praying for one another….Praise God!!!
Keep checking in with us, keep staying “connected to God”
Blessings!!
Heidi,
Keep praying for one another…such a blessing!!!
Lydia,
Thanks for sharing…that’s what makes this blog so powerful!!!
I strugled with this a few years ago. I had very few friends and was very shy. I didnt talk to very many people because I thought I wasnt good enough for them. But now I know that God made me just the way I am for a certain purpose, so I accept that. And that people can accept me for who I am, you shouldnt have to change who you are to please others. True friends will love you for who you are.
This one also spoke out to me because i have always thought before i had become a christian i had always thought that it was all about the outward appearence and not the inside. Then when i became a christian i found out that the LORD cares more about our heart.