The heart is an interesting subject in the Bible. We know from scripture that a heart can fail, can faint, can be glad, willing, stirred, discouraged,

obstinate, upright and sometimes deceitful and desperately wicked. One of the intriguing things that can happen to the heart is that it can be hardened.

The hardening of a heart is really related to faith and unbelief. When one really doesn’t believe something, they will turn against it. It’s hard to turn

against something you believe in. So, where there is faith there is a soft heart, and where there is unbelief there will be a heart as hard as a rock.

Hebrews talks about this very subject. In chapter 4, the words “unbelief” and “hardness of heart” are interchangeable. Speaking of those Hebrews that

didn’t get to enter into the Promised Land, it says, “…and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief.” And, in the next verse,

“…today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.”
Hebrews 4:6-7

By not believing in God’s promises, the Hebrews hardened their hearts against Him, and as a result, lost their promise. Hebrews 4:2 states that, “For unto

us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.”

Faith has to mixed into everything that we do to keep our hearts soft toward God. If we let unbelief slip in, it is the same thing as adding a little bit of

concrete to a bread recipe– the bread is going to get hard!

It is very easy to let a heart harden. We can rebelliously and knowingly choose to not obey God, showing him that we don’t ultimately believe what He tells

us. This way hardens the heart very quickly. We can also hear God speak to us, and choose to do nothing. Every time this happens, we are choosing the path

of unbelief and letting our heart harden just a little more. Either way, we are making a choice, whether it be active or passive.

Letting our hard hearts soften again can seem difficult. We have to mix faith with humility and take away our pride. We have to choose to have faith in

God’s promises and act on what we know is true. We have to repent, and truly turn away from the unbelief. It takes work!

By choosing faith, we choose to live our lives in such a way that God can reach us, nudge us in a direction and speak to our heart when He needs us to act.

By choosing to live in faith, we are choosing to live a life with a heart for God– a tender heart.

God’s Word is an integral part of our lives as Christians.  But what exactly does it do for us, and how does it do it?  Hebrews 4:12 explains this to us.
 
“For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”                                      
First of all, this verse states that the Word is quick, which means that it is living.  For the longest time, I didn’t understand what preachers meant when they said this.  I finally figured out that they meant that no matter the time in history or the situation any person might be facing, God’s Word has the answer.  When we pray and read our Bible, God will show us the course we need to take. 

The next adjective applied to the Word is powerful.  God’s Word has power in it; power to save and power to heal.   When we read the Bible and truly believe its’ promises, our lives will be changed.  Romans 10:17 states: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”  When we spend time reading God’s Word or listening to Word-based preaching, our faith grows, and when our faith grows, so does our belief in God’s power. 

God’s Word is also sharp.  It can pierce your soul, if you let it.  We are convicted of our sins by God’s Word.  We read of what displeases God, and the Holy Ghost helps us to see our sins.  The good news is that the same Word that cuts to the sin in our lives also gives us the remedy– repentance.  “For Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of…”  II Corinthians 7:10.

Finally, our verse in Hebrews 4 states that the Word is the discerner of our thoughts and intents.  This is a biggie.  It is not enough just to do the right thing; one must do it with the right intentions.  God sees through our facades right into our very hearts.  When we read and apply the Bible not just to our actions, but also to our intentions, then we are truly pleasing to God. 

In summary, the Bible is a truly amazing book.  When we spend time with it, we grow in ways that we could not by ourselves.  I have heard it said that scripture is God-breathed, and I, for one, truly believe it.

As a real estate agent, I get to go in a lot of houses. Some are very nice, some are not so very nice, and some are just plain weird. I have seen basements with cardboard boxes stapled to the ceiling in place of ceiling tiles, a still, and even a room with a large black spot painted right smack in the middle of a wood floor.

But the saddest house I have shown was in Colonial Heights. It looked pretty from the road: a pretty painted exterior with a nice yard in a great neighborhood. It was only upon closer inspection that warning signs started appearing. There were more weeds than landscaping in the front flower beds, and the front door was crooked. And then we opened the door…

You could smell the mold. It wasn’t just a faint whiff; it was STRONG. There was mold on the walls, on the windows, everywhere. This house had problems; big problems!

Jesus talked about the same kind of thing with the Pharisees. He was angry because they looked “religious” but they didn’t back it up with actions. They exalted themselves, they preyed on widows, and were pretentious in their prayers, greetings and clothes. They would split hairs about every little thing, such as what one could swear by, but left the bigger picture– charity, mercy and love, unfinished. “Woe unto you, scribe and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.” Matthew 23:27

Jesus is concerned about us inside and out. He doesn’t want us to be like the house in Colonial Heights– nice on the outside, moldy on the inside.

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
I Cor. 3:16

We are God’s temples, right here on earth. As such, we have a duty to keep ourselves clean and unspotted. So how do we do it? How can we keep from getting moldy on the inside?

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalms 51:10

We pray. We read. We listen to God and let Him work in our lives. God is faithful, and will keep us all day, every day, if we let Him. He will fix our problems, even those that don’t show on the outside.

Needless to say, my client didn’t buy the house; it was too much work. I am glad that God never says that about me, and He will never say it about you, either!

Your office and attic aren’t the only places in need of periodic cleaning and organizing. The stuff you carry around in your head and heart do more than take up mental space. They can stop you from being content.

Here are some ways you can de-clutter your insides:

Let go of grudges.
Why carry a grudge to the grave? Put the past behind you. Try writing a letter to the person you’re angry with. You don’t have to send it, but just putting the incident down in black and white can help you get past it.

Unload burdensome friends.
Take an honest look at the people in your life. Break ties with those who don’t support you, or who are incompatible with your values and goals.

Put the gavel away.
Being judgmental only closes you off from learning something from others. Don’t judge so quickly; listen first.

Be willing to be wrong.
Don’t be afraid to make the occasional mistake. When you do, acknowledge it. You can waste a lot of energy trying to keep up the façade that you are always right.

When one cleans out the attic, one makes more room. When one de-clutters the mind, one makes room for better things: peace, love and joy. It’s time for some spring cleaning! Get out that mental broom and get rid of the clutter.

In this life we never know what we are going to face, but God is always with us.

January 20, 2010, was a devastating day for me and my family. I had been in pain for a very long time. My appointment time came for me to have a colonoscopy. I did not dream that the doctor would come in and tell me and my wife that I had colon cancer. He told me I would need to see a surgeon, and in a few minutes the nurse came in and told me that I had an appointment that afternoon with the surgeon. The whirlwind was just beginning!

I saw the surgeon that afternoon. He told me the tumor needed to come out or I would not live. He told my wife and I that I needed to be admitted to the hospital that day and the surgery would be done on January 21. The wind grew stronger and blew harder.

I spent a little time with my son, and late that afternoon I entered the hospital. I was able to spend Wednesday night with family gathered around me. I was able to share with them first of all what being able to serve God meant to me. I also shared with them how important my wife and my son were to me.

I was given the opportunity to not only share with my family, but also the X-ray technician about the love of God and the plan He has for our lives.

I wanted to pray, “Lord, save me from cancer,” but I could not pray that way. I could only pray, “Lord, Your will be done.” At that time, my whole outlook changed. I was still afraid, but I knew God was in control and He was with me.

Thursday came. Emotions were high, but God was still in control! The surgery was done. The cancer was gone. The doctor said he was able to remove all of the tumor and he didn’t find any cancer anywhere else. I was CANCER FREE. My wife and I praised the Lord. Once again He had delivered me.

As the word spread to family and friends, the words we heard over and over again were “PRAISE THE LORD!” God took a whirlwind and turned it into a blessing and an opportunity to share what God had done for me.

Day by day I feel the precious presence of the Lord in my life. Through this experience God has drawn me closer to Him. He has given me a greater burden to see my family come to know the Lord as I know Him.

The battle is not over but, praise the Lord, the victory is already won. That is why I can praise God in the face of colon cancer or any other trial I might face.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I painted our living room.  Twice.  We didn’t want to paint it twice, but it was really that bad. 

I had been thinking about this project for a long time, (since we moved in) but couldn’t come up with the color I wanted.  I had paint chips on the wall, I painted large pieces of poster board and taped them in different spots in the room, and I talked about it a lot.  It got to the point that Drew’s eyes glazed over and she just agreed with anything I said just to make me go away. 

So finally I picked my color,  Apple Green #5,  bought the paint and started painting.  The theory was that the room is dark, so a brighter color would make the room seem happier, less frumpy.  It didn’t turn out that way.  You know it’s bad when my eldest daughter, Michaela, lover of all things colorful,  walks in and says, “Wow. Crazy Green!”

It was.  This green made one feel agitated, irritated and a wee bit…crazy.  After all that work, it was WRONG!  The furniture looked almost wilted next to these walls, and the paintings were fighting the wall color, and losing.  By 9:30 that same night I had the whole room re-taped so I could get rid of the Crazy Green first thing in the morning. 

I started painting the next day with a vengeance, (a nice, muted olive green this time) and I don’t think I relaxed until the last speck of Crazy Green was covered by the first coat.  I was aggravated. I had wasted my time and money, and what was worse to me, I had wasted Steve’s time.   I was in the middle of the second coat when I realized there was a lesson in all of this. 

First of all, I repainted.  When we make a mistake in life we have two choices:  sit down and whine about it or get up and fix it.  God wants us to get up.  “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.”  Proverbs 24:16.  Even in the middle of a mistake, God is there to hold us up.  We have to keep going, trusting in God’s will and plan for us. 

Everybody makes mistakes.  Everyone sins.  Sometimes they are small and not very noticeable, and other times the are big and loud, like Crazy Green.  The good news is that if we ask Him, God will forgive all our sins, even the big and loud ones.  He has promised in His Word to do this for us.  First John 1:19 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  He doesn’t just forgive the little sins and mistakes, He cleanses us from all unrighteousness.

To top this off, God doesn’t just “paint over” our sin, either.  It’s gone.  I noticed just today a little Crazy Green along the edge of the stairs.  It’s still there; it’s just covered up.  But our sins, when confessed, are completely removed by Jesus.  When He died on the cross, He took all of the sin that we had and removed it. “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”  Hebrews 8:12.  That is an amazing concept.  Our sins are not remembered by the God who knows all.  That is true mercy.

So, when things go Crazy Green wrong in your life, remember to get up and keep going.  God is with you, and has a plan for your life.  If you do sin, confess it and know that Jesus will forgive and forget.  Learn from your past, and keep moving to your future.  And never, EVER paint a room Apple Green #5!

When you work with children on a daily basis, from the time they learn to talk it seems one of the first things they ask is, “Why?” Why do I have to take a nap?  Why can’t I run?  Why do I have to eat my veggies?  Why?  Why?  WHY?

Recently in my class I was doing circle time, and we were talking about making Jesus happy, when that all familiar question came up.  “Why do we need to make Jesus happy?”  My answer was because He loves us and that is what He wants us to do.

As adults we are just like children in some ways.  At times I find myself asking my Heavenly Father WHY.  Why did this have to happen to me?  Why am I going through this trial?  Why am I having so many problems when everythingseems to be going good for everyone else?  Why am I suffering?  Why am I sick?  Why is my child sick? Why, God, didYou choose me?” Why do You love me?

A few years ago when my brother passed away I found myself asking God, “Why did you take him and not me?”  You see, at that time I didn’t feel like I was worth anything.  It was then that God spoke to me in my Spirit.  He let meknow He had taken my brother because it was his time to go, not mine.  He let me know that His plan for me was notyet complete. 

In talking with a co-worker recently about the “why” question, she told me that she often found herself asking Godwhy we were born in a country where we have the freedom to worship the way we choose. This is truly a  freedom thatwe need to be thankful for.
 
Sometimes I find myself asking, “Why did You keep me until I came to know You the way I do today?”  I think myanswer to that question is that He chose me.  Even before I was born, I belonged to Him.

There are some “why” questions that we may never have the answer to until we meet Him face to face on that GREAT DAY.  Until that day we have a pastor that delivers the Word of God to us every time he steps up to the pulpit.  Butit does not stop there: if we will set aside the time each day, we can spend time in His presence through His Wordand prayer.

So the next time we think about asking God, “WHY?”, let’s remember that God has a divine plan for our life, and ifwe trust Him, He will lead us down the road we need to travel.

I come from a family that loves cars.  Not just the cars themselves, but driving them. Fast.  For example, instead of just teaching me to drive like a normal parent, my dad rented a parking lot, set up cones and taught me and my brother to race.  We learned about speed, shifting and proper entry into corners.  I also learned later that it is never a good idea to say, “It’ll stick” to the high school driving instructor…

Because of all this, it was no surprise when my dad told me I needed to read a  book that combined racing, philosophy and a good storyline.  I read the book, and got more out of it than I anticipated.  

The point that has stuck with me the most is this: the car follows the eye.  This means that when you are about to wreck, keep your eyes where you want the car to go instead of looking at the ditch you are headed for.  This helps you focus on pulling the car out of trouble.  It’s a hard thing to do.  Everything in you wants to look at that ditch, but looking there only makes the disaster inevitable. 

Believe it or not, this same concept applies to us spiritually.  When we are facing a wreck in our lives, our first instinct is to focus solely on the problem, thinking we can manhandle our way out of it by sheer will.  It doesn’t work.  It is only when we focus on God that we can regain the road and pull out of the calamity that confronts us.

An example of this is Abraham.  God told him that he would be a great nation, but he had no children.  He and Sarah tried to fix the situation themselves with Hagar and Ishmael, but this only led to a bigger wreck.  When Abraham looked at God instead of his problem, God provided the answer: Isaac. 
 
“He (Abraham) staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
And being fully persuaded, that what He had promised, He was able also to perform.”Romans 4:20, 21

When we take our eyes off our problems and look to God in faith, He will take care of us.  He has promised to. The car follows the eye; faith follows God.  It’s easy to look at the wreck that is about to happen in our lives, but when we do, we will wreck.  It is only when we look past the problem to God for solutions that we have a chance to arrive safely at our destination.

The crown that was placed upon Your head,
Must have hurt so much
That no words could  be said,
But You stood by Your beliefs
And kept Your head high,
For You knew for us to live
That You must first die.

The crown that was placed upon Your head,
As Your hands were pierced
And Your arms were spread,
As You hung there in anguish
And the blood that You shed,
You could have showed them all hate
But chose love instead.

The crown that was placed upon Your head,
Must have brought back memories
Of bellies full of bread,
Bellies of sinners who needed
And wanted to be led,
To the one they called Messiah
Who could raise the dead.

The crown that was placed upon Your head,
Is so powerful that even Satan
Someday will surely dread,
For even he knows You have clearly said,
You will come for Your bride
And that day we will wed.

The crown that was placed upon Your head,
Keeps me safe at night when I lay in my bed,
For I know the day will come
That this flesh will be shred,
 And I’ll see that crown
That You wore on Your head,
And know there will be no more sin
That I will have to tread.

-Sis. Misti Doorly

Your THUMB is nearest you, so begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you.  They are the easiest to remember.  To pray for our loved ones is, as C.S. Lewis once said, a “sweet duty.”

The next finger is the POINTING FINGER.  Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal.  This includes teachers, doctors and ministers.  They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction.  Keep them in your prayers.
 
The next finger is the TALLEST FINGER.  It reminds us of our leaders.  Pray for the President, leaders in business and industry and administrators.  These people shape our nation and guide public opinion.,  They need God’s guidance.

The fourth finger is our RING FINGER.  Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify.  It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain.  They need your prayers day and night.  You cannot pray too much for them.

And lastly comes our LITTLE FINGER– the smallest finger of all, which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others.  As the Bible says, “The least shall be the greatest among you.”  Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself.  By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively. 

Submitted By Sis. Evita Wilson