Haldric.com

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7

There are over 700 mentions of the heart in the bible. We are commanded to love God with "all our hearts" (Deuteronomy 6:5), we are warned to "guard our hearts as they are the wellspring of life" (Proverbs 4:23) and we are told that "where our treasure is, our hearts will be also" (Matthew 6:21).  Jeremiah 17:9 claims that "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure" and Matthew 15:19 says "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander" which doesn’t paint a very hopeful picture of us being able to get our hearts in the right place with God at all! We’re going to need some help…!

So what can we learn from what the bible says, and how do we put this into practice?

Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the LORD your God.

Psalm 139 says the following:
²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

That’s a good place to start – asking God to reveal our hearts to us. Sometimes we can presume our hearts are in the right place, but actually rather than having hearts fully after God, we find out that often our hearts are divided or our motivations are not right. Just because our hearts are telling us something, doesn’t mean it’s automatically going to be right.

One way the bible tells us of finding our where our heart is, is to look at where we invest (what’s our treasure?) Matthew 6:21 : "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Where do we choose to spend our available time and money?  What do we choose to invest our energy or finances in? What do we spend much of our time thinking about? If the answers are  not "God / Jesus / God’s kingdom / loving the Lord & our neighbours" then we’re investing in the wrong things, and our hearts are not aligned to God.

God knows well that we often follow our hearts, and sometimes we follow our heads, but actually neither of these are the right things to follow!! That’s why there are so many warnings in the bible, and verses telling us to set our hearts on God and on his laws. Instead of following our hearts (or our heads) we should be following God’s word, and the Holy Spirit living in us, seeking God for his will and his plans for our lives. Like the request in the psalm above we should be praying "lead me in the way everlasting" We cannot walk on the right path without asking and following God… our hearts will lead us astray.

Psalm 86:11 says "Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name." I think it’s key that we realise a lot of the time our hearts can be divided. We want to live for God and trust God fully, but although perhaps a good percentage of our hearts are willing, there’s often another part of our hearts that cannot fully let go and trust God. Because we don’t always get what we want, our hearts try to trick us into believing that perhaps our way is actually better than God’s!! We cannot be divided! James 1:6-8 says a double-minded man is "unstable in all he does." We must ask God continually to help us with our divided hearts, so that we can learn to have hearts that are sold out for Him and prepared to walk in all his ways, not just the ones that suit us.

Proverbs has a lot to say about man’s heart, including this "Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails" Proverbs 19:21. Therefore, what we need to do is learn to align our hearts with God’s, so that God’s plans are our plans! If not, our plans are not going to get us far!  Proverbs also says  "trust in the LORD with all your  heart and lean not on your own understanding" Proverbs 3:5.

There’s a passage in the bible that’s quoted quite a lot : Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart". A really lovely passage, but what we need to be careful of is that we don’t skip over the first bit of this passage “delight yourself in the Lord” and rush straight into the getting the desires of our heart bit!! It’s when our hearts are totally after God, when we love to be in his presence and are so thankful to him for all he has done, that our hearts become aligned to God’s own heart. We start to get glimpses of his heart for us, and for others, and our selfishness and our own desires get put back in their place. That’s when we start to desire the things that God desires and our hearts stop leading us astray.

So in Summary: Don’t trust your heart!! It can be very deceitful! Do love God with all your heart and you can’t go far wrong! Ask God to test your heart and be willing to work on anything he reveals to you. Look for yourself at where you spend your time and money to get an idea of if your heart’s currently focused on the right things. Trust The Lord with all your heart, and don’t be divided – He’s the only one who is faithful. Pray for God to help you to do this so that you can love and serve him fully. Delight yourself in God, and your heart will become aligned to his, then he will be pleased to give you the desires of your heart!

Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the LORD your God.  1 Chronicles 22:19

In Praise of a Good Wife

 10 A truly good wife is the most precious treasure a man can find!

 11 Her husband depends on her, and she never lets him down.

 12 She is good to him every day of her life,

 13 and with her own hands she gladly makes clothes.

 14 She is like a sailing ship that brings food from across the sea.

 15 She gets up before daylight to prepare food for her family and for her servants.

 16 She knows how to buy land and how to plant a vineyard,

 17 and she always works hard.

 18 She knows when to buy or sell, and she stays busy until late at night.

 19 She spins her own cloth,

 20 and she helps the poor and the needy.

 21 Her family has warm clothing, and so she doesn’t worry when it snows.

 22 She does her own sewing, and everything she wears is beautiful.

 23 Her husband is a well-known  and respected leader in the city.

 24 She makes clothes to sell to the shop owners.

 25 She is strong and graceful,  as well as cheerful about the future.

 26 Her words are sensible, and her advice is thoughtful.

 27 She takes good care of her family and is never lazy.

 28 Her children praise her, and with great pride her husband says,

 29 "There are many good women, but you are the best!"

 30 Charm can be deceiving, and beauty fades away, but a woman who honors the LORD deserves to be praised.

 31 Show her respect– praise her in public for what she has done.

Proverbs 31:10-31 (CEV)

 I am a wife, and I believe that any wife (or anyone who would like to be a wife in the future) can learn a lot about God’s view of women and their role in the family from this passage. Perhaps the men can use it to make sure they choose their wives wisely (or to remember to praise their wives a bit more for all the hard work they do! – see verse 31)

 In the past women were treated as inferior to men and they were not given the same opportunity to earn money, study or even express their own opinions. Nowadays we can have certain negative or incorrect views of what a wife is meant to look like. However, even though this passage was written a few thousand years ago, it shows a wife who is greatly respected, she not only looks after her home and family, but also trades, manufactures and purchases land in order to grow crops. She is someone with intelligence, independence and God-given drive. She uses her skills to invest, earn, produce and trade.  

 This is a strong and graceful woman who knows that her role as a wife and mother is significant and fulfilling and in it she can bring much value to her family as well as to the poor and needy community around her. She is respected by her children and praised by her husband. This wife works hard from dawn until dusk and is cheerful about the future. (Good attitude!) She is free to use the skills and abilities God gave her – creativity to make beautiful clothes, intelligence to trade and to invest, purchasing land in order to plant a vineyard out of the income she has made for herself. She’s a sensible woman, who is someone that people would go to for thoughtful advice and guidance.

 This lady knows that by using all her gifts in this way, she’s a blessing to her family and her community. Verse  11 says that her husband depends on her.

 God shows us that if we’re a wife we will “always work hard”  but it’s work that is rewarding, varied and exciting. It’s fulfilling work that will result in blessing, encouraging, supporting and taking care of both our family, and those in need.

 I think this passage is such an inspiration (and challenge!) to me to go and use every gift and skill God has given me and not to belittle my role as a wife, but to embrace it, knowing that its so much more than the world often tells us it is!

 So men, choose your wives wisely, and ladies,  are you up for the challenge of being a "wonder-wife" ?!

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29

I don’t know about you, but if there’s one thing I have to constantly check myself on, it’s what I allow to come out of my mouth! I can so easily get into saying negative stuff or things that are not bringing glory to God or encouragement to others.

I learned that the word unwholesome could also mean rotten – like rotten fruit. The bible tells us that we are to bear good fruit, and that we will be recognised by the fruit that we produce, as this fruit comes from what’s in our hearts. (Read Luke 6:43-45 and Matthew 12:33-37).

We need to watch ourselves carefully as negative, dishonest, unkind or vulgar words are not coming from a heart that loves God and is in fellowship with him. James 3:10 says “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.”

We are not told just to stop speaking bad stuff, but to replace it with good stuff! We are to be people who speak words of encouragement to others, words that will build people up in the faith and will help people to grow and be encouraged. We are to speak things which will “benefit those who listen”.

Proverbs 12:18 says that reckless words pierce like a sword but when we speak wise words these bring healing. Wouldn’t you like your words to bring healing into other people’s lives?

I encourage you to take notice of what comes our of your mouth, as it’s an overflow of what’s in your heart and it reflects your true relationship with God. You can do a health check on your heart just by listening to your words!

Let us strive to have hearts that are right with God so that we only speak words that produce good fruit! Ones that bring healing and encouragement to others, and praise and glory to God. As we seek God, and continue to be filled with the Holy Spirit, He will change our hearts and help us to speak out of the overflow of His love, His grace and His mercy in our lives! How then could we ever speak anything negative!?

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.

We all have a mind that tries to work things out for itself! God gave us a brain and wants us to use it, but he also wants us to trust in Him more than in our own knowledge, to depend on Him rather than just trying to figure everything out on our own.

The thing is, you see, God knows the bigger picture. He has a Plan. We see our infinitely smaller picture, our current circumstances, and perhaps a bit of our past experience. But we have to remember that our experience is based on the total sum of our lives on earth. 20 years, 40 years, 60 years, 80 years. Even if we make it to 100 years, it’s a pretty puny amount of experience compared to our eternal God, who made us and the earth we live in. It’s tiny even if we compare our experience with all the combined experiences of people working things out with God throughout the bible. We have the benefit of being able to learn from generation after generation of people who have followed (or more often, rejected) God, but often we still just base our view on what God’s done in the past few days, weeks, months or years of our life.

Living our lives “now” often seems so much more important than our eternal inheritance or God’s eternal plan. God know this, and he is less concerned with giving us what we want “now”, and more concerned for our individual spiritual growth and our personal relationship with Him.. as well, of course, as His overall rather much bigger Eternal Plan (which we are so incredibly blessed to be part of!!)

Trust also is a key word here. Trust is a hard thing, especially when you’ve been let down in the past. But God will never let us down. He has promised to be faithful throughout his Word. We learn to trust God by reading the bible, and witnessing how faithful he’s been through generation after generation of those who put their trust in Him.

If we are asking God for things in our lives, we need to trust and believe that he does have a plan, he does know what’s best for us and that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him..” (Romans 8:28)

So as we wonder/worry about our circumstances and situations, and think “what on earth God could be doing!!!” We need to trust Him, to look to our Father in Heaven for all things and seek his will rather than our own. We need to remember that as we trust Him, and not depend on our own understanding, when we seek Him (and His will), he WILL guide us, he WILL provide for us, he WILL be with us and he WILL lead us along the paths He wants us to go.

And the best thing is that God’s way is the very best way for us. When we trust that God knows best and choose to follow his path, then we will be most at peace, have the most joy and be the most secure in Him.

This week I’m cheating! I read this devotional online and I thought it would be good to share it with you! So here it is:

Listening To God
By Michael Lane, Executive Director, Delve Christian Ministries

http://delveintojesus.com/Devotionals.aspx?id=12&time=966&message=saved

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Our relationship with Jesus has much in common with our relationships with friends and family. When we demonstrate effort and commitment in our relationships, they flourish. When neglected or abandoned, they suffer and decline.

Does God talk to us? Can we actually perceive God communicating with us? Absolutely! God does not typically speak in an audible voice, but He most certainly is speaking with us. The voice of God whispers directly into our heart and soul, guiding us, counselling us and comforting us. But are we listening, or are we too busy talking? God will not scream at us to pay attention, so if we are too preoccupied with our own thoughts, His gentle voice will be drowned out.

Our prayer time must consist of listening as well as speaking. We need to attentively reach for that small voice and eagerly let it guide us. In quiet prayer, ask God to reveal His will and then listen patiently for His response. The more often you do this, the easier it will become.

However, if you fail to do this, you will miss out on the advice and direction God is offering. Worse still, your relationship will suffer, just as a marriage suffers when one partner simply refuses to listen.

For Christians who know Jesus intimately, the deterioration of their relationship which comes as a result of not listening is a steep downward slope. For those who are just getting to know Him, it can be a serious impediment to growth in their relationship. If you consistently fail to pay attention to what God is telling you, it will become progressively harder to make out His will against the background noise of your own desires. It may become so difficult that you will no longer believe that God even speaks at all.

Let me close with a powerful example from Erwin Raphael McManus. His son Aaron had run into trouble at camp and was preparing to leave. In a final effort to convince him to stay, Erwin had the following conversation.

I asked him a simple question: “Aaron, is there any voice inside you telling you what you should do?”

He paused and then responded, “Yes.”

“What’s the voice telling you?”

“That I should stay and work it out.”

I asked him, “Can you identify that voice?”

He immediately said, “Yes, It’s God.”

It was the moment I had waited for. I didn’t expect it to come under those circumstances. Nevertheless, it was there. I turned to Aaron and said, “Aaron, do you realize what just happened? You just heard the voice if the living God. He spoke to you from within your soul. Forget everything else that just happened. God has spoken to you, and you were able to recognize Him.”

I’ll never forget his response: “Well, I’m still not doing what He said.”

I explained to him that was his choice, but this is what would happen. If he rejected the voice of God and chose to disobey His guidance, his heart would become hardened, and his ears would become dull. And if he continued on this path, there would be a day when he would never again hear the voice of God. There would come a day when he would deny that God even speaks or has ever spoken to him. But if he treasured God’s voice and responded to Him with obedience, then his heart would be softened, and his ears would always be able to hear the whisper of God into his soul.

(Erwin Raphael McManus, The Barbarian Way, pp. 87-88, Thomas Nelson, 2005)

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!  1 John 3 :1

Last week I talked about how we, as Christians, are friends of Christ, this week I want to look at being children of our heavenly Father!

It says in John 1:12-13 “To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”

That’s an open invitation to anyone who chooses to receive God and believe in Jesus’ name. Each person is then given the right to be God’s child, spiritually born into God’s family with brothers and sisters in Christ. In order that we might love one another (1 John 4:7/John 13:34), encourage one another (1 Thess 5:11 / Heb 3:13) and spur one another on (Heb 10:24).

I just think it’s so amazing, when you stop and think about it, that God the creator chose to make us, the created, his children. To love us and to look after us just as a father would (only better as we know that Father’s can let us down, but God never will!)

Our Heavenly Father provides for our needs, Jesus tells us to ask for what we need and our Father will answer our requests (Matt 7:7). In Matthew 7:11 Jesus says “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Knowing that we are all sinners and God is perfect – of course he’s going to give us better gift than our earthly fathers can provide.

Our Heavenly Father helps us when we are in trouble (Ps 118:7 / Heb 13:6) and protects us from harm (2 Sam 22:31) He has also promised us an inheritance (Matt 25:34 / 1 Peter 1:4) and a place for us when we return home to him (John 14:2)

Our Heavenly Father, like all fathers, also disciplines us (Deut 8:5 / Prov 3:12). He does this because he loves us, and because he knows this is best for us in the long-run. No-one enjoys being disciplined, but what sort of father would never correct his children when they do wrong?

Our heavenly father tells us not to worry and not to be afraid, because he’s looking out for us and because he’s got good plans for us & for our future! (Matt 6:25-26/ Luke 12:32 / Jer 29:11).

Our heavenly father loves us! It says in the verse above “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us” –> Lavished! What an wonderful word, it show’s Gods generousity, his love poured out without measure or limitations! It’s nothing to do with us earning it or being good enough for it – He gives his love lavishly because of who He is and what a wonderful father he chooses to be to those who turn to him.

Praise God that he calls us his children, and that he loves us & takes care of us even better than a father!!

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.  John 15:15

Jesus came to reveal God to us in a new way and to restore our relationship with him. Even today, by reading what Jesus had to say in the New Testament, and by the work of the Holy Spirit, God’s will and heart can be revealed to us.

Isn’t it amazing that God would choose to tell us about “his business,” he often shows us what he has planned through the gift of prophesy or by his word being made alive to us. He is our living God, who doesn’t change and remains faithful, yet he is creative & active in our lives. He wants us to know that we are called “friends” through Jesus! Friends of God! How amazing is that?

God doesn’t say to us “it’s none of your business” when we seek Him and ask him questions, he instead calls us friend and chooses to speak to us about who He is and what he’s doing!

We are not to be servants who just blindly obey, we are to be in relationship with him, so that he can encourage and help us as friends, and reveal to us his plans. God doesn’t mind us asking questions or trying to understand – he encourages us to see his wisdom and understanding! Proverbs puts it well “For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Proverbs 2:6)

Sometimes we don’t always see straight away what God is doing, and occasionally he chooses not to reveal why we are going through a certain situation. Yet we know through scripture that “God works all things for the good of those who love him”(Romans 8:28). There are so many times that God does put people/situations/projects onto our hearts, revealing what he wants to do through us, his church. Then we can work side by side with him, not just as servants, but as friends. Using the gift of his word in the bible, our guide book for life, which is full of God’s promises for our future with Him. The promises of God, revealed and made perfect in Jesus, who calls us friends.

So let’s live in the knowledge that we are friends of the living God! Let us remember that he wants to share our lives with us because he loves us and cares for us.  And let us comunicate with God, asking him to speak to us as we pray and read his word, so that we might know the plans he has made and the promises he has already given us.

Proverbs 3:4-6

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight

Many of you will know this verse, but I feel that it’s always good to remind ourselves of God’s word, however well we feel we know it already.

When you are faced with situations, decisions or worries, what do you do first?

Me? I generally try to figure it out myself. Way up the pros and cons and see what makes the most sense. Then I’ll come to God with my solution and ask him to bless it. I don’t think this is the right way to go about it…!! Who am I to tell God what the best way is? Like he’d then say, “Oh yes Lindsay, I hadn’t thought of that!!” No, I must lean on God, and not on my own understanding!

My understanding of each situation I face is very limited, I know a tiny bit about what’s happened in the past (my past, not the history of the entire world) and I know a little bit about what’s happening now (In my life not in the entire universe) I have absolutely no idea what’s going to happen tomorrow or for the rest of time. We, as humans, don’t really have much to go on in our understanding of things! God, however, knows everything. He knows how the lives of every individual on the whole earth will unfold.. He knows the plans he has for me and for you and the plans he has to reveal His Glory. I must keep reminding myself that it’s not about me and my life, it’s about God and His plans!

Therefore let’s take this verse to heart again and ask God to help us to trust in Him with all our hearts. Not just half-hearted with a back-up plan just in case – I want to trust God with all my heart. And I ask God for help not to lean on my own understanding, which is limited and often based on feelings and circumstances, but rather to lean on Him. I ask God again today to help me aknowledge him in all my decisions and concerns and in all my joy and blessings. Will you join me in this prayer?

I know that if we give our circumstances, thoughts, worries and decisions to God (aknowledging that He knows the answers and we don’t) and then trust Him with these things, He will direct our paths – is says so in his Word. And His Word is Truth!

Proverbs 2:1-6
1 My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding,
3 and if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom,
and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

If we want to know God and grow in our knowledge & understanding, then we’ve got to work at it and really seek God for it. It’s very clear here that it doesn’t just fall in your lap. Look at the wording, it’s all pointing to being pro-active and really pursuing the things of God; having a true desire to seek God with the realisation of how valuable it is to be given wisdom, insight & understanding of His Word.

So basically, how much do you want it? How much value do you put on it?

This is such a challenge, there are so many things that can distract us and take our time and focus away from God. We choose to make many other things in our lives more valuable than seeking God.

I get tired by the end of the day and I often have a real battle to read my bible, there are soooo many other things that seem more appealing. Yet when I stop and choose to sit and read the bible (which, btw, isn’t every night!), it’s always so much more interesting than I think it’s going to be, and I wonder why I spent such a long time trying to avoid it! It’s always worth the effort!

So lets try to follow this passage’s advice and actively turn our ears, apply our hearts, call out to God and search for the things He wants to reveal to us through His word and by His Spirit.

Thank you God that you’ve given us such wisdom and guidence in the Bible, thank you for your Holy Spirit who guides us and gives us insight and understanding when we ask and read your word. I pray that you would help us to overcome the things that get in the way of us spending time in your word and help us to choose not to be lazy about seeking you. Bless us and encourage us when we seek you, and help us to do so with lots of effort, perserverance and with a real desire to know you more.

Matthew 21:28 – 31
“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

” ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
I think this little passage speaks for itself – it shows a lot about how the world can be. The world is quite good at “lip service”- just saying what people want to hear without really meaning it/without the intention of following through with what’s been said. The art of taking the easy route for a quiet life, to get what you want, or to avoid confrontation. We need to be careful not to pick up this habit. If we don’t intend to do something we shouldn’t say “yes we will” or “I’ll try” or even “I’ll pray for you” when actually we have no intention of doing so. Whichever way you look at it, it’s a lie.

Proverbs 12:22: The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.
Ephesians 4:25: Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbour
The other extreme is continually telling people “no I can’t (or won’t) help.” Maybe because we are too busy, too lazy, too tired or feeling like it’s not our “calling” but the truth is that we are all called to serve one another in love.

Galatians 5:13: You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

God wants us to be helpful and kind to our brothers & sisters in Christ, and also to people who don’t know him, so that they can receive God’s love through us. If we find ourselves always saying no to these things and coming up with reasons why we can’t help, then we need to examine ourselves and ask God to help us change our minds/attitudes/what we spend our time on. I’m not saying we should never take time out to relax, spend time with family, seek God and recharge our batteries – we do need to be sensible about it, but we also need to be available for God to use us to help others.

1 John 3:17 (The Message): If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear.

So let’s not say what we don’t mean, rather lets mean it when we say “yes Father God, I’m willing.” And when we are not willing, let’s be open to God’s gentle prompting to change our minds, like the son in this passage.