Tag: Soul

It’s Your Heart

Published on by Nancy Demary2 Comments

wooden-heart-3077104__480Have you ever been discouraged wondering if someone would ever change; if you could ever change? Be encouraged, with God ALL things are possible. God offers us solutions for every area of life. Let’s consider the heart of man, and why we are tempted toward those things that can harm us and others.

It seemed Jesus was continually dealing with the religious ones, about their hearts. In Mark 7:6 he responds to a question from the Pharisees, quoting the Prophet Isaiah, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;'” Jesus has a way of revealing our heart and if we seek honestly, we’ll see our great need for Him to continually change us. Only the Holy Spirit living within can give us the power to have a pure heart; it is a gift to be sought after, and a promise from the Father to those who seek Him. No religion can offer a truly transformed heart, only Jesus can.

Man’s heart is the center of all activity. Every issue we face in life is dealt with according to our heart’s desires. Our motives, thoughts, intents, and desires proceed from our inner man — the heart. Scripture indicates this clearly; Proverbs 4:23 tells us to, guard our heart with ALL DILIGENCE; for out of it proceed every issue of life.

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We are told from God’s Word that He can give us a new heart. God provides clarity in His Word in order to bring relief to anyone who is repeatedly struggling with some issue of the heart. He loves to see His people set free from sin and the bonds of the past. Here are truths from God’s Word concerning your heart.

We TRUST from the heart. [1]

God can give us a NEW heart. [2]

The CONTENT of our heart comes out of our mouth. [3]

PEACE can reign in our heart. [4]

God weighs the heart. [5]

We LOVE from the heart. [6]

The IMAGINATIONS of our heart can be darkened. [7]

Our CONSCIENCE can be made clean. [8]

We can LOVE from a PURE heart without hypocrisy. [9]

heart-shape-1714807__480If you want a new heart so that you can function fully in the way God designed for you, ask Him for one.  The first step is to invite the Holy Spirit into your heart. Jesus explained to Nicodemus, a very sincere religious man, how He could be born-again. Read in the book of John to find out more. John 3:1-8 ESV  “Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

Remember, once you have the life of God inside, knowing God’s Word is part A, applying it to your life is part B. Living to glorify God is how it all works together to produce a full and abundant life (John 10:10).

Photo Credit: Pixabay, My Illustration FHGBC: Chapter 3 Heart Model.

[1] Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

[2] Ezekiel 36:26: a new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you and heart of flesh.

[3] Luke 6:45 A good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (ESV)

[4] Colossians 3:15 and let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

[5] Proverbs 21:2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord ponders the hearts.

[6] Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with your entire mind.

[7] Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

[8] Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

[9] I Timothy 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

Our Real Enemy

Published on by Nancy DemaryLeave a comment

ALL Christians face spiritual warfare. Some may not be aware of who actually is opposing them, and they end up taking offense and despising the people they ought to love. If we are not wise and equipped with minds renewed daily upon God’s Word we are easy prey to our enemy’s schemes and will believe that people are our enemy. In reality, all of humankind is under the sway of this masterful deceiver[1] in some way. Satan’s purpose is ONLY to steal, kill and destroy you[2].

What are your first thoughts when you wake up in the morning and there’s darkness present? Perhaps a bad dream resulting from the past. Where do you think these dark feelings come from? Certainly not from your loving Father who said He would cast our forgiven sins far from us and not bring them before us again. Of course, it would be from the oppressor, the enemy, who would like to rob you of the abundant life that Jesus promises to His own.

eyes-730750__480Be sure that when you are encountering these dark moments of fear, discouragement, shame or confusion, all of this is rooted in the strategy of Satan to cause you to doubt God and live in unbelief. Recognizing this and then going to God’s Word to renew your mind, and strengthen your soul, is the proper response. What did Paul tell us we should do daily in order to equip ourselves for these attacks? Ephesians 6:11-12 “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”. Go on to read and study verses 14-17 to learn what the armor of God is.

When I consider how much training goes into equipping the military for earthy battles, let us consider the daily onslaught from hell that we face — it is very real. We need to be equipped and ready to recognize the battle we are in. We need to be careful not to involve ourselves in unnecessary skirmishes to the neglect of the real spiritual battle we’re in. We can be sidetracked fighting temporal situations and people, instead of the one God has declared to be our real enemy.

I Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

Prayer is the needful, consistent, daily exchange between us and our Father. He desires to guide us and glorify Himself through us. To be useful in His Kingdom and overcome our enemy, we must communicate and hear from God, our Chief and Commander. A good soldier heeds what He says and does it. We must equip ourselves with spiritual armor (Eph. 6:10-18) against this enemy; remember he is a subtle deceiver, not easy to recognize. Our victory against Satan is firmly planted in Christ’s victory over death, hell, and the grave at Calvary; Christ earned this position for us and He is greater than our foe.

A song written by Martin Luther about 500 years ago, A Mighty Fortress is Our God, describes this battle. Here is verse one of this hymn. Powerful songs like this have kept believers strong in faith and action. May we recognize the enemy’s craft and respond in the power of the Holy Spirit.

  1. A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; our helper he amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.
    For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.

[1] 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 But if our gospel be hidden, it is hidden to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

[2] John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I have come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.

May you RECOGNIZE your real enemy and RESPOND according to the Instruction Manual. 

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Do Not Be Deceived

Published on by Nancy DemaryLeave a comment

snake-1634293__480“Sin will take you farther than you ever want to go…”

Satan deceives… Christ restores.
Then he steals… Christ gives.
Satan kills… Christ gives life.
Satan destroys… Christ recreates.
The Deceiver hates… Christ loves.    (John 10:10)

David lusted… sin committed.
Guilt and shame… has to blame.
Tempted further… next was murder.
Took the wife… tried to hide.
Guilty soul… all is dark.   (Galatians 6:7)

Nathan came… all exposed.
Sin and shame… now to reckon.
Decisions to make… Father waits.
Mercy sought… Light is coming.
Repentance came… God forgave.  (I John 1:9)

If we walk in the Light, as He is in the light,
we have fellowship one with another,
and the blood of Christ cleanses us from ALL sin.  (I John 1:7)