Last night I taught in the loverly town of Hobbs, New Mexico. For me it was a blessing and the beginning of many new things. As a new widow I'm learning to trust and hear God as my husband. It's quite a challenge to have a perfect husband! (Isaiah 54) He is ultimately patient and so encouraging. He knew I was insecure about stepping into full time ministry, but also knew I couldn't envision submitting to some man in a secular job. My heart is His word and will. So off I went on this new adventure!
We had a full house and I met several new people. They came from Hobbs, Lovington, Tatum and Roswell to hear and support me. I was touched.
The Lord had a young prophet call me shortly after my husband left for glory. My husband and I had taken him and his wife under our wings over 18 years ago. God spoke such comfort through his words! A man of prayer and study he had clearly matured a great deal in the nearly two decades since we had last communicated.
He kept telling me to guard my heart. He talked about how wounded our spirits can become and this wounding would eventually harden our hearts if left untended. Little did I know how timely his words would prove to be. I would soon be faced with am onslaught of fiery darts from the adversary directly after suffering the death of my husband of 34 years! My new husband (God) had sent ammo to prepare for the battle.
Faith is born of the heart or spirit of man."With the heart man believeth". If we have a crust or shell around our hearts it becomes harder and harder to hear God in order for faith to come. Faith comes by hearing, and the spiritual man hears in his/her heart or spirit. Every time we try to save or protect ourselves leaning on our own understanding we in effect build a wall around our hearts. It's vital to allow the intimate knowledge of Jesus to be our salvation. We are in a war and we have a desperate enemy. He is hunting for ignorant prey.
A careful study of the full armor of God reveals that the breastplate of righteousness is the piece of armor that protects the heart or spirit of man/woman. Knowing who we are in Christ is armor against condemnation and the fear of betrayal and deception. When we have been wounded once by some carnal attack, we have a tendency to try and protect ourselves. BUT if we know who we are in Christ Jesus from the beginning, we let that righteousness consciousness do all the guarding we need. Leaning to our own understanding or leaning to the arm of the flesh will get us in trouble every time. We build up those hard places in our hearts and a stronghold of fear and self pity stop us from allowing the fruits of the spirit to develop.
In another place in the word we're told that when we aren't fruitful God "prunes" the dead wood so that we can become fruitful once again. God isn't killing us, but it sure can feel painful when we undergo this "tree surgery". God is removing the things that get between Him and his children. He is returning the hearts of the children back to the Father!
Here are some scriptures I shared with the group in Hobbs last night. With some meditation you too will see that "keeping your heart with all diligence" is simply trusting that you are in rightstanding with God and that equips you to stand strong in the face of persecution, rejection, betrayal, or any of a multitude of attacks from the enemy. We may be deceived into thinking that we're fighting friends, enemies or acquaintances, but we aren't supposed to wrestle with flesh and blood. We must realize we are fighting the "accuser of the brethren". The more we see that and allow Christ (the anointing that destroys all yokes) to be formed in us, the fewer hard places we'll see in our own hearts and the better we will hear God's voice (the Holy Spirit) so faith and all the other fruits of the spirit can develop!
Isaiah 66:2, 57: 17, Psalms 34:18, Proverbs 4:23, Luke 8:11-15, Romans 10:10, Ezekiel 11:19.
If you believe you have hard places in your heart (spirit) you need to pray for God to remove and heal those places. You need your heart or spirit to be productive and hearing for healing to come. It's not too late, if your heart has waxed gross or is getting hard God can take out the stony heart and give you a heart of flesh. He is such a gentle surgeon and while you're going through the process of healing and restoration He gives His angels charge over you to "keep" or guard you in all your ways! It will be a time of rest and restoration.
Let me pray for you. Email me if you know you've been betrayed, rejected, hurt or something else and that there is a chance you have hard places you're not even aware of. Email me here.
God bless and touch you now.
Cerise
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