Messages From Heaven: From Head to Heart!

Messages From Heaven: From Head to Heart!:   Let’s start with a riddle: What two partners live less than two feet apart but never meet? They’re both CEOs of vast organizations with...

From Head to Heart!

  Let’s start with a riddle: What two partners live less than two feet apart but never meet? They’re both CEOs of vast organizations with overlapping jurisdictions; they communicate instantly, and work in perfect coordination. One would perish without the other. One specializes in intellectual pursuits all day while the other pumps iron. These two allies work tirelessly for a lifetime without ever taking a vacation or a day off. Even the slightest interruption of their labors would be catastrophic, so they never sleep. They’re both exactly the same age, inhabit the same territory, and never rest. Their combined efforts keep us alive and well.
I’m talking, of course, about your brain and your heart. They both oversee complex systems that are necessary for life—the nervous system and the circulatory system. From before our birth until the moment we go to be with the Lord, they’re on the job.
            But the relationship between head and heart isn’t just physiological. The Bible speaks of the brain as the center of our thinking and has much to say about the condition of our minds. The heart represents our affection, emotion, and personality. Sometimes it is hard to get the message from our heads to our hearts. It’s possible to have “head knowledge” of God and His Word without its filtering down into “heart knowledge.” We are reminded in Proverbs 4:23 to “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”
We read about joy in the Bible, but we meander throughout the day with low spirits. We hear a sermon about patience; but before the day is out, we’ve lost our temper. We become engrossed with the study of biblical prophecy about the End Times, but somehow we don’t share the Gospel with those in our neighborhood should He come today. We read a book on Christian parenting, but we can’t find time to read the Scriptures to our children or pray with them at bedtime. We teach a Sunday school lesson about stewardship and tithing, and then overspend on our credit card for something that we’ve been wanting.
In Matthew 23, Jesus censured the scribes and Pharisees for studying the Law without applying it to their lives. In verses 27-28, He said graphically, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones . . . you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Three Connections
            To avoid the trap of the Pharisees, we’ve got to guard the interconnection between our thoughts and our attitudes.
            That takes full-fledged Bible study. Whenever you read a passage in the Bible for your own nourishment or to teach others, your study must include observation, interpretation, and application. In other words, always approach every passage in Scripture with three questions: (1) What does it say? (2) What does it mean? (3) What does it mean to me? Application requires meditation. We have to contemplate specific verses, pondering them and ruminating over them until they inform our thinking and affect our perspectives and personalities.
            It also takes prayer. Suppose you’re reading through Proverbs and come to chapter 15: “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” One of the most effective ways of getting that verse circulating through your system is by turning it into a prayer: “Lord, teach me the secret of the soft answer. Keep me from overreacting today, from speaking with irritation. Remind me in advance that harsh words increase the anger in the one with whom I’m speaking.”
            It also takes commitment. We have to use our mind to put the Bible into practice and to commit ourselves to trust its promises and obey its commands.
            Salvation must be experienced. The Bible has to saturate our personalities. The Holy Spirit wants to convert the words of Scripture into transformed personalities. Head knowledge without heart knowledge is worse than useless; but when head and heart join forces, it changes our lives forever.

Messages From Heaven: Are You a Christian?

Messages From Heaven: Are You a Christian?: I read recently that 50 percent of all born-again Christians don't have the assurance of salvation. Maybe some just need to memori...

Are You a Christian?

I read recently that 50 percent of all born-again Christians don't have the assurance of salvation. Maybe some just need to memorize some pertinent passages on the assurance of salvation, like 1 John 5:13, and realize that God's Word does indeed promise that salvation is the present possession of every true follower of Christ.
On the other hand, perhaps a lot of so-called Christians do not have the assurance of salvation because they are not really saved. Just because you attend church or engage in certain religious activities does not necessarily mean you are a Christian. The Apostle Paul instructed those in the early church to examine themselves to see if their faith was genuine (2 Corinthians 13:5).
So, how do I know if you are a Christian? How do you know if I'm one? There must be evidence. Jesus said, "By their fruits you shall know them" (Matthew 7:20). If someone examined your life, would they find any spiritual fruit — hard evidence to prove that you are a true follower of Jesus Christ?
Or, let me put it another way: If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? By "evidence," I don't mean how many Bibles you own, or how many bumper stickers you might have on your car with Christian sayings on them. I mean hard evidence. If your family members, neighbors, and coworkers were interviewed and asked the question, "Is (your name here), in your opinion, a real Christian?" we might not be happy with the response.
The only way others can tell whether you are a Christian is by your works. While all the good works in the world won't save a person (Titus 3:5), they are reasonable evidence that someone is saved.
In a nutshell, all the great religions of the world, apart from Christianity, say, "Do." "Do this and you might go to heaven," "Do that and you might find nirvana," and so on. Christianity, in contrast, says, "Done."
In other words, God has taken care of your salvation through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. He cried out, "It is finished!" He purchased your ticket to heaven at the cross. But having received that ticket, your life should reflect your commitment to Christ. Works won't save you, but if you really are saved, then works will follow (2 Corinthians 5:17). Has that happened to you? Has there been a change in your life?
In Acts 26, the Bible outlines three steps you must take to be sure you are a Christian. This is important to understand, because you may be living under false hope, and ultimately, have a false assurance of salvation. When Paul spoke to King Agrippa and described how God had called him to preach the gospel message, he essentially broke that message down and in so many words, defined it.
Paul said that God told him to preach the gospel, which was comprised of a person hearing it, realizing it was given " 'to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness of sins and be given a place among God's people, who are set apart by faith in [Christ]' " (Acts 26:18).
So first, you must have your eyes opened. A spiritual blindness afflicts those who have not yet turned their lives over to Jesus Christ, because "Satan...has blinded the minds of those who don't believe..." (2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT).
Second, you must turn from darkness to light. Satan loves darkness. Hell is referred to as outer darkness. If you want to really believe, then you need to come out of the darkness and into the light (Acts 26:18).
Third, you must turn from the power of Satan to God. A lot of people today want to live in two worlds. If you want to be a Christian on Sunday, but want to live the other way the rest of the week, it won't work (2 Corinthians 6:14). You must turn from Satan to God.
Have your spiritual eyes been opened? Have you turned from darkness to light? Have you turned from the power of Satan to God? If you've taken these steps, then God has forgiven your sins and has a place for you among God's people in heaven. This is the hope of those who truly belong to Christ.

Messages From Heaven: Seeing Through the Pain!

Messages From Heaven: Seeing Through the Pain!: Each of us has a clarifying moment in our lives. Joseph’s clarifying moment occurred on the day his ten brothers filed into the throne ro...

Seeing Through the Pain!

Each of us has a clarifying moment in our lives. Joseph’s clarifying moment occurred on the day his ten brothers filed into the throne room, desperate for food, awed by the splendors of Egyptian royalty, and totally oblivious of his secret identity.
The ten men hadn’t changed much. Older now, faces showing wear and tear, hair thinner, stubble grayer, eyes duller because of long-harbored guilt. Genesis 42 says they came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth. Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but they did not recognize him.
He could have exacted revenge—or justice—on that day. He could have settled the score and balanced the books. But instead, he wept; and his tears washed away years of confusion, for he was beginning to see God’s end game. There was a purpose to the pain he’d endured.  God has reasons for our struggles, too, though we can’t always see them at the time. I can’t tell you specifically why certain things are happening to you; but through Joseph’s story, I can show you some of the patterns of God’s clarifying grace.
Problems Provide Greater Opportunities
For Joseph, the road to the throne wound through Potiphar’s house and Pharaoh’s prison; but every time a door slammed shut, it jarred another one open.
You may be imprisoned by a set of circumstances that aren’t to your liking, but problems are God’s way of providing us with opportunities that would never otherwise come. In every obstacle there is an opportunity.
Problems Promote Spiritual Maturity
Problems can make us better if we refuse to grow bitter. Few people have experienced worse treatment than Joseph. He was maligned, cheated, abused, and betrayed by one person after another. But there’s not a shred of evidence that Joseph grew angry at God. Instead, the circumstances matured him.
As we look back on Joseph’s life, we have the impression that he had a rather soft childhood. While his brothers were out working, Joseph was walking around in his fancy coat. Though younger, he was the favored son. But the Lord sent experiences to harden him up. Psalm 105:17-18 says that Joseph was laid in irons. The marginal reading says, in effect, that his soul came into iron. An old English translation says that iron entered into his soul.
When Joseph came out of prison, he was an iron-souled man, a man of strength, courage, and wisdom. He was ready at age thirty to carry his adopted nation through prolonged crisis without one sign of revolt. He was prepared for the hardship of famine because he had experienced the pain of prison.
God could spare us from hardship, but how would we learn? How would we grow?
Problems Prove Integrity
Our character, if genuine, is never altered by circumstances. Nothing exemplifies our moral fiber like the way we face difficulties. It’s a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate the reality and the integrity of our character before others.
Joseph’s character was a steadfast compass in his soul, but it was put on public display because of the hardships he endured. Whether we realize it or not, the same is true for us.
Problems Produce a Sense of Dependency
Problems also teach us to depend on the Lord. Whenever I read about Joseph in the Bible, I’m impressed with a phrase that’s repeated several times: “But the Lord was with Joseph . . . . The Lord was with Joseph.”
Our sins can separate us from God, but never our circumstances. The secret of Joseph’s power was his consciousness of God’s presence.
Problems Prepare our Hearts for Ministry
Finally, problems prepare us for ministry. We comfort others with the comfort we ourselves receive from the Lord. Joseph was able to comfort his family and nation because he knew firsthand the faithfulness of His God.
Sometimes problems are God’s way of preparing us to help someone else. That’s what happened to Joseph. From his prison experience, he became a servant of the whole world. Joseph went from pasture to pit to prison to palace—and at every step God was with Him, causing all things to work together for good under the omnipotent hand of divine sovereignty.
If we’ll only step back from the distress and see beyond the pain, we’ll understand there’s a purpose to every problem and a reason for every riddle; and when we realize that, it is a glorious clarifying moment.

Creed - My Sacrifice