For The Messy Heart

Does anyone else actually enjoy cleaning their house or is it just me?

When my mother was still working, my absolute favorite chore was laundry. (It may have taken me seven business days to put away my clothes, but I lived for washing, drying, and folding everything.)

Adulting is never easy and keeping the rooms of your house clean can be quite overwhelming---especially for those who have everything going on all at once. It does seem as if there's never enough time in the day, doesn't it?

Have you ever wanted to take on a "deep cleaning" project only to find that you are completely lost on where to start first?

Maybe you've said "oh, I'll do it another day" because you couldn't find the courage or the confidence to face it all head-on. 

As the clutter continues to build up and around you, the mess only brings about stress, anxiety, and darkening depression.

Living in the midst of a mess will never bring you joy. 

This analogy brings us right into the heart of my message today: living in a messy house will never give you joy and walking around with a messy heart won't either. 

Could there possibly be something in your heart that isn't quite right---maybe you know that your attitude isn't what it should be. Maybe you're backslidden in sin and away from the Lord. Perhaps you are burdened by heartache that currently eats away at you. 

Living in the midst of a mess will never bring you joy. 

What if I were to tell you that it would be possible to start cleaning up the rooms of your heart by doing a little bit every day? 

That way the thought of taking it on isn't so overwhelming and it's easier to maintain a healthy and peaceful environment in the long run.

Never think that Christ expects you to deal with the mess in your life all at once. Take it one day at a time and don't be shy about giving it all over to the Lord. He loves you more than you will ever know. 

Come back to Him and let Him restore the joy of your salvation. 

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit." (Psalm 51:10-12 KJV)

Things To Remember When You Feel Like Quitting On God

Having the opportunity to serve the Lord through writing faith-based short stories and devotionals will forever be my greatest joy. 

I have traveled along on the writing journey for about ten years now, yet it would be untruthful to tell you that I've never felt like quitting. 

I know I have. 

Have you ever felt that way?

Are you in a season of distraction or discouragement? 

The Lord placed this thought and those questions on my heart because I know that many others who remain faithful in serving the Lord in their own respective way are met with same opposition from Satan. 

Sometimes it's difficult for you not to feel distracted and discouraged---as if the joy that you once held in your heart is somehow nowhere to be found.

The good news is that while opposition will never go away on this side of Heaven, there are things to remember and tools that we can use to fight off those fiery darts and keep on keepin' on! (One of my all time favorite phrases)

Today, I want to walk along the practical path and share some tips that I have learned along the way as well as some passages of Scripture serve as encouragers in the midst of those "not so easy" seasons of service to the Lord. 

I have used my writing journey as an example but this applies to anyone and everyone who is doing something for Christ. 

Let's start things off by discussing Satan's tactic of distraction. Have you ever felt spurned because someone wasn't receptive when you shared the Gospel with them? 

I wrote this example out and labeled is as distraction because it IS easy for us to become consumed by one person's negative response.

Sometimes its easy to feel like it's our responsibility to save them. 

But it's not. Only Jesus can do that.

Our job is to simply plant the seed. 

"I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building." (1 Corinthians 3:6-9 KJV)

Let us continue with the discussion about discouragement. This is a hugely popular tactic that Satan loves to use and one that I know most battle every single day. 

Have you ever felt like what you do for the Lord is small and unimportant? Those days happen sometimes and honestly, the best thing to keep in mind is that you may be the only exposure to Christ that someone has. You have the ability to reach someone in a way that others may not. Not everyone knows who you know. Remember that little is much when God is in it and that you are a precious and invaluable resource to them. 

"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid 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 Corinthians 4:3-4 KJV)

Ultimately, Satan's mission is to destroy by stealing your joy in what you are doing for the Lord; he wants to make you feel as if you aren't doing enough or that God wouldn't want to use you anymore because you mess up all the time. (I wrote these out because I have personally dealt with these in the past) 

None of that is true, my friend. And it's important to remember that while we could never do enough to repay Christ for all that He did for us, we are given the opportunity to serve Him with a heart of abundant joy. We aren't forced to, and there shouldn't be any pressure felt because of your mistakes. We all fall short of His glory and none of us are perfect. In my eyes, that's where the true joy in serving Jesus lies, being yourself and sharing your experiences while teaching and encouraging others. 

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10 KJV)

I hope and pray that these reminders would serve as an encouragement for the heart that needs it today. Remember to keep on keepin on' for the cause of Christ! ❤️

The Love That Saves

 

"Lord, I know my love could never be enough to save them--but I know without a doubt that Yours would."

Have you ever known a lost soul that led you to pray that specific prayer? Someone who touched your heart in such a way that left you with a sense of desperation and determination. 

Maybe it's a friend or a loved one. Or an acquaintance who left a powerful first impression. Watching people in the world today can be truly heartwrenching as so many are oblivious to what waits for them in eternity as they sit comfortably in their sin. You stand by as an outsider and watch as their life trends downward, traveling down that broken and wayward path. 

Knowing that while your love could never save them, the love of Christ is their only hope. They need to know of and experience the power of His mercy and grace; the freedom found in the forgiveness of sin.  

I've had this thought on my heart for some time and I kept thinking about Christ and all of the rejection that He experienced (and still does)

He loves every sinner, no matter what they have done or who they are.....yet there are so many in the world who choose to repeatedly reject Him. The world encourages us to look for happiness and fulfillment in all of the wrong things. They are living in filth and darkness with no thoughts of leaving it behind.

Maybe you're situated in a place of still praying for that lost family member or trying to witness to them openly. The best (yet sometimes the most difficult thing to do) is to be honest with them in sharing the truth of what an eternity spent without Christ would entail.

How does the Bible describe Hell?

Eternal Separation: The continual rejection of Jesus Christ will eventually lead to eternal separation from God, in fiery flames of torment forever without the hope and peace that only He can give. 

"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:15 KJV)

Eternal Suffering: This could be interchangeable with my other point, but it's important to double down on the fact that Hell is not a place where everyone is having a party and it is a VERY real place. Hollywood loves to either glamorize it or cut out its existence altogether, but you don't have to go there. You have the choice, and when it comes to eternity, that's the most important decision you will ever make.

"And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." (Revelation 14:11 KJV)

Eternal Sorrow: Continual rejection of Christ will lead to an eternity spent in eternal sorrow. The Bible tells us specifically that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth---pointing to rememberance of the rejection and sorrowful self reflected anger and regret. 

"And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth" (Luke 13:42 KJV)

"There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out." (Luke 13:28 KJV)

If you're in a place of worrying about someone you love, keep praying for them & keep doing everything in your power to witness to them and to be an example of who Christ is in their lives. 

Or maybe, you're lost and searching or in need of something to wake you up. Honestly, you won't find the peace you're looking for in this world. You'll never know what fullness of joy means because rejecting Him will keep you from all of that. Your heart will forever feel empty and you'll never know of the long-lasting comfort that He can give, even on the best of your worst days.

All of the love in the world---every ounce of good that you do would never be enough to save you---but Jesus will if you simply call upon Him.

He doesn't care about coming up into your mess, the very place where you've been hiding away. He wants to meet you where you are. He'll come sit with you and gladly come into your life if you will ask Him to save you and to come into your heart.

For His love is the love that saves. 

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 KJV)

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13 KJV)

 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9-10 KJV)

The Source of Everlasting Strength

"Life may try to weigh you down, but never let it wear you out."

I love that the Lord placed that particular phrase on my heart while thinking about how certain circumstances in our lives can become truly overwhelming. I never enjoy shining a light on all

that I face physically, but I will today because it fits well within the message. 

Many of you may remember that I experienced COVID last September; as a result, I have dealt with lasting fatigue that carries no reasonable medical explanation, although I am absolutely certain that 

living with both cerebral palsy and PCOS may play a significant role.

It's now difficult to exert any amount of energy at all. Completing even the tiniest of tasks often feels the same as climbing Mount Everest. Some of those days it seems as if everything weighs me down and wears me out. (writing honestly)

I know many who struggle with SO much more than I do. I know I'm never alone in that battle.

Maybe you're experiencing one of those days today.

I have recently discovered a LOVE for energy-enhanced water drops. You can find them at any grocery store (I purchased mine from Kroger). I keep several flavors on hand but all of them contain caffeine, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12. 

I cannot go about my day without first fueling my body with a bottle of the enhanced water. It allows me to have more than enough strength to tackle everything on my to-do list. 

While in the process of praying and putting together the rewrite of this particular thought, I sat at my desk and happened to look over to the wall art I have in my office. I have always loved the theme of Psalm 27 that serves as the foundation for the powerful question that lies at the heart of my message today:

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)

Would you say that Jesus is the strength of your life today?

    No life will ever be lived without some sort of struggle. You may have made it through one trial just to stroll into another. You may find yourself situated within the calm before the storm in oblivion to what's just up ahead.

Only the Lord can provide the everlasting strength that we need in every area of our lives; drinking up every ounce of the water that is His Word and soaking in every truth will never fail to give us more than enough to face the challenges that come our way. 

Whether it be physical strength to power through infirmities, you can count on Him to carry you through.

"And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Or maybe you're dealing with a difficult person in your life or attempting to witness to an unbeliever, and it just doesn't seem like you're making any sort of progress. Sometimes all you can do is wait on the Lord and simply trust in His timing while continually praying for the courage to keep on planting seeds. 

"Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say on the Lord." (Psalm 27:14)

The world is filled with such sadness, and the presence of evil seems to be everywhere you look. I know that we all could use some emotional strength as the days continue to pass by, and the only source of strength that is truly everlasting comes from the Lord. Whenever I encounter a rough day emotionally, this verse never fails to be an encouragement to me:

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7)

Is He the strength of your life?