The Heart

Our family loves watching the Duggars. Tonight we all sat around the computer screen and watched the season's final episode of 19 Kids and Counting.

As we watched, I was personally encouraged (and convicted) by something Anna Duggar said (Anna is Josh's wife).

She was in a stressful situation with some of the younger kids, and instead of getting super frustrated to the point of yelling and screaming she took a step back and realized what was most important - their heart.

Ouch.

That hurt... But I needed it.

So often I become that frustrated, raising my voice, yelling, impatient Dad, instead of living with my children with patience and kindness - looking out for their heart first and foremost.

I may have their obedience, but do I have their heart? It's the same in our walk with God.

Needless to say, I am thankful for the Duggar family and their example of loving and leading like Jesus. I only hope to get better myself at being a loving Father and husband in my home.

... And Again

She did it again!

The Way To My Heart

They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach...

My wife wins my heart every day!!

[love me some omelet!]

Heart Lead

"Don't let your head get in the way of your hearts direction..." -Daniel Engelbrecht -- QuoteHive (@QuoteHive)

Wow. I needed to hear that.

So often I trade the direction and intuition of my heart for the logic and law of my mind.

I believe I'm changing though.

I'm learning to run free. Lead with my heart. Renew my mind.

My family needs me to lead them with my heart, with the securities and insecurities, as well as the passion and purpose that come from leading from your heart.

I need the help of the Lord to do this. As I lead from my heart or inner man, I am ultimately looking to be led by His Spirit.

If He's not leading, tell me then, what's the point?

Till

Yea, this picture says it all. These are great moments with my kids as we prepared the ground for this years garden tonight.

I just pray the Holy Spirit tills up the hard ground of my heart, that the seeds of His truth can go deep and bear much fruit for His kingdom.

Voice

I believe that the Lord may be whispering His will to me as of late. It is a soft voice, not forceful, and it's my privilege to respond.

I haven't always responded when I heard His voice though.

I would encourage anyone who is hearing the voice of heaven, to hear the encouragement of the Scriptures:

For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
when your fathers put me to the test
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
For forty years I loathed that generation
and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,
and they have not known my ways.”
Therefore I swore in my wrath,
“They shall not enter my rest.” From Psalm 95, bolding mine

I will not harden my heart, Oh, Lord. I will respond to your leading.

Amen.

Purify

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. 1 John 3:2-3 ESV.


This morning during worship, I had a renewed sense and desire to be searched by the Lord, to have Him direct His holy gaze into my heart and bring to the light the wicked ways within me. I went to this verse...


Search me, O God, and know my heart!
  Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
  and lead me in the way everlasting!
Psalm 139:23-24 ESV

I also visited this classic verse from King David's psalm...


Create in me a clean heart, O God,
   and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10 ESV

The bible says that we should purify ourselves as He is pure. It had been a while, too long of a while, since I had asked the Lord to search me and reveal any grievous ways within me. As followers of the holy One, we should be asking the Lord to remove the unholy things from our hearts. If I am to be intimate with Him, I must come to Him on His terms.

Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
   And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
   who does not lift up his soul to what is false
   and does not swear deceitfully.
Psalm 24:3-4 ESV


And so it is. For us to be close to the pure One, we must purify ourselves. One way to do that is to ask the righteous judge to refine us, search us, and reveal any sinful, grievous ways within us.


Let's ask Him today, and never stop.