{"id":28662,"date":"2020-09-11T03:30:05","date_gmt":"2020-09-11T10:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=28662"},"modified":"2020-09-09T13:58:55","modified_gmt":"2020-09-09T20:58:55","slug":"september-11-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2020\/09\/11\/september-11-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"September 11, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”\u00a0Proverbs 4:23<\/em><\/p>\n

Stay in Charge of Your Heart<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sometimes when I look in the mirror, I don’t recognize myself!\u00a0There are lots of new wrinkles! That happens as the years roll by.\u00a0My face is a little fuller because of weight gain from the cancer treatment I’m on. But the thing I notice most right now is that my hair is so much longer.\u00a0No haircuts the last five months!\u00a0Someone asked me when the last time was that my hair was this long. I thought, and realized it was the 1970s.\u00a0It’s about down to my shoulders.\u00a0I’ve always kept my hair short.\u00a0Floyd would actually complain if I let it grow, as he loves me with short hair!<\/p>\n

As I look at this person that looks so different to the “me” that I know, I have a new appreciation for the verse that says God doesn’t see as man sees.\u00a0“Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”\u00a0<\/em>I’m really very grateful that God sees the heart and not just this very different person that I’m looking at in the mirror. I’m not too fond of this new look.<\/p>\n

I can’t always control what’s happening to me on the outside\u2014but I can surely control what’s going on in my heart! If I allow any sin to enter my heart (pride, anger, jealousy, rebellion, disobedience, greed, unforgiveness\u2014anything that doesn’t reflect the Lord), God will surely see it even if no one else does.\u00a0It will grieve Him, and He will hold me accountable. I need to regularly examine my heart to make sure none of these ugly attitudes enter in.<\/p>\n

On the flip side, even though my outward body is crumbling away, if I keep my heart clean and pure before Him, it brings Him pleasure and glorifies Him.\u00a0That is my desire, and I ask God to help me continually.<\/p>\n

I was thinking about the things that impact our hearts:
\n–\u00a0 disappointment over unanswered prayer
\n–\u00a0 hurt in relationships
\n–\u00a0 insecurity and feelings of rejection
\n–\u00a0 tension in our families
\n–\u00a0 fear for the future
\n–\u00a0 illness and physical pain
\nI guess the list is endless!\u00a0There are so many things that can batter our hearts.<\/p>\n

It starts with a problem.\u00a0Then our minds think about it over and over.\u00a0It slowly consumes our thoughts.\u00a0And, before you know it, our hearts are overwhelmed with the problem.\u00a0The problem takes on immense proportions, and God is pushed to a small corner in our hearts.\u00a0I know how easily it can happen.<\/p>\n

We have to make daily choices to “cast our cares and burdens on the Lord”\u00a0<\/em>and keep our focus on who He is in the midst of the problems.\u00a0He is the One who can solve the problems.\u00a0We can’t!\u00a0And we can’t let the problems consume us.<\/p>\n

I’ve had messages recently from a number of friends and acquaintances who are feeling the weight of the pandemic\u2014mentally and emotionally.\u00a0Some have lost jobs.\u00a0Others are physically ill.\u00a0Many are weighed down with fear for the future.\u00a0It IS a stressful time. That is why we must keep guard over our hearts and minds and continually press into the Lord to help us.\u00a0We can’t allow any room for the enemy to exploit our situations.<\/p>\n

God, help us keep guard over our hearts so that You will be pleased with what You see. Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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