Heart Matters

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,  I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”  Psalms 23: 4

I swear (figuratively) it seems the older I get, the weaker I get. Sometimes it feels as though life has just beat the mess out of me and I have no more strength left.  Yes, at times I get weary of feeling worn and I can so relate to Mary J. Blige when she said “No More Drama.” The older I get (I’ll be 48 this year), the less tolerance I have for the nonsense.  I guess this is partly due to the wisdom that comes with aging, the smarts to know how to pick our battles, and the ability to discern when we should engage altogether. But I’m starting to realize that as I grow older some of the things I used to be able to conquer and/or rebound from quite easily are now the same things that can cause me to isolate and retreat.  It’s crazy because oftentimes I don’t even realize the reason why I’m growing weary or experiencing feelings of frustration.  It can take me a while to put two and two together almost as if I’m in denial of my feelings (and believe me-this is not me). Then when I finally recognize the culprit, if I choose to respond to it in my flesh by taking cover instead of taking it captive to Jesus, I can eventually find myself feeling as though I’ve been thrust into a deep and dark valley, like the valley of the shadow of death.  Although the realization of being there is shocking, almost startling, I’m sure it didn’t happen overnight. I’m almost positive that most times the descending road to the valley of darkness is one of many twists and turns propelled by such sins as unforgiveness, failure to trust the Lord, or an unrepentant heart. How do we get there?  Disappointment leads to Discouragement leads to Discontentment leads to Depression.  When left uninterrupted or undisturbed this trajectory is one of a downward spiral and we can quickly find ourselves hitting rock bottom and under the shadow of death.

Before I continue, I must say I use this reference “the valley of the shadow of death” cautiously as I know my valley experiences may not be even close to what being in that ominous valley has been like for some. I decided to use it as the title for this blog because this is what the Lord Himself recently used to meet me where I was.  It is the very verse and this very subject He used to redirect and rescue me.  So just as His Word always speaks life into me, I’m praying He’ll use this blog to do the same for you.  So let’s suffice it to say that this valley, “the valley of the shadow of death” doesn’t always have to do with facing death itself or even the worse case scenario, but is instead a vast and complex place where we all have visited at one time or another and have come face to face with a darkness personalized just for us.

Continue reading “…the valley of the shadow of death…” →

Heart Matters

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”  Colossians 2: 6-7

A Christian organization recently asked me to write a brief summary of my faith walk thus far. Although there is so much more I could share regarding the 24 years I’ve been on adventure with the Lord, I believe the content is such that it could be worth sharing.  As such I’ve decided to use it as this week’s blog post.  Please remember that this is only a summary. (For some reason The Holy Spirit had me record how He insisted I get free from my stronghold of fear and relinquish my need to control before calling me into ministry. So if you struggle with the same, perhaps this one’s for you). As I said, I’ve been saved for 24 years and as such there’s many lessons I’ve learned on my journey thus far.  I also know there are many lessons I’m still learning and have yet to learn.  Believers are always a work in progress.  When I blog I’m always writing from that place-one of all the lessons and principles The Lord has taught or is teaching me as He causes His Word to wreck my life (in the bestest way possible) for my good and for His glory.  I have to mention that this is not my testimony regarding how I came to faith in Christ.  If you haven’t read that blog post, I encourage you to do so.  It’s called “My Testimony.” One other thing before I post it, as always I pray the Lord Jesus uses whatever He’s done in my life to do what He aims to do in your life.  “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” Proverbs 27:17  

Continue reading My Faith Journey →

Heart Matters

“Be angry, and do not sin.  Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.  Selah  Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.” Psalm 4:4-5

The sacrifices of righteousness!  What exactly is that?!  Well if we just look at this one scripture passage it seems to have something to do with giving up our perceived rights in regards to certain matters or a specific circumstance.  In this passage of Scripture David inspired by The Holy Spirit – wait – let me back up and give you verses 2-3 first so we can truly understand the context:  “How long, O you sons of men, will you turn my glory to shame? How long will you love worthlessness and seek falsehood?  But know that  the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The LORD will hear when I call to Him.”

David starts by addressing the malevolence of those who are grieving him, angering him.   He’s calling for their repentance as he reminds them that he is God’s boy so to speak and as such, the LORD Himself would take care of him -and them on his behalf.  David lets them know that whatever unjust behavior they’ve once again asserted against him, they would be accountable to God for it.  It is then that we get to the Scripture passage listed above under “Heart Matters.”  David starts addressing how we’re to handle anger.  Anger is a valid emotion. It is a God-given emotion.  A product of our conscience and convictions, oftentimes anger is subjective in nature, if not always.  When we feel the strong emotion of anger, the emotion in and of itself is not sin.  However, it is such a passionate emotion that when left unchecked, and we fail to take it into captivity to Christ, it usually is the predecessor of sin.  So here David says it’s okay to be angry-just don’t let that anger lead you-cause you- to sin. Sounds familiar?  Ephesians 4:26-27 says “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.” (Once again we’re given till the end of the day to release it and get rid of it before we take it to bed with us and sleep with it.  There must be something about allowing it to rest with us which allows it to rest deeper within us.)

Continue reading The Sacrifices of Righteousness →

Heart Matters

“My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”  Hebrews 12:5-6

Tough Love can be defined as “promotion of someone’s welfare through strong constraints (and boundaries) which will lead them to take or face the responsibility for their wrong actions.”  The urban dictionary says it’s the process of “being cruel to be kind.”  Tough love is doing what’s necessary for a person we love even when that person won’t like or welcome it. It’s doing what’s best in spite of how difficult it is for us or how devastating it seems for our loved one.  I have to note this “tough love” subject is one I’m probably not all that qualified to write about. However, since I feel the Holy Spirit leading me to have a go at it, I’m jumping in.  I have to start by acknowledging that my experiences with having to stretch myself and exercise tough love have been few and far in between.  What I’ve dealt with I’m sure couldn’t compare with the life experiences of some which have called for them to either step up and incorporate tough love or continue enabling and abetting their loved one’s destructive behavior.  I’m talking about those who have had to struggle with properly loving a person given over to addiction, criminal behavior, or succumbing to the bondage of any irrational emotion or habit which has crippled, disabled, or robbed them of a fruitful life.  For those of you who have had to watch helplessly as someone you loved purposefully embraced the very thing that has wreck their lives, I’m in no way pretending to know the extend of your pain. But God knows.

I”m approaching this subject because I believe it’s one worth examining in light of the Scriptures.  I’m of the opinion that at times, tough love is indeed an important component of the complexity of being able to exercise true love for another person. How can I say this? Because I believe the LORD Himself practices tough love with His children when He feels the time calls for it.  The Scripture above makes it clear that the Lord loves us enough to correct and chasten us when He knows it’s the very thing we need.  Did you notice some of the words in the passage above?  It describes being chastened by the Lord as being “rebuked”, and “scourged”.  As verse 11 states it doesn’t feel good to be on the receiving end of such actions-it’s “painful”, however it always has a purpose attached. I love how the writer of Hebrew expounds on this principle.  He says that when God chastens us it’s much better than when our human fathers do.  For they chastened us for “just a few days and as it seemed best for them”-but the Lord, when He chastens us, it’s always for our “own profit”-that we may be partakers of His holiness.”  God’s chastening at times can indeed be a form of tough love.  Although it may take a while to bring about the desired results and it definitely won’t feel good, we can rest assured that it will always be in our best interest.

Continue reading Tough Love-True Love →