Do you want to be blessed? Then keep your heart right!

"Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart's desires" 

                                                                                                Psalm 37:1-4   CSB 

We can tend to become agitated and envious because other people have more than we do, or appear to be more successful, it can be easy to feel bad about them. However, just because some people seem to prosper more than we do, does not give us the right to be envious at all. Their success may be down to the choices they have made. They could have had the breaks that others didn't have or they have have been born into higher living. Alternatively, their lives may be financed by corrupt dealings or they may have run up their credit cards just to fit into the bracket. Then again, their lifestyle may be just through sheer hard work, studying and being there at the right moment. 

Being envious will get us nowhere, especially with God. Are you open to the fact that He may have put some opportunity in your direction and you dismissed it because of fear of leaving your comfort zone. Some people take the risk and it pays off. To never do this, leaves you just where you are. If this is you, repent and God will give you other opportunities. Don't allow agitation to take you over just because someone is more successful than you are. Just get on with what God has given you and be grateful. Continue to do a good job and mow your own garden.

We never know what the , 'so called successful people' are going through. One things for sure if they haven't got Jesus in their lives, then no amount of money, cars or bricks and mortar, are going to qualify them for heaven. Pray for them rather than being envious.

If we fully trust in the Lord and enjoy each day with Him, then He is delighted; and as we delight ourselves in Him, He will bless us. Chris Evans, in his commentary to The Christian Standard Bible, writes: 'You can expect God's movement in your life, when your thinking and desires match His. He desires to bless you more than you want to be blessed'.

God will give us what we need, that is a fact. However, He wants to bless us further:

'Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us'  Ephesians 3:20.

Note the words, 'the power that works within us'. This power is Jesus and as we delight ourselves in Him, He will bless us beyond our imagination. We will not have to worry about rising costs or inflation. Jesus is very rich, therefore delight in Him.

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Pay attention - Final part

"Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established."    

                                                                                        Proverbs 4:25-27   NKJV 

We have to get on the right path to be able to walk with Jesus. To do this, we need to, 'pay attention' and carefully consider the way forward. Abraham knew this; he was a friend of God and walked with Him daily, even though he did make a few mistakes. On the other hand, Lot became a friend of the world and walked by sight. He only wanted what he could see. Lot was happy to settle for second best, not trusting God (2 Corinthians 5:7). Abraham, on the other hand, was a man of faith and when God told him the way, he believed, 'being fully convinced that what He had promised, He was able to perform (Romans 4:21).

We can either look at worthless things or look at Jesus, 'looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith' (Hebrews 12:2). Lot looked at the things that were seen but Abraham at the things that are not seen. Abraham knew the things that he could see were only temporary, but the things he couldn't see, were eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). He was a man of faith and, therefore, walked by it. In other words, he paid attention to what God told him.

When God sends you on a path, don't deviate from it. It may not seem the right way to you, but God knows the perfect way to go. If He tells you to go, 'this way', then go, 'this way'. Often when we obey God, we can be filled with doubt, our thought life can have a hey day and then, the devil can chip in his worthless comments too. But if you trust God, stay on the path!

Remember the words:

'Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding,

In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.

                      Proverbs 3:5-6   NKJV

Stay on the path that God has given you, no matter how hard it may be. Keep your eyes looking straight ahead and, don't be tempted to take an easier route. There are many tricksters around and, the devil is the biggest. Watch the temptation - Pay attention to all that God tells you. Whatever God's leading you to you may be almost there - just around the corner. Don't give up now.

Keep trusting in God, 'pay attention' and look ahead, because it is a bright future. Something new and wonderful is about to happen! 

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Pay attention. Part 4

"Don't let your mouth speak dishonestly, and don't let your lips talk deviously"        

                                                                                              Proverbs 4:24   CSB 

We saw yesterday how we should be careful about what comes out of our mouths when we speak. Let us build upon this important area. To be dishonest with our words, we begin to lie, and dishonesty and lies = deceit. This is why Solomon tells us not to allow our lips to speak deviously. When we are devious, we become insincere and avoid the truth; we are also prone to mislead people.

It's the same with perversity. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:29, 'No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear.' Have you ever stopped to think that when we speak bad language and are involved in course joking, we are listening to ourselves as we speak? It doesn't impart grace upon us, that's for sure. Also, other people listening, what do they think about what we say? They probably know about our faith, so don't you think they may consider, 'I thought they were Christians'. Don't for one moment believe the devil's lies that when we act in such a way, we are just showing them that Christian's can be normal. We are above normal because we belong to Jesus and are His ambassadors. Do you realise that when we talk in this way, the Holy Spirit becomes so sad?

We need to have sound speech that cannot be condemned. Titus 2:8 says, 'You message is to be sound beyond reproach, so that any opponent will be ashamed because he doesn't have anything bad to say about us.' Again in Colossians 4:6, 'Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.'

Please do not think that you are a hopeless case. We are all in the same mould and in constant training to win the race. We all say and think the wrong things at times, Jesus knows this. But we have to keep pressing on, never giving up the fight. This is where determination comes in and takes centre stage. We all need a heavy dose of this to be able to get through the trip flares and traps that come our way; we also need to have determination to be able to be in control. Let us ask God to bless us with a massive dose of determination so that we can succeed in our walk.

Lord Jesus, we try so hard to live the Christian life but, at times it's like the harder we try, the less success we have. Please fill us with the determination to overcome the barriers that come our way. Holy Spirit please come. In Jesus' Name. Amen 

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Pay attention. Part 3

"Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life"   Proverbs 4:23    CSB

In our series, we are looking at the subject of paying attention, something we all need to improve on. This flags up four areas that need some attention:

CONCENTRATION   It goes without saying that to concentrate, we need to pay attention. When we try reading our bibles or doing some study, we begin to notice how loud the TV or Radio are. We can turn it off but if someone else is watching or listening, it may be rather rude to do so. The only solution would be to find a better place where you can concentrate, even if this is the car.

FOCUS   Without a focus we're heading nowhere. Determine what you need to do and arrange things that make it possible. When we have a goal, it's easier to reach towards it.

MEDITATE   When you read scripture, pray or when God gives you a Word, don't rush away to put it into action. Weigh it, in other words meditate on what you have seen or heard until you're satisfied about what you should do. Don't be hasty.

INTERNALISATION   When we 'pay attention' we need to internalise what we are hearing or seeing. Once this is inside of us, it can bubble away until the right time arrives. Internalising also helps our foundation in Jesus and helps guard our hearts and mouths from speaking out what we shouldn't. The heart has time to process and assess the way forward.

The heart is an important organ - physically we need to take care of it so that we can be in good health. Alternatively, we need to nurture the spiritual side of our hearts as well. Don't forget what Jesus told us: 'For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart' Matthew 12:34. Derek Prince comments on this verse, 'When the heart is filled, it overflows through the mouth; and that overflow tells us the real condition of the heart.' Strong words indeed, that help us and others realise the state that we are in. This is why we need to 'pay attention' to the heart.

At this moment, you may be challenged. This is the Holy Spirit pinpointing an area that requires some attention. Thank God that He does!

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Stop trying to do it yourself!

"Casting all your cares (all your anxieties, all your worries and all your concerns, once and for all) on Him, for He cares for you (with deepest affection and watches over you very carefully).                                           1 Peter 5:7  Amplified Study Bible 

Jesus is the one constant in life and the one true friend as well. If you haven't already, you are going to come up against people who don't share this belief and they will do all they can to give you a bad time. But do not fear, God can handle anything that you place in His hands and He is committed to this, as long as you obey Him. Notice these two conditions:

PLACE IT IN HIS HANDS 

It's a pointless exercise if you place something in God's hands and then try to sort it out yourself. It is counterproductive because God knows what He is doing and, quite often, you don't; and are prone to make matters worse.

OBEY HIM

God will not help you if you are walking in the opposite direction, causing major problems. You must be in obedience to Him and not acting in a hypocritical manner, sounding off to all you see. What comes out of your mouth has the potential to negate and you then lose the victory.

God wants you to give Him all of your anxieties, your worries and your concerns. In other words, He wants you to release it all to Him. You either walk with the world or with Him. You can't do both, serving two masters Matthew 6:24.

You may have a problem today; if so bring it to God and ask Him to help you. Psalm 55:22 tells us:

'Cast your burden on the LORD (release it) and He will sustain and uphold you. He will never allow the righteous to be shaken (slip, fall, fail).

Place it in His hands and continue to live in obedience and peace towards Him. If you give it to Him and then try to sort it out yourself, He will believe that you can do it yourself. If you want Him to help, leave it to Him. This is not being irresponsible, not at all, it is showing God you need His help and are willing to make whatever change He tells you to.

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Pay attention Part 2

 "Listen closely to my sayings, 21 don't lose sight of them; keep them within your heart" v20-21                                                                          Proverbs 4: 20-22 CSB

When Solomon says, 'keep them within your heart,' he is saying, 'Live them'. We need to have that word alive within us - Logos to Rhema. Once it is alive, we will know it and so will others too.

To live our lives God's way, requires meditating and concentrating on His Word on a daily basis - hence we need to 'pay attention' to all that we hear and then live it out. God's Word brings life to us; it provides good health to our whole body as we confess His truth. In fact, these Words are God's prescription for health.

It may sound repetitious or to be truthful, like nagging; but the bottom line is God's Word is our foundation - He is the Alpha and the Omega. Things need to be reinforced many times before we grasp hold of the meaning properly. Look at the training of a puppy. When we first have them they are a wonderful blessing to our lives. However, pretty soon we realise that if we don't take control, we are going to be taken over by that little furry thing. The dog needs to be trained - the basic things at first such as its toilet habits. The dog needs to know the rules - that it must go outside for this. This may be the garden or on a walk. With persistence, this usually works but we need to 'pay attention' to this detail. From thereon, the dog is trained the 'do's' and 'don'ts' of the house. It doesn't happen over night but, eventually we get there.

We need to have a willingness to learn; paying attention doesn't usually work if we are stubborn about what we do. We don't know it all, as much as we think we do, there are many things that we need to 'pay attention' to such as honesty in speech. It is no casual thing, we need to train ourselves that only honesty (not exaggerated words) are spoken. We also need to train our eyes to only look at wholesome things, just a glance at what we shouldn't look at, can cause us to sin (Genesis 3).

Attention is required on all of these for us to be the way God created us to be. Yes it is tough to get it right but, be encouraged, you are making good progress

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Pay attention Part 1

"My son, pay attention to my words, listen carefully to my sayings."     

                                                                                                 Proverbs 4:20   CSB 

Many people drift off during a sermon, others may fall asleep. It's not what the speaker says that is boring, it is a lack of discipline. We need to pay attention. It's the same when people speak to us; many times we don't hear what they're saying, we only hear a part of the conversation. Again, there is a need to pay attention.

A counsellor listens with the third ear - they have trained themselves to hear what the person is really saying. When we meet up with people, they may want to 'talk' but, if they pick up that we're not listening properly, they may move on.

Sometimes people want to unload - vent their feelings but, through their embarrassment or not knowing if they can trust us, they say very little. Ask yourself, 'Can people trust me?' This means if someone tells you what is happening in their lives, will you keep it to yourself or be tempted to gossip about it? We should always treat people with confidentiality, unless of course if they're saying they plan to harm themselves or others. We need to balance this properly but, obviously we should never take risks; we should let the person know that we cannot keep this to ourselves and take appropriate action.

People in all walks of life need to unload and they may choose you. Could you handle this? We're not talking about you adopting the role of a qualified counsellor here, but being an everyday listener over a cup of coffee. Many have come to know Jesus this way and it can be very helpful. The world is a busy place full of busy people, so, someone needs to fill the role of being a listener.

Why not speak with God about it but firstly, ensure that you are willing to be a 'good listener' and you are able to 'pay attention' to what is being said, especially by God Himself. You may be a natural for this type of thing but, you'll never know until your try. Speak to God and if He gives you the open door to it, put it into action.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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