Is My Heart Green?

"Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!

Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty."  

Psalms 32:1-2 NLT

Sarah and I walked hand in hand by a pond at a local park.  The stagnant pond was covered in a green mucky moss except there was one part of the pond that was clear, clean and beautiful.  The contrast captured my daughter's attention and she inquired as to why part of the water was green.  

I explained to her that the green on top of the water was due to the water not moving, and as a result, the yuck just stayed there.  The water that was around the fountain was clean because the fountain moved the yuck, allowing the water to be purified.  (I know not very scientific, but she is only six and I'm not sure I know all the science anyway.)  

Fast forward.  We left the park and now it is bedtime.  I read the verse above to her and we talked about the importance of honesty.  I explained to her that it is important to keep our hearts pure.  When we tell a lie, it makes our hearts yucky (again 6 year old terms).  When we are honest and truthful, we can be full of the joy of the Lord.  I told her how important it is to live in the light and when we lie, we are living in darkness.  

Then, she said something that absolutely amazed me!  She said, 

"Mommy, it is like the green water and clear water we saw tonight. When we lie, our hearts are yucky like the green water." 

YES!!!  

She was right on!  When we sin (no matter what sin it is), our hearts become stagnant and well,...yucky.

However, when we ask for forgiveness, it is just like the verse says above, "sin is put out of sight."  The sin is moved and just like when the water was moved, it was made clean, our hearts are purified when the sin is moved!  It is only when we allow sin to stay that our hearts begin to grow green gunky goo.  

We need the Fountain of Living Water to come into our hearts and make us pure!  

We don't want a science experiment growing inside our hearts.  Let's move that sin out and live with pure hands and a clean heart.  We want a clean heart, not a green heart.  All it takes is one sincere prayer...

Father, I ask you to forgive my sins and put my sins out of sight.  I ask for you to give me clean hands and a pure heart.  I thank you that you remove my sins as far as the east is from the west.  Father, I don't want any green goo in my heart and I don't want to be stagnant.  I pray that I would be on fire for you and move for you.  Lord, please show me if I ever get stagnant or my heart ever needs a change.  In Jesus' Name, Amen. 

   

Religious Outcast and a Vision Test

The other day I was reading in John 9 about Jesus healing a blind man.  What really struck me about this passage this time around was the pharisees response to the blind man at the end of the passage.

I encourage you to go to John 9 and read this whole passage.  It is fascinating.  To summarize, here is the scene...

Jesus just performed a miracle and opened the eyes of a man who had been blind since birth!  However, the pharisees were outraged because Jesus performed this miracle on the Sabbath.  How dare he heal on the Lord's day!  Right?  These pharisees were more blind than the man who was healed!  Their self-righteousness and pride blinded them from seeing the truth.  Their hearts were hardened.  Compassion was calloused and their only concern was protecting their "religion" and selves.

The pharisees claimed that Jesus was a sinner and could not have healed this man and opened his eyes.  I love the healed man's reply...

"Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know.  One thing I know; that though I was blind, now I see."

Then this man went on and began preaching to the pharisees, the religious priests who thought they had it all figured out.

"Why, this is a marvelous thing that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!  Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.  Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.  If this man were not from God, He could do nothing."  John 9:30-33

This man who was once blind could preach!  I am sure he was just as stunned as we are that these pharisees were so missing the miracle!  Hello!!!  I WAS BLIND, BUT NOW I SEE!!!

The pharisees did not like this nobody preaching to them.  After all, who is this man?  He is just a man that Jesus touched and healed.  They were the religious elite.  How dare he presume to preach to them.

You can hear the pharisees' hard heart as they answer the man:

"They answered and said to him, 'You were completely born in sin and are you teaching us?' And they cast him out."  John 9:34

The pharisees forgot that they too were born in sin.  They forgot that they too needed a Savior.  This man who was just healed, and had just experienced God's miracle working power firsthand was "cast out".

The pharisees just flat out missed it.  They too could have rejoiced and experienced the glory of the Lord. Their blindness narrowed their sight to only focusing on who was at fault for this man being healed on the Sabbath.  Then, in their arrogance and pride they cast him aside.

Today, we have pharisees too.  They are more concerned with legalities being followed, protecting themselves and their "religion" or religious circles, than they are about people and what the Lord is doing in the hearts and lives of His people.  These people do not know they are blind.  They think they are fine and even work hard serving the Lord.  However, their hearts are void of compassion for the blind sinners of this world.

It is just as baffling today as it was 2,000 years ago that there would be people who would "cast out" one who once was blind but now can see.  

Many people don't go to church today because a pharisee cast them out or treated them as a second class citizen.  Friends, please hear me from the bottom of my heart.  If that is you, forgive them.  They are blinded by self-righteousness and spiritual pride. Self-righteousness and spiritual pride are sin and some of the ugliest and yuckiest because they are often hidden and unknown to those trapped in them.

Don't allow yourself to stay blind because their heart was hard and they could not see the hurt they caused you.   By holding onto that hurt, you are keeping yourself from being able to step fully into the light and see clearly.

The story doesn't end with the man being cast out.  In John 9:35, Jesus went searching for the man when he heard he had been cast out and found him.

Jesus is searching for you today too.

Jesus asked the man this question when he found him:  "Do you believe in the Son of God?"

"The man replied, 'Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped Him." v. 38

Today, I want to ask you the same question.  "Do you believe in the Son of God?"

Do you believe in this God, Jesus, who opened your eyes and caused you to see?  He is real.  He longs to have a closer relationship with you.  Don't let anyone who has hurt you or cast you out keep you from experiencing all the joy He had for you.

Come and worship Him.  Experience His presence.

And if you think you may be guilty of playing the pharisee in this story.  If your heart of compassion has grown cold or you have been more concerned with protecting your own interests than showing love to others, ask the Lord to open your eyes so you can see.

The pharisees didn't think they needed their eyes opened.  They thought their eyes were already open.  That is where they were deceived.  We must always be willing to ask the Lord to open our eyes and examine our hearts to see if there is anything unpleasing to Him.  It is when we think we see perfectly that we are truly blind (John 9: 41).  

Oh Father, we thank you for opening our eyes.  Thank you that you heal us and that you pursue those who have been hurt or cast out by religious people.  Father, I ask you to heal every heart and open every blind eye reading this today.  Oh, how we need you.  Lead us to a more intimate place with you and open our eyes so we can see. We love you.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.    


Related posts:  Foggy Sunglasses
 


   

Turning Shame into Radiance

This post was originally published on the blog I write for Deeper Still Ministries, at www.deeperstilldevotions.blogspot.com.  I wanted to share it with you today.  

"I sought the Lord, and He heard me, 

And delivered me from all my fears.

They looked to Him and were radiant, 

And their faces were not ashamed...

The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him 

And delivers them.

Oh taste and see that the Lord is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!"  Psalms 34: 4-5, 7

During the summer, I took one of my children to a local amusement park.  I promised this child I would not share the details surrounding this event with anyone, so I will be vague on purpose.  This child did something...well... embarrassing.  So much so that we left a line of a much anticipated ride so we could deal with the incident.

We sat on a bench while I contemplated what the consequence should be for this action.  I prayed, "Lord, what should I do?"  I looked at my child's face.  Tears ran down sweet cheeks that were filled with smiles moments before.  My child was looking down and I knew if I reacted wrongly that shame would set in and it might set in deep.  Suddenly, my child looked up at me with tear filled eyes and said wholeheartedly, "I am so sorry. I will never do that again. Please forgive me."  Immediately, my heart melted.  I knew my child was truly sorry.  The answer to my prayer--Grace.  

I embraced my child and smiled.  I replied, "I know you are truly sorry. I can tell. Thank you for telling me you are sorry. Let's pray and you can ask God to forgive you too.  And then, it will be like it never happened.  Do you know that when we ask the Lord to forgive our sins and we are truly sorry, He forgets them and removes them as far as the east is from the west?"  So we prayed and I told my child we would forget this happened and enjoy the rest of our day.  

Do you know what happened after my child sought the Lord and prayed for forgiveness?  The shame that was setting in on my child's face disappeared and instead beamed with radiance.  "They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed."  Oh, how the Lord wants our faces to be radiant with His glory!  He doesn't want His glory hidden under a mask of shame.  Grace, truth and forgiveness unleash us to be the person He created us to be.  He created us for His glory!  

He wants to say, "Dear child, I remove your sins as far as the east is from the west.  I want to replace shame with the glowing radiance of My glory.  And I want you to enjoy the rest of your life bringing glory and honor to Me." 

Take a Load Off

"Blessed be the Lord, Who bears our burdens and carries us day by day, even the God Who is our salvation! Selah [pause and calmly think of that]!  

God is to us a God of deliverances and salvation; and to God the Lord belongs escape from death [setting us free]. "  Psalms 68:19-20

Are you carrying a heavy load today?  Is there a weight pulling you down?  You were never meant to carry the encumbrance.

Our Lord bears our burdens.  He not only carries our cares, He also carries us day by day.

There are many applications to these verses.

Is your burden a worry?

Are you weary?

Are you weighed down with the heaviness of guilt from a past sin (or present)? 

Has someone wronged you and cumbersome unforgiveness is holding you in bondage? 

Do you feel that the weight of the trials of life are just too much to bear? 

When life seems too heavy and you are barely pulling through, He picks you up and takes you to a place of rest.  When you feel stuck in the mud and muck of the mundane, He reaches out and carries you to the security of solid rock.

God is a God a deliverances.  Let Him deliver you.  Whatever describes your load, give it to Him today.

If it is a bondage  that is wearing you down,  He will give you the escape route. There might be some hills and valleys in the route.  It may involve some climbing to get out of the pit, but God will lead you every step of the way.  He knows the way of escape and He will carry you if need be to get you to the place of freedom. Just ask Him.

He will set you free.

Power Verses:

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

"Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." 1 Peter 5:7

A Heart At Rest - #ISaidYes

My husband and I are in a transitional period in our lives.  God has brought many changes into our lives over the past several months.  Some we had no control over.  However, there was one in which we had to decide if we would say, "Yes Lord" with total abandon and step out into the unknown.  We knew the Lord was leading us and even though we knew it would be hard, we said:  Yes.

Over the past couple of months I have looked back at that decision to say yes.  It has been harder than I could have possibly imagined.  My emotions have fluctuated in response to the reactions around me.

When we make a decision to say "Yes" to God, there will no doubt be opposition from those who don't understand.  And,  how can I expect them to understand when I don't completely understand it myself.

I was looking back and concerned about what others thought about me and about our decision.  I was looking forward wondering if I would ever know why or see the positive outcome of obedience.

My emotional reactions indicated only one thing:  A lack of trust.

A lack of trust that we indeed heard from God. A lack of trust that our ever-loving Creator, the one who forms the stars and commands the seas, was leading us safely to the new land He has for us.

I didn't fully realize my reactions were a lack of trust until the other day.  Tears barged through their ducts and it seemed no amount of effort could stop the flow.  Again, I cried in desperation, "Lord help me."  God brought comfort in an unconventional, but totally God-way.  He challenged me...

He reminded me of the Israelites and how they did not trust Him to lead them safely to the promise land.
They accused God of leading them into the wilderness to die.  They groaned and complained.  They could not physically see their destination out in front of them, so they walked blinded by unbelief and doubt.  It was because of their lack of trust in the Lord that they wandered around the wilderness for forty years when it should have only been an eleven day journey. (Deuteronomy 1)

Then He said,

 "Sue, I know you can't see where you are going.  But, I am asking you to trust me.  Trust in My goodness.  Trust in My provision.  Trust in My love.  I have told you I am doing a new thing.  Shall you not know it?  It will spring forth!  I will make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." (Isaiah 43:19)

He told me back in April that He was doing a new thing.  Isaiah 43:18-19 has been a life-line of comfort and peace to me.  He gently reminded me of it once more.

"Road in the wilderness" - A road is a clearly marked path.  He will lead us safely and show us the way.
"Rivers in the desert" - A river is a stream of life, refreshing, and full of abundance.

After God spoke to me the other night, I realized I had a decision to make.  A decision that leaves no room for vacillation.  I had to decide if I would say yes to the questions God was asking.  I said "yes".

Yes God, I trust you.  Yes God, I trust in Your goodness.  Yes God, I trust in Your provision.  Yes God, I trust in Your love.  Yes.

I said Yes and because I did, my heart is at rest.

Leaving Tearing Down to Preschoolers

When I worked in the preschool class at church, the building blocks were a favorite among the kids.  Little tikes would strategically place block upon block until they had created a monument that towered over their small frames.

Inevitably, another child would come along and destroy what they had created leaving only a pile of rubble and tears in its place.  The temptation to tear down a sky scraping masterpiece was just too much to resist.  
The one who knocked down the tower did not consider the consequences of how his actions would affect others.

I would then explain to the tearing down tot that we don't knock down other people's towers.

We are like those preschool towers.  Our Heavenly Builder has been building us block by block strategically creating a beautiful masterpiece.  He builds and builds until someone comes along and tears down.

Sometimes people will intentionally set out to destroy and other times they just happen to bump into us and a piece falls off here or there.

Perhaps someone who was suppose to love and care for you as a child fell miserably short or caused you intentional harm.  Perhaps your childhood was pleasant but someone hurt you or mistreated you as an adult. There are thousands of scenarios that could lend to us being knocked down into a pile of rubble and tears.

At times we even have played the culprit and torn others down either intentionally or accidentally.

A powerful force that is used to tear down or build is our words.

Words will either be used to destroy or build up.  We have no right to go around knocking other people's towers over!  If we are Christians, we should be working with the Lord to build others up to help them become all God designed them to be.

"Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers."  Ephesians 4:29  

Thankfully no matter what has torn our towers down, we have a Builder who builds up back up if we will let Him.  He is our Strong Tower and our Mighty Fortress.  He can rebuild us and shape us into a glorious masterpiece.

And if you have been the menacing preschooler that has bulldozed a tower or two, today is a perfect day to stop tearing down towers.  Let's leave the tearing down of towers to preschoolers.

Father, please forgive us for ways we have torn others down either intentionally or accidentally in the past. Forgive us for using the gift of voice as a tool of destruction when you meant for it to be used for peace and edification.  I pray that the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts would be acceptable to you.  I pray that we would use our mouths only for building up and not tearing down.  

I pray for those who have been victims of the wrong use of words or actions.  I pray for you to rebuild them in Your might and strength into the beautiful creations you designed them to be and that they would glorify and reflect Your light and presence.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.  

Power Verses:  

Romans 14:19 "Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another."

Psalms 19:14 "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer."

Forgiven and Set Free

I also write a devotional for Deeper Still.  This is an extended version of a post I wrote for them a couple weeks ago.  I thought I would share this personal story with you today.

Darkness loomed all around me as I contemplated sharing my abortion story with my church family.  There was a heaviness on me.  Nausea overcame me at the thought of sharing my "secret".  The medium was harmless enough.  I wouldn't have to speak.  A flat piece of cardboard would be my voice. However,  that small brown rectangle would contain words that could forever alter my world.  The front read:

"Abortion at 19, locked in a prison of shame and guilt."  

How could a little paper box top be so heavy?

Trying to get this decision off my mind, that night we decided to watch the movie, Narnia, for family movie night.  As I watched the movie, I realized it was no coincidence we were watching this particular movie this particular night.  We came to the battle scene at the end and I saw clearly what was happening:  There was a fight going on in the heavenlies.  There was a battle raging.  Forces of darkness fighting to keep me silent while angelic forces were fighting for my freedom.

After the movie I knew I had to share my testimony.  I knew it might not be easy and honestly, that little piece of cardboard was too heavy for me to bear on my own.  I needed the One who is strong when we are weak--Jesus.

It was time for rehearsal.  My stomach began to feel queasy at the thought of my church family seeing my testimony.  The enemy began his deceitful whispers...

What will they think?  They will judge you.  Surely, they will cast you aside in shame.  They won't look at you the same again.   

I stood in line behind other ladies with cardboards bearing their stories of redemption and grace.  The lady in front of me noticed I wasn't feeling well.  I told her I thought I might throw up and that I didn't know if I could go through with it.  She gently encouraged me, "Let me see your cardboard."  Reluctantly, I showed her my cardboard. Then, she leaned over and gently whispered, "I could have put that on my cardboard."

Immediately, I knew God had put me in that place and knew exactly what I needed to encourage me.  She reminded me of why I was there.  She reminded me of all the ladies like her, like me, who needed to hear about God's grace, mercy and forgiveness.  She reminded me of my purpose in being there--FREEDOM for her and all the ladies who shared our story.

The front of the cardboard was only half of my story.  The back of the cardboard held the truth of redemption.

I walked across the stage knowing God had placed me there.  Knowing His purpose was far greater than my fears.

Jesus, carried the load for me, and lifted the heaviness of it.

I turned the cardboard over.  On the back read:

"Forgiven and set free by the blood of Jesus."

As I turned it over, the cardboard became light and a weight was forever lifted.

There was a battle--one side wanting to keep me bound in chains and the other side wanting me free.   The enemy doesn't want the truth about God's grace, forgiveness and mercy broadcasted.  Satan would like nothing better than for those with this past sin or other sins to believe they are forever condemned to live with shame and guilt.

Yes, abortion is a grotesque sin.  It leaves one with blood-stained hands.  However, the blood of Jesus was shed even for those guilty of blood shed themselves.  His blood washes our hands white as snow.  So thankful for Jesus.  So thankful for His grace, love and forgiveness.  No, I don't deserve His grace, none of us do.  But, He offers it freely none the less.

I want to encourage you today.  If you are still living under condemnation due to past sin, give it to Him today.  Receive the forgiveness and grace He died to give you.  You are truly "Forgiven and set free by the blood of Jesus."

Power Verses: 

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony." Revelations 12:11 

"Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow" Isaiah 1:18

"I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins.  Return to Me, for I have redeemed you."  Isaiah 44:22