Today I want to share a bit of what God is doing in my own heart in hopes that it will resonate in your heart. I am only sharing ‘a bit’ because I’m pretty sure that God is nowhere near finished with this particular work in my heart, so there will probably be more sharing in the weeks and months to come.
If you have walked with Jesus more than a pair of days, you might just have experienced something similar to what is going on in my heart. I feel like periodically God does an assessment of my heart, very much like a homeowner looks at their home. He opens doors and cabinets. He pushes back stuff and junk. He swings doors back and forth to see if they squeak. He wipes away the cobwebs so He can get a clear view of the rafters.
Once He has assessed the situation, He begins moving in the demolition equipment. Suddenly, a renovation of the entire east wing of my heart is underway, and it feels like the jackhammers and crowbars are going full speed. Just as with a home renovation, there is dust and shaking and pulling down. Things need to go in order for light and truth to take up residence. AND IT IS PAINFUL!
THAT is where I am currently.
There are two tools that God is using in my heart reno. Two verses of Scripture. Let me share them with you.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14 (ESV)
And the second one:
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)
Y’all, God has shown me very clearly that the meditations of my heart…my thoughts…are not always acceptable to Him. Ouch!!!
Let me show you how this might work in my life. Let’s say that my husband or a co-worker does something that irritates me. It would not have to be a big something, but maybe something small and insignificant in the whole scheme of things. Instead of either A) addressing it with the person, or B) letting it go, I choose, instead, to replay it in my mind a bazillion times. And each time I do, the offense grows larger and larger. This causes me to become the ‘victim’ of their offense. Over time, these offenses build up and my heart begins to become bitter toward the person.
I have the power to STOP these thoughts from taking me into Bitter-land. God is doing a renovation on my heart and showing me that I can, through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, take those thoughts captive and replace them with thoughts that are pure and holy and true and right. The kicker is…..will I do it? Will I choose righteousness over bitterness? Will I arrest my STINKIN’ THINKIN’ and put it in jail? The choice is entirely up to me. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I am learning to be aware of my STINKIN’ THINKIN’ and take it captive.
What about you? When is the last time God did a renovation on your heart? It is only when we are willing to allow Him free access to all the doors and cabinets that He is able to do His work of holiness. While the process is painful, it is GOOD and FREEING. I encourage you to allow Him to do His work.
I’d love to hear how God is working in your life to conform you more and more to the image of Jesus.
Until next time, friends.
