The scripture Matthew 22:37 states: “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” This teaching was hard for me. All my heart? I had already tried giving someone all my heart. The first man in my life, my father, had all my heart and he had shattered it. Why would I want to do that again? I was a daddy’s girl, and my daddy was my world. As I got older my vision of him became clearer, although my dad was a great provider the heavy drinking and later cheating caused a lot of heartache and pain. From this I developed trust issues. So, me giving my whole heart has been and continues to be a struggle. I had to learn that the first step toward trusting the Lord with all my heart was to accept His gift of eternal life. Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price for our sins. The price was the shed blood of Christ on the cross for us.
All my soul? My soul consist of my mind, will, and emotions. This has been an uphill journey, as my emotions have shaped a large part of my life. I now must allow God to control my will and bring my mind and emotions under subjection. This is easier said than done. Transformation of the mind on how we see, and process things is major. For that, my second step was to learn and to get an understanding, not only from Bible study, but by investing time and energy into my own personal prayer time and bible study and when things weren’t clear to go to a biblical/spiritual person for clarification. Accepting the fact that God has, was, and will always be in control is a humbling fact.
Some steps I continuously take are:
I accepted the Lord as my Savior. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9
I must give up thinking that my way is the right way and accept His. "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:6
I had to acknowledge that I’m not in control and allow God to show and shape my mind on how I should few things. “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:2
By doing these things…over time, I’ve been learning how to incorporate Christ into every area of my life.
Below are two books that God has inspired me to write. "The Flip Side" and "Blinded By Sight: The Heart Matters" both available now.
So… what’s this book about?
“The Flip Side” depicts the possible feelings and emotions of lesser-known Biblical characters as they navigated their lives in the shadows of the more popular characters in the Bible. While the Bible gives us snippets of their stories, we are usually left in the dark about their true motives, desires, and thoughts concerning the situations they are in. However, one certainty is that despite how little we know about these characters, they were often the catalysts to pivotal moments in the main characters’ lives.
So… what’s this book about?
Join me on a journey of self-discovery. “Blinded by Sight - The Heart Matters” is a compilation of short biblical devotions. These stories are not conclusive. They are depictions of how God is revealing my heart to me.
My prayer is, Lord, make it real for me, show me your heart, show me my heart, and give me the wisdom to change what hinders my relationship with you. I am learning that my perception is my biggest obstacle it affects my mind, what I think, and how I process my experiences. What I have experienced in my mind is expressed through my feelings and these experiences dictate my choices either consciously or subconsciously.
This devotional will allow you to explore and evaluate your past and present situations that have hindered you from seeing the heart of the matter. Simply put, look at the heart – it does matter. Your future depends on it!
I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Psalms 34:4
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