Proverbs 4:23-27 (NLT)
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.
There was a horse raised in deplorable conditions. The owner tried but her love for lost animals with no home created an environment of too many strays and not enough resources to properly care for them. The owners of a local farm who raised race horses decided to share this burden and when contacted by local authorities agreed to take one of the horses. The animal’s physical condition was critical and there were times when it must be considered whether it would be to its advantage to be euthanized rather than to live. But through the love and nurturing of the husband and wife the filly came to life. With no intention of breaking the horse, they noticed that when in the fields she would run along the side of the track when other horses were preparing for races. So reluctantly they broke the young horse and began riding her. But that was not enough she kept insisting on racing until finally the owners entered her in a premiere race. She never made it out of the gate. So they tried one more time, she made it around the course but came in dead last. They were not disappointed but overcome with pride. She had fulfilled her purpose to run the course despite staggering odds and a terrible start. In their eyes, she was an overcomer and would live the rest of her days in the comfort of a pasture with more than enough love and food.
We have no control regarding the family we are born into or our initial upbringing in life. We do not decide on our education at an early age and cannot choose the words spoken over us as children. God insured that this would not hinder our purpose in life so He placed Eternity in each human heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11) and a measure of faith to attain it (Romans 12:3). With both of these precious commodities, we are well equipped to achieve our purpose in life. God documented every day of our life before we were born (Psalm 139:16). Life is hard. It is filled with many choices that human beings will make with no knowledge of God, without the discovery of Eternity in their heart, and driven by the empty philosophy of this world. We are raised to seek the American Dream rather than the Heart of God. As indicated in God’s Word, the American Dream is quickly becoming a nightmare. The economy of this great nation wavers on the brink of failure as families fall below poverty level no matter how hard they work. Rather than encouraging people to discover their full potential and walk in God’s Favor, the government continues to provide loopholes and pitfalls that do not encourage people to be healed and get up and walk but rather remain in the hopelessness surrounding by just enough. It doesn’t matter what the world believes that you are. In fact, one’s own opinion doesn’t matter much. It is God’s Purpose that defines you and pushes you to move. So get up and get on course today. It begins inside your heart. Have you guarded and fortified your heart or given it away a piece at a time? God wants to restore your broken heart. He longs to fortify it with His Word so that your mustard seed of faith will grow into confident hope. Confident hope will allow you to fulfill your purpose outside of the restrictions of this world in the realm of Eternity! God created you for forever – you can begin to live in such a destiny today.
Proverbs 24:12 (NLT)
Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.” For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve.
There is a big difference between I “didn’t know” and I “do not believe.” God understands all hearts and He sees the intent that governs every man and woman. He guards your very soul. So when you come to the Lord with absolutely no intention of leaving your sin behind God was fully aware of your decision before you even knew it for yourself. He understands your purpose and drive in life. He longs for you to fulfill it in righteousness enabling you to establish your place in His Kingdom. But like all superhero tales, there would not be a villain unless a super power was not used for good. It is up to you to decide if you are after God’s Heart or His Hand. You can work His Word for earthly benefit and attempt to rob God of blessings. He will provide for you because He loves you. But God is not a fool to be mocked and what you sow in your heart – you will reap. (Galatians 6:7) You are not getting away with anything. Could it be God’s Compassion is moved for those who live for today knowing that they will never experience His Riches in Heaven accessible only by grace that gives to the wicked as well? Your heart determines the course of your life. Have you discovered the Eternity God has placed there? Are you sowing the seeds of faith cultivating a harvest of confident hope? This determines your course in life whether you will prosper or fail. For those who make a point to give their heart to Jesus Christ and choose to leave it there, He will guard your heart and give you peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) so you can remain in His Kingdom with all that you need, want and desire satisfied and content.
Ecclesiastes 9:2-3 (NLT)
The same destiny ultimately awaits everyone, whether righteous or wicked, good or bad, ceremonially clean or unclean, religious or irreligious. Good people receive the same treatment as sinners, and people who make promises to God are treated like people who don’t. It seems so tragic that everyone under the sun suffers the same fate. That is why people are not more careful to be good. Instead, they choose their own mad course, for they have no hope. There is nothing ahead but death anyway.
You must believe in Jesus Christ and work to have confident hope to escape the fate of everyone else. Solomon’s writings and revelations can sometimes be depressing in their truth. The monotony of human is summed up in the chaos and craziness that overtakes us in our pursuit for more in a world that is failing. Everyone will die. No really your loved ones will leave this earth some before you and others after you. You cannot escape the reality of death. When you die, you will leave everything that you have used your time to amass and accumulate, you will no longer be able to protect your loved ones or your precious treasure. The only way that you can take it people with you is if they discover Eternity in their own heart and get saved. The only things you can take with you is the treasure hidden in your heart. So why do we work so hard to build a comfortable life when we do not have that long to enjoy it? Seems dumb unless the only life you truly believe you have is this one. A lack of faith will rob you in the end as confident hope is never cultivated so we feed our lack with the things of this world filling our hearts with lies that will take us off course. Is that thing that you want so badly going to be in Heaven? If not, why do you want it so much now that it causes you to contemplate or participate in the sinful darkness and evil of this world? Many people do not want to think about dying so they live each day as if it were their last, but if the last day of your life gives way to your first day in Heaven would it change the way you live? I think so. If people truly believed that the moment you die you will face God, I think it would totally change our life from complacency to attentiveness and comprise to holiness! We would want nothing to do what could end our life permanently casting us into the flames of hell forever.
Judgment is a reality whether we believe it or not. Those who understand what is to come will not live in sin. “Click-It-Or-Ticket” is a huge campaign designed to get folks to buckle up while in an automobile. After extensive research and countless deaths, it has been discovered that people are more likely to survive an accident if they are wearing a seatbelt. It became a law for man’s own good. Yet there are still many people who will not wear a seatbelt because it is restrictive or uncomfortable. When my grandfather began driving, it was not a law to wear a seatbelt. When he was elderly it became a law, so he would slide it over his left shoulder so it would seem that he was wearing it and avoid a traffic citation but the truth is had we ever been in an accident although he appeared to be cautious his recklessness could have cost him his life. God’s Law is only an indication of the safety net of salvation. To live in goodness and light it is God’s Way of revealing our course to Eternity. If a person chooses to ignore God’s Warning or pretend to obey with an unwilling heart, he will not escape God’s Judgment. This person will die in his sin because when God looked into the heart this person’s true intentions are revealed. Don’t pretend to be a Christian who is obedient and faithful. It does nothing in the end. Decide to be an intentional Christian who obeys God’s Word and sets His Heart to encounter the Lord.
Ecclesiastes 1:6-8 (NLT)
The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.
Do the words of Solomon describe your life today? Just an endless cycle of days with no satisfaction or contentment, are you stuck in a rut? God is ready to pull you out of it and set you back on the course. It begins in your heart. You must realize that there is more to life than this. God is real. Jesus, His Son, has made a means of escape from the endless cycle of sin that keeps dropping you back in the same place. His Spirit will guide you if you will only believe! Do you believe that God is real? Do you believe in the resurrection power of Jesus Christ that saves your soul? Do you believe that His Spirit is your partner? All of this plants your feet in faith where confident hope will grow but only if you believe enough to build your life around it!
Jeremiah 10:23-24 (NLT)
I know, LORD, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course. So correct me, LORD, but please be gentle. Do not correct me in anger, for I would die.
The birthplace of purpose fulfillment in your life is the revelation that you can nothing outside of God. The stark realization of our inability to become righteous outside of Jesus Christ and a commitment to allow His Spirit to change our heart which will change our life. Our treasure must become the contents of our heart rather than things we accumulate. (Matthew 6:21) God’s Law must become a treasure that fills our heart with godly desire to fulfill His Purpose. (Psalm 119:111) It guides and instructs us how to maintain righteousness and a close proximity to the Lord. With the Light of God’s Love in our heart, now we will not let the darkness ever compromise the goodness, love and mercy that we have discovered and live transparent lives showing others the Way. (2 Corinthians 4:7) It is here that we begin to reinvest our life not in tomorrow but Eternity. This will change our desire, will and emotions to seek God’s Heart over the things of this world.
Daniel 2:20-23 (NLT)
He said, “Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. He reveals deep and mysterious things
and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light. I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength. You have told me what we asked of you and revealed to us what the king demanded.”
God controls the course of all world events. This does not mean that people are “given” diseases and hardship in life. We are simply reaping the “rewards” of sin. God provided an escape when Jesus Christ sacrificed His Life to provide the Blood necessary to save us from our sin. Because we currently live in this world, we are subject to the reverberating consequences of sin but what I have discovered is that God will redeem us from such things in the midst of opposition if we choose faith over a lie and confident hope over fear. I believe that God is All-Powerful, All-Knowing and EVERYWHERE. I believe that nothing can harm me because I live under the Blood of Jesus Christ. I believe that when I die I will be face-to-face with Jesus Christ. With this in mind, I am constantly evaluating my life for that moment. The only reason we are all still here is to give ALL of God’s Beloved Children an opportunity to experience His Grace, Love and Mercy. Otherwise, we would not stand a chance in Judgment and would die for our disobedience and sin. God provided a refuge from sin in Jesus Christ. We must run to this refuge and remain there. (Proverbs 18:10)
John 10:11-13 (NLT)
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.”
What are you after today? What are your motives for calling on the Name of Jesus? Do you want to be saved in the Day of Judgment? Or do want the contents of His Nail-Scarred Hand? If you are simply selling your soul for His Favor and Blessing, you will reap what you sow? You will have the occasional blessing, maybe even a miracle, but when you meet the Lord will He know you? The condition of your heart is what counts. Living for today with a total disregard for Eternity yields no fruit in Heaven. Why hope for what you already see or can easily have? Fighting for a better position in life will leave you powerless in the end. (Lamentations 1:5-6) You will lose everything when you die because there is no treasure for you in Heaven. God knows the contents of your heart and its motives. Do you?
Romans 5:2-4 (NLT)
Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.
Everyone runs into problems and trials. It is a fact of life. Our faith in Jesus Christ puts believers in a place of undeserved privilege giving us access to Heaven on earth. Your soul is God’s Treasure. He longs to prosper your soul, fill you with joy and cover you in peace as you live in contentment. Our inheritance is Heaven sharing in God’s Glory! If you want a better life today, then maybe you should try something else. But if you want to live forever in Eternity, then ask the Lord to lead you to endurance, build your character, strengthen your confident hope and work out your salvation. Stop worrying about today and its problems – God’s Plan is in full effect. Work on your heart so it is worthy of the Holy Spirit and give Him room to move by daily evaluating your motives and making room for more faith. His Word will fortify His Will and His Way for your life. (Philippians 2:16-17) Don’t give up on the Lord but give into Him today! He will put you back on the course that leads to Eternity. It all begins inside your heart and grows from there!
Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
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