Follow Your Heart

Ephesians 1:17-19

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

Have you heard the phrase “follow your heart”? I have. It sounds so wise. It seems romantic and ethereal and yet so doable. It’s an encouraging phrase that sounds like it’s telling us to do whatever we want.

But that’s not what it’s saying.

God put into everyone’s heart enough wisdom to lead them to God. When people truly encounter God, they know it. When God gets somebody’s attention and they truly hear Him, they know it from the bottom of their heart. We sometimes feel things in the deepest part of our being, but we can’t always see things clearly.

When God gives you an eye-opening experience, you are able to see things differently. Your perspective about some things may change.

One of the many things God is good at is helping us to see things differently.

I love it when I’m finally able to understand an issue I’ve been struggling with. God lets us put our best effort into understanding things we encounter, and then when we come to a dead end with it, he removes what was blocking our vision. He opens the eyes of our heart. He wants to share the moment of discovery with us when we see something His way.

God doesn’t want us to know about everything we encounter. Some of the things we stumble upon are a distraction and a waste of time. I want to have blinders on when I’m around distractions. I only want to see the things God wants me to discover. As we seek God, we can expect God to open our eyes to some things so that we may follow our hearts in his guidance and receive his wisdom and revelation.

God wants us to know him better. He wants us to know the hope to which he has called us, and he wants us to know his power. But we’re not going to understand what he has for us unless he gives us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. God has to enlighten us.

If we follow our enlightened hearts, God will show us the unexpected treasures he holds. These treasures are power to help people. These treasures are power we’ve never experienced. God works all kinds of blessings through the hands of his people. When God shares experiences with us, that helps us know him better, and it builds up our testimony so others may know him better.

When you pray, ask God to give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. Ask him for clear vision in your heart.

May God open the eyes of our hearts so we may know the hope and power he wants us to know.

God Will Take Care Of You

Job 34:21-22

"His eyes are on the ways of men; he sees their every step. There is no dark place, no deep shadow, where evildoers can hide.”

Are you whistling in the dark? Trying to pretend you’re not scared? Why? God gives us plenty of reasons to relax.

When my mother was a little girl, she often had to walk alone to the neighbor’s house. Something she saw along her path scared her every time, but she still had to make the journey. To strengthen her courage and to keep her feet moving, she decided to sing the song she’d learned in church, “God Will Take Care of You”. Civilla D. Martin wrote those very comforting lyrics in 1905.

Once my mother got into the song, she wasn’t as worried. She continued singing the same song every time she was scared because it reminded her that she was never alone. Funny how God uses a variety of things to show his love. For her, it was a song. For you, it may be something different.

When you find yourself afraid to venture out into the tasks you must complete, talk to God about it. Let him know you trust his hand of protection. And then act like you trust him. Sing if you have to, but go where he leads.

Seeing God's Message

When we pray, we sometimes ask God to show us an answer. Often without realizing it, we have our expectations set on a certain range within which He should move. We draw a box in the sand and ask God to write the answer in it. In an effort to help us see Him, He lets a wave wash the box away.

I love reading about Peter in the Bible. He wasn't very different from us. He loved God and wanted to obey, but human limitations colored his expectations.

In Acts 10:9-23, we read about Peter's vision. God gave clues to what was about to happen with Cornelius. Peter didn't have all the information yet, but he was warned not to call impure what God has made clean.

When we have clues from God, whether in a vision or from scriptures, we have to do the work of applying God's message to what He sends our way. I say "do the work" because it isn't always easy to do. God asked Peter to do something that was unusual, but had to be done because of Peter's calling.

Do you have a unique calling that requires something unusual? Has God given you clues to help you with your calling - and you feel like you don't have all the information yet?

Be patient. Do the work of applying God's message to what He sends your way. When you see God's message, know that there's a responsibility associated with your calling. And you are able to do what He's asked.

To be successful, you must keep seeking God.

Direction from God

Psalm 89:19 Once you spoke in a vision, to your faithful people...

God speaks to those who diligently seek Him. But God also speaks correction to His beloved children.

I have heard from God in a variety of ways. God always says exactly the right thing - whether I realize it at that moment or not. At first, it may take me a little while to comprehend all that I can see when I look back on the experience later.

Since I desire to obey God, a godly sorrow flows in me when His correction comes, and then repentance floods. He can turn me around with a word. But His comfort isn't far behind.

Wouldn't you love to be one of the faithful people to whom God speaks in a vision?

Me too. I'll take any form of communication necessary as long as I keep hearing God.

Nevertheless, I would much rather hear direction than correction from God.