Heart on fire

Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us? Luke 24:32 

As the two disciples walked with Jesus, their hearts were confused by the grief of losing their leader. They mourned because their hope of a political savior had been killed on the cross. They misunderstood that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, did not come to overthrow the government but instead to reign as King over their lives. Jesus and His post-resurrection body were unrecognizable to the disciples. And spiritually, their eyes were still not open to seeing the real Jesus, their resurrected Lord and Savior.

As Jesus walked and talked with His disciples, He explained the true intent of His prophecies, which were forgiveness of sin and salvation to all believers. Through the power of His presence and the clarity of His teaching, the risen Jesus became real. Their hearts began to burn with conviction as they walked and talked, and God, through His grace and truth, revealed Jesus Christ as their resurrected Lord and Savior. Love is patient to explain the truth thoroughly. Once the truth of Jesus’ plan and purpose for you become personal your heart comes alive for God.

With a burning heart for God in the journey of faith, there comes a moment when our hearts are ignited by the fervent desire to know and serve God intimately. This burning passion, like a flame within us, drives us to pursue Him relentlessly, seeking His presence and experiencing His love in profound ways. When we encounter the Lord in a personal way, whether through prayer, worship, or studying His Word, our hearts can't help but burn with passion for Him. It's in those moments of divine connection that we realize how desperately we need Him and how fulfilling life is when we live in His presence. A burning heart for God is marked by a deep hunger for His Word, a fervent desire for prayer, and an unquenchable thirst for righteousness. It's a heart that longs to worship Him in spirit and truth, surrendering all to His will and His ways. 

Yet, maintaining a burning heart for God requires intentionality. We must continually fan the flames through regular communion with Him, guarding against complacency and distractions that seek to dampen our zeal. We must also surround ourselves with fellow believers who share our passion for God, encouraging and challenging one another to press deeper into His presence. Ultimately, a burning heart for God is not just a fleeting emotion but a steadfast commitment to love and serve Him wholeheartedly. It's a journey of transformation where our hearts become aligned with His, and His desires become our own. Jesus yearns for us to know Him truly. 

Are you following a political Jesus or a spiritual Jesus? A king you want to overthrow the government or a King to reign over your life? As you walk and talk with Jesus, ask Him to clarify who He is to you and what He has for you. Resist the story about a powerless Jesus that feeds your fears or, on the other extreme, puffs up your pride to seek power. Invite the Holy Spirit to burn in your heart with the conviction of God’s truth to humbly and joyfully obey Jesus. Let go of control and go to the Lord. Cultivate a burning heart for God, allowing His love to consume you completely and radiate brightly for all to see. Be filled with the Spirit to light your life in love to burn bright for Jesus, drawing others into the warmth of His divine comfort.

Powerless? I don't think so

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

During a recent coaching session with one of my clients, she shared some struggles and fears she’d been having for decades. “Why do I keep getting beat up by the insecurities and condemnation? I’ve been working on this area of my life for years.”

That’s when I felt something rise inside me. It was holy indignation. I was mad at the devil for attacking her and I wanted to invite her to take up her Sword and step into the battle to pummel the devil. Condemnation had been her constant companion for years, and it was time to do something different. 

As I shared fervently about the power all believers have over the condemnation of the enemy with her, I was reminded that Christ came to set us free, but that we must listen and believe Him. Human effort has value, but to fight the adversary and his deception, it takes more than human effort and human reasoning. It takes supernatural power.

When Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert and the devil tempted him, Jesus didn’t fight the enemy’s lies with natural weapons. He didn’t fight with human reasoning or conversation. He fought the devil with spiritual weapons. He fought him with the Word of God.

The Lord has not left you and me powerless. If we feel continually or repeatedly attacked in the same way over the same incident, issues, or problems, the adversary has used deception to create bondage in your mind. It’s time to take up your shield of faith! It’s time to believe God and what He says. It’s time to use the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God to stand against the devil’s lies. 

Your battle, dear one, is not against flesh and blood. It’s against the enemy who wants to confuse, condemn, shame, and guilt you. God’s way, on the contrary, is a way of peace and power, but you must know and believe His Word. The Word is God’s standard against the Father of Lies. Do not allow him to continue to take advantage of you, confuse, shame, taunt, and mock you.  You are royalty. You are a son you are a daughter of the Most High King. You are God’s beloved, free from condemnation.

Inviting Christ into your life was just the beginning. Now, He is inviting you to step into your full authority and inheritance as an empowered child of God. He has given you authority to push back the influence of darkness in your mind and overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit. You belong to him. You are safe and secure in Him. Believe him. Take up your Sword.

“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son. . .” (Colossians 1:13).

Discouraged yet not defeated

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God. Psalm 43:5 

At times, we are deeply aware of the reasons behind our emotions. We are hurt or betrayed and thus understandably angry or frustrated. Perhaps more positively, a relational breakthrough or new job can result in a wave of relief, gratitude, and joy, crashing over us in the most delightful ways. 

However, we often find ourselves in situations where significant emotions may be present, yet their source or sources elude us. Though this can be a positive emotion that catches us by surprise, in my own experience, these elusive emotions are usually sources of pain or potential discouragement. We’re short-tempered and angry with those around us for no explainable reason. We’re pessimistic and doubtful even when we have plenty of reasons to be hopeful and encouraged. Or we’re profoundly sad without any clear reason to grieve. Perhaps, like the psalmist of old, you read these words and say to yourself, “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?”

I once heard a wise Christian leader say that the vast majority of our disappointments in life come from unmet expectations. In light of our topic today, it’s important to realize that we often have implicit expectations in our lives that we’ve never consciously acknowledged to ourselves or discussed with others. When we find emotions present within us that seem to have come out of nowhere or lingered longer than we’d ever hoped, it’s helpful to ask ourself a version of this question: “What did I expect this season of life to look like?” 

In C.S. Lewis’ work, Perelandra, there’s a memorable scene in which The Green Lady discusses the difference between “the good expected” and “the given good,” noting that so often our Lord allows situations in our lives that we’d never have asked for or even wanted, yet if they are from him, then surely they are to be received as “good.” When we are sad or discouraged, and we don’t know why, we can rest in this truth, believing that God is always working for our good, joining our voice with Psalm 43 and saying, “I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God.

Speaking scars

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

At times I am witness to people recovering from surgery. Every surgical procedure comes with scares or even abrasions as I have a scar from years ago that came from falling off my bike that still reminds me of the incident that occured more than 15 years ago. Every time I look at that scar, I reflect on what happened and  the experience of the fall, the pavement winning over my body and the hurt that went along with it. I also have the opportunity in looking at the scar to be reminded that I survived, and made it through the hurt and have healed.  It also reminds me of the scars that Jesus took to set me and you free.

What life-giving words scars remind us of the hurt and healing at the same time. To get to that conclusion we must shift our perspective. from the healing that comes from hurt. When we have a shift in perspective toward God’s truth, it takes away the painful feelings about our experience. When we believe Truth, we are indeed set free just as Jesus said in John 8:31-32: 

“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”

Now, when I look at that scar, I think about the moments, the difficult, painful, soul-wrenching moments when Christ sustained me in the recovery/healing journey, and I think about His faithfulness.

I think about how He has spared my life so I can do more work for Him. 

I think about the precious, deep intimacy that has developed with Him, not in spite of what has happened to me, but because of what has happened to me.

That scar and all that has come with it has transformed my life and transformed me. The lessons have been profound, and I pray I never forget them. 

I wouldn’t have imagined that I could ever say this, but I’m thankful for the scar.

What has happened in your life? Have you experienced something tragic and hurtful that has left a scar on your mind, your emotions, or your skin? Accepting God’s perspective and His truth about it will set you free from the bondage of painful feelings about what happened to you and shift you to gratitude and joy.

Why? Because lingering, negative, painful feelings aren’t caused by what happened to us, although negative experiences are a doorway to emotional pain. However, emotional pain that won’t go away comes from how we internalize and view what has happened to us. (Read that again. That’s an amazing truth right there!) Praise God. He gave us painful emotions as red lights on the dashboard of our hearts to alert us as if to say, “Hey! There’s something here that needs God’s truth applied to it so that you can be emotionally healed and set free.” 

Many times, we believe it’s the experience that hurt us that we need to get over. We believe we need to overcome it somehow and go back and fix it. But what we really need is to change how we view what happened to us to be set free. We need to accept God’s truth. When we embrace His perspective, nothing about the experience that hurt us will change. But how we see it, will and that will lead to liberty. 

Ask Jesus to show you His truth about your painful experience, and the scars that came from it. Once you get His perspective, you’ll be able to consider what happened without debilitating pain, regret, or deep sadness and say, “Thank you, Lord, for what you have done in me and in my life, not in spite of my scar, but because of it. I’m thankful for that scar. How I praise you!”

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives” (Isaiah 61:1).