Pure Heart

Happy Sunday!

Praying that you are well and enjoying this Sunday!  I'm headed out to our International Faith Conference!(http://conference.billwinston.org/)  It's almost like a Faith Family Reunion with powerful speakers and sessions all week.  A man once told me that people, and I believe he was referring to me, use religion as a drug.  I have to admit I was offended and hurt for a while until I realized it's working for me!  My relationship with Christ is not a religious activity.  I go to work religiously because I want that paycheck.  I truly enjoy the Word of God.  I enjoy reading it, hearing it, and studying it.  If this is my drug of choice, I will NOT need any intervention!  This life in Christ is wonderful.  There are no adverse reactions or side effects with this drug.  I will not go blind, have suicidal thoughts, or grow any additional toes while taking this medicine.  This drug has taken me through unbelievable sorrow, loss both physically and emotionally, and hard times and poverty.  When I look back, and I only look back for perspective not longingly, I see that this drug has worked, is working, and will continue to work for me.  My name is Cynthia, and I approved this message!  LOL!

Dr. Matthew L. Stevenson III continued his series, "How to be a Hero: A Revelation of Biblical Heroism", "Keeping Your Heart Right".   People sometimes think they need to have it all together before they can minister to others and be a Hero.  Your life is an instrument in the hand of God.  He wants to use You to help others!  You don't have to be perfect to be a Hero!  Your don't have to be debt free to be a Hero!  You don't have to be 40 pounds lighter to be a Hero.  There are numerous scriptures that speak about the heart.  The Bible tells us it is possible to have a hard heart, an evil heart,  and a deceitful heart.  Of course we don't think that applies to us at all!  Matthew 5:8 says, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."(KJV).  The purity of our hearts will determine what we SEE in this life!  When our hearts are pure, we have the ability to see God in any circumstance.  How can we keep our hearts pure?  Great question!  So glad you asked!   Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."(KJV).    Another translation of this scripture says, "Above all else, guard your affections. For they influence everything else in your life."(Living Bible).

Mathew 15:17-20 says, "Don’t you understand that whatever you take in through your mouth makes its way to your stomach and eventually out of the bowels of your body?  But the things that come out of your MOUTH—your curses, your fears, your denunciations—these come from your HEART, and it is the stirrings of your heart that can make you unclean.  For your heart harbors evil thoughts—fantasies of murder, adultery, and whoring; fantasies of stealing, lying, and slandering.  These make you unclean—not eating with a hand you’ve not ritually purified with a splash of water and a prayer."(Voice).  Watch your mouth!

Love and Prayers, Cynthia