Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: heart

What Does Your Heart Look Like?

Encouragement, Trust

“Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭12:34‬

Have you ever said something and the moment it came out of your mouth you regretted saying it? Yes, we all have. It’s because our hearts are deceitful. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?”

The truth behind Jesus’ teaching is not so much about watching what we say, but guarding and protecting the condition of our heart. Everything that comes out of our mouth springs forth from what is already in your heart.

A couple of chapters later, Jesus was answering criticism of the Pharisees about the Jewish custom of washing hands and He said, “Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭15:17-20‬)

What you say is a reflection of the spiritual condition of your heart. When you speak kind words, it reveals a cheerful heart. On the contrary when you speak words that hurt others it’s because your heart is not in a good place.

The heart is a well and the mouth is the water pot that draws from that well. It’s not enough to simply “clean up” what you say. The mouth cannot draw up anything but what is already in the heart. That’s why we must guard and protect our heart.

Pray

Lord, protect my heart from evil. Help me to remain clean and pure. If I’m doing something I shouldn’t be doing, please convict my soul.

Be Humble

Encouragement, Trust

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭14:11

It is natural for us to desire places or positions of honor and importance that make us look good. But it’s not biblical.

Jesus taught a very valuable lesson as He spoke to a multitude of people seeking to hear Him. He spoke a parable about attending a wedding reception and intentionally not taking the seat of honor just in case someone else arrived who was more important.

He said it would shame a person to place oneself in a place of honor when someone else deserves it more. Instead He said to sit at the lowest place and let the one who invited you place you at a higher place and then you will be honored by those you sit with.

Jesus spoke this parable to teach us about humility. When we seek to take honor to ourselves, we will always be humbled or humiliated. It is important for us to start off being humble and then let someone else exalt us.

Jesus was the perfect example of this. He deserved the highest place of honor but chose the lowest place and then God granted Him the highest place. Philippians 2:5-9 says, “though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,”

We live in a world that places so much value on being successful. While it’s good to strive to be the best at what you do, it’s equally important to consider how you treat others in the process. Lift others before yourself. Your actions reflect the condition of your heart.

Pray

Lord, help me to be humble. Let me notice what others need and want before myself. Thank you for being lowly and setting the perfect example for me to follow.

The Place Of All Desires

Encouragement, Faith, Trust

“having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The Bible uses the word “heart” to refer to the center of the whole person, the place of all desires.  

The heart is seen as the seat of the will, intellect and feelings. “Character”, “personality” and “mind” are also terms used for the Bible’s meaning of heart. As you may have already discovered, the Bible has much to say about the heart.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭17:9‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:45‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.””
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭16:7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭51:10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭36:26‬ ‭ESV‬‬

We must allow the eyes of our heart to be opened to the spiritual things of God. When our heart is set on God we see things in a spiritual realm and not physical. We need to allow God to speak to our heart so we can see who He is. Is your heart prepared to receive the riches of His glory?

Pray

Lord, open the eyes of my heart so that I may see You in all your glory. Fill my heart with joy and peace that I may have hope.