Are you looking for your center? Your core? Your personal headquarters? Look no further. It's your heart!
All the issues of life spring out of our heart. It’s how we contact God and His spiritual world. Our heart is our personal headquarters for every issue of life – our walk with God, marriage, family and kids, friendships, financial and career decisions and every choice we make.
The Lord places His wisdom, leading, direction and will in our hearts, so we endeavor to listen and follow those things! Because our heart is so central to all the issues of our life, it's imperative that we guard our heart and keep our "headquarters" clear. There is just one problem: heart clutter!
Just like our freshly organized closets or inboxes eventually turn disorganized and clutter-filled, so too, our heart can get filled with clutter if we don't guard it. Let’s examine some potential areas of “clutter” that try to take root in our heart:
Busyness. It's hard to hear our hearts and follow the things that God puts there, when we are too busy to listen to Him. Remember Martha? Take a look at Luke 10:38-42.
Voices. There are lots of voices these days. It's no secret that the media, advertisers, friends, family, enemies, unforgiveness, hurt and even our own voices are fiercely vying for our attention! Let's keep our heart tuned into God's voice and His Word and turn off the “clutter” of too many voices.
Guilt. Guilt clutters our heart. When we rebel or disobey God, we feel legitimate guilt and this clogs up our heart. All we have to do is apply 1 John 1:9; we confess our sins and receive God's forgiveness. Then, we are free to live from our hearts – with no guilt! Sometimes, the enemy throws illegitimate or false guilt – a sense of unworthiness and shame – on us to discourage, condemn, overwhelm and destroy us. We need to stand on 2 Corinthians 5:21 and declare that through Jesus we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ...end of story, amen!
Fear. Another biggie. Through fear of man, fear of losing our security, fear of living by faith, fear of loss, fear of just about anything, we live in anxiety and the enemy gums up our heart and robs us of the ability to follow our hearts. Today, kick fear out and follow this wise advice, "Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts." Proverbs 4:23, Message
Say This: "Father, I will guard my heart more diligently! I can see that it is my personal headquarters and the very place from which that You contact me. Help me to keep my heart clutter free so that I can follow Your voice! In Jesus' Name. Amen."
Beth and Jeff Jones Ministries
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As a young couple, fresh out of Bible School with Two daughters and a third child on the way, Jeff and Beth Jones felt God's call to pioneer Valley Family Church in 1991 with a vision to make an eternal difference in Southwest Michigan. As a husband and wife team, they have always led together as visionary pastors and have shared the pulpit as Bible teachers. They are passionate about building the local church in greater Kalamazoo and the global church around the world. 
