Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good Shepherd of my soul, help me get quiet as I wait on You to listen for Your leading and begin my day embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with Your Holy Spirit.
“And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts… All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.” (Mark 7:20-23) After reading this I was led to read from Hebrews.
"Christ, however, was faithful over God's house as a Son, and we are His house if we hold firm the confidence and the pride that belong to hope. Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, 'Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, as on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your ancestors put Me to the test, though they had seen My works for forty years....' Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partners of Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end" (Hebrews 3:6-14).
According to Your Word, an "evil" heart is an "unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God". And our hearts are "hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" and in "rebellion" against the leading of Your "voice". So You encourage us to "exhort one another every day" to keep turning our hearts to You, to keep listening for Your voice, to keep believing in You.
So, Lord, I ask You to keep my heart sensitive to You, humble before You, hungry for You, available to You, and yielded to You. Let my words be full of grace to exhort others to enter that place of "rest" and faith in You, seeking to lead by example (v. 18). Let the daily rhythm of my personal, intimate relationship with You model my desire--as best as I can and all by the power of Your grace--to "Trust in the Lord with all (my) heart, and lean not on (my) own understanding; (but) in all (my) ways acknowledge Him, (believing He) shall direct (my) paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray this morning you will check your heart and asses if it is sensitive, humble, hungry, available, and yielded to God and the voice of His Spirit to lead you in the paths of His blessings and rest in Him every day, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same of me. God bless you, my friends!
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