Tag: The heart

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The Dark Alley of Unbelief

My dearest sister in Christ,

I am writing this letter to you today with a humble heart.  Forgive me for not writing to you sooner.  I must admit that even though life has been hectic and at times even chaotic, the primary reason for this letter’s delay is the subject matter.

Each time I have set out to put my thoughts to you in order, I have been challenged by my own heart’s attitude.  I could easily write to you with what it means to be submissive and even offer a few helpful “how to” tips.  Those are good and noble for sure.

However, as I have examined my own heart (as best as I possibly could with the help of the Holy Spirit) it seems to me that the greatest help, the best encouragement that I can offer to you in this matter, is that it is a matter of the heart.  So, I must ask; where does your heart lie?  How is it positioned with regards to submission?  To whom does your heart belong, even?

It is at this place that we ALL must start: “For where your treasure is, there you will also find your heart.” (Matthew 6:21) Really, truly, everything comes down to the matter of the heart which is why Solomon wrote “Keep your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23). Jesus warned the religious zealots; “… what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person” (Matthew 15:18)

We say we love Christ.  We avow it is our heart’s desire to follow Him all the days of our lives.  We say we might even go to the farthest reaches of this globe (earth) to proclaim His Truth and Beauty.  Yet, in the matter of submitting to our husbands there is that devilish little word…”but” which negates any lovely intention we have to obey the Word of God.  Once we add that little three letter word to the end of our intention we remove the sincerity of our vows.  That little word is a detour within our hearts which mostly reside on the avenue of Trust and Obey.  The detour takes us down the dark alley of Unbelief that weaves in and around our hearts like a maze.

This is the culprit that lurks within all of our hearts, and when they are tested  (and they will be) they will come face to face with Unbelief.  Do I trust what God has said to be true?  Do I believe that God is Good? Do I trust that in His perfect time and way all will be revealed and that justice belongs to Him alone?

There is no way for me to know from what perspective your heart is reading this letter today.  God alone is the heart knower.  However, I can tell you, I feel I must even warn you that circumstances often distort our perspectives.  Just as a pilot must constantly look to the instruments of the airplane to determine the position of the aircraft in relation to the horizon, we must always check the position of our heart in relation to God and His Word. He will always right our perspective.  He will never leave us or forsake us.  He tenderly cares for those who are His and He is jealous for His own. He promises to bring us through the storm and just as we begin to sink in the ocean of despair He holds out His hand to rescue us. He has given us a spirit of adoption as children by whom we cry “Abba!” “Father!”

Stop, and ask yourself; where is my heart’s position at this moment? Come out from that dark alley of Unbelief dear sister and walk with Christ along the Avenue of Trust and Obey. 

Steadfastly,

Susan

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When Did Words Become So Powerful?

My dear sisters,

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will break my heart.” That was the first line to a song I used to play when I was a kid. Funny how most of us think it’s the other way around. I’ve also heard the phrase, “words can heal, words can kill”. True. I’ve been on both sides of that equation, have you? I also remember one of my students in Thailand asking me, “Ms. Colleen, how do words become “bad words”? Great question! Why do words have so much power and what makes them good or bad?

James asks a similar question (Chpt 3):

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet hit boasts of great things.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers,3 these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

WOW! I don’t know about you, but that digs deep and is worth a second read. First we see that we all stumble with our words. We all have a palate for shoe leather. None of us can control our tongue and we can start a fire of sin and pain with what spews forth. Even the wildest animals can be tamed, but we cannot tame our tongue. We are hypocrites, saying we love God on Sunday or during small group and then we curse God for some circumstance or person in our lives. Ouch. I’ve done that, have you? Our tongue has a root that anchors in our hearts. In fact, the Bible says that out of the outflow of our hearts, the tongue speaks. So what is in our hearts, dear sister? Are they on the foundation of what we have in Christ? Do we fill our hearts with the truth of the gospel and the forgiveness of our sin or the gripes of the world and selfishness?

Even with this knowledge, we know we will fail. What is our hope when that happens? Our hope is in Christ. He spoke perfectly in our place! He paid the price for our evil tongue! He took the wrath of our unguarded speech so that our speech is now His!

Yes, words can heal and kill. Words can break our heart. And what about “bad words”? Bad words are those that come from a heart fixed on its own desires and feelings, not Christ. Words that heal come from a heart that honors Christ. Words that break hearts come from a heart that loves self more than Christ. Sweet sister, speak from a heart that seeks to glorify Christ and your tongue will become as healing as Christ’s!

~ Colleen