| Romans 15:13 – 12 February 2019 |
Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
NKJV
Jesus spoke these words to His disciples when He was preparing them for His crucifixion and departure from the earth. We will look at them in a slightly different light today, but I pray that you let the precious Holy Spirit minister to you through this Scripture, and fill your heart with peace.
Choose peace!
Jesus told His disciples ” let not your heart be troubled” and He says the same to you today. Friend, Jesus said this because it is so possible for us to control the “atmosphere” in our hearts. There is so much happening around us, and it is easy to be affected by the situations we see and experience, to be discouraged and sad, or to feel ourselves filled with anger and offence. However the Holy Spirit wants to remind us today that we do not have to be influenced and manipulated by the spirits of the world. The One within us is gloriously greater than any demon out there in the world. (1 John 4:4). Because we have the Almighty One living in us, we cannot help but win! You and I are powerful and Jesus wants us to be overcomers through Him. Proverbs 4:23 says “Above all else, guard your heart for it is the well spring of life.” This is exactly what we are being called to do, to guard our hearts from negative emotions that arise to derail us and have the potential to take us away from our heavenly calling and place. Dear friend, many of the things you may be feeling may be fully justified, and the natural human response to a hurtful situation, but Jesus is calling us to rise above it and to be the supernatural “Jesus” people we are meant to be. How do you not “let” your heart become troubled, confused, angry or desperately sad? You begin to “guard” your heart. This happens when we become aware that the inner atmosphere does not have to be regulated by external forces or by things that happened in the past. I used to be constantly controlled by my emotions until I was given the revelation that I was stronger than any emotions that could arise in my heart. I came to the understanding that I could take authority over negative emotions arising in the realm of my soul and refuse to allow them to govern my responses and my life. I am learning to “guard” my heart. Begin by saying “no”, to the negative emotion, and then turn your heart towards a good one. Turn on the joy meter! The King James version of Proverbs 4:23 reads as follows : “Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life”. I really believe that much of what we see manifest in our lives began in a place within our hearts. In other words, how we think and feel can create a realm in our lives which we will see as a reality and eventually step into. This can happen both in negative as well as positive situations. We see this in Job’s life when he said “what I feared has come upon me” (Job 3:25) because he lived in daily anxiety that his sons would do bad things and sin against God. We have to “keep” our hearts in the hope and love of God because our hearts are the “well spring”, that hidden inner source which feeds into the gushing stream we begin to see as the fruit of our hearts and lips. It is such good news that we can guard our thoughts and emotions, and regulate the inner temperature and atmosphere, to see the good things of God manifested in our daily lives. God has given us great power!
Believe!
Our beautiful Lord Jesus is appealing to us to believe! There are so many unbelieving “believers” who have “selective faith”, ie, believing in God the person, but choosing not to believe in some aspects of His nature. Everything in the Word of God is real, and to be received and embraced wholeheartedly. Faith in yourself or anyone or anything apart from God cannot bring you your permanent breakthrough, but trusting Jesus, Father & the Holy Spirit is a win-win situation all the way! Faith is believing in God’s goodness and trusting that Goodness to transform your situation for the glory of His name. You may be going through some challenging time right now, but let your heart re-align with God’s. Consciously acknowledge that He is good, and that He is working everything out for your good. Confess to yourself that He is in this with you, and that He is turning things around. Remind yourself of the many times He has helped you overcome a difficult situation, and how He brought you through a stormy ocean, safely to the other side. Let the inner atmosphere begin to change and get filled with love and gratitude. Thank Him for each time He lifted you up and gave you the victory. Jesus died to save you and to spare you from the trauma and turmoil you are experiencing right now. He has decreed a total breakthrough for you, and that is exactly what you are going to see. You are setting yourself up for your miracle. Hallelujah, He is taking you into your prosperity!
It is time to rule and reign, and we can start by taking over the reins of our hearts! Try it. Your life will never be the same again!
