Faith: Change your heart change your life
Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks
We cannot get away from the inner most thoughts of our hearts; whether it is good or bad the inner most matters of our heart always seem to manifest themselves in real life. Before I get super spiritual, when I say matters of the heart I mean how we deeply and truly feel about something and how we make decisions and conduct our lives accordingly. Just like trying to get in shape and lose weight our hearts constantly need to be worked on as well. We have all been around people that say “God blessed me with a new car, a new job and a new wife!” But so often we limit God to that short list of things we need him to give us instead of investing in the work he is trying to do through us. I am guilty of doing this. For years I prayed and asked God to blessed me with this and send me that. Sometimes I would get what I was praying for and then a month later I would forget who gave it to me or complain about the very thing that I asked.
We are all guilty. This year I put away my short list, it just didn't feel right anymore. I was asking God for things and circumstances that would only momentarily appease me instead of truly seeking him. It all started with my heart. What were the negative ideas, habits and thoughts that shaped my life? Why was I always in a position of lack? For starters I had to be honest about the crap that was inside my heart. I realized that I was extremely selfish; I always wanted everything focused on me; I was an instigator and loved to point out the flaws of others so I could look good; I was always seeking praise from people instead of doing what was right regardless of who was watching. There were many other issues of my heart that I had and still have that I needed to be honest about.
Once I let it all out and presented my crooked heart to God my life changed. Instead of asking God for a new job and money in my bank account every day I began to ask him to change my thoughts. Instead of asking for a man I asked God to give me the desire to serve people. Instead of asking for fame and success I asked him to diminish my selfishness so His grace and light could shine through me. It wasn't just through prayer but I had to take actions. Instead of cursing out that woman in traffic I had to shut up; instead of just loving people that loved me I had to go and love those who hated me; instead of just serving myself and my family I had to go and serve others.
The cool thing is, it worked! The evidence of our hearts is all around us; from our attitude, to the way we treat others, to the things we spend our time doing and our relationships. Every single one of those areas in my life changed. Some days, I feel so much love in my heart that it feels like it is going to burst. Of course not every day is sunshine and the things that come from my heart are not always good; but I keep striving and daily laying my imperfections at the feet of God and aligning my prayer with action. When my heart changed my life changed.
I encourage you to be honest with yourself; and instead of asking God for a list of things ask for your heart to change. Have you struggled with negative thoughts and actions? What in your life is evidence of your heart? Share your thoughts and Comments.