The Condition of the Heart

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
Luke 8:5–8
One of the men credited with starting the “fitness craze” in America in the 1970s was best-selling author Jim Fixx. His book The Complete Book of Running spent eleven weeks as the number one book in America, and Fixx became a frequent media presence. He was noted as an authority on the health benefits of exercise. In 1984, Jim Fixx died of a massive heart attack after finishing a workout run. He was just fifty-two years old.
The condition of our physical heart is central to our health, but the condition of our spiritual heart is even more important. The parable that Jesus told of the sower who cast the same seed out onto four different kinds of soil and received dramatically different results, reveals that the difference in our lives is found in the condition of our hearts.
If the heart is not right, it will eventually become evident. We may be able to conceal what is on the inside for a time, but when the harvest comes, the nature of the heart will be revealed. God said to Moses, “O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29).

Today’s Growth Principle: 

By keeping our heart soft and tender to the things of God, we prepare our life for fruitful work for Him.

Tell God How You Feel

by Joyce Meyer - posted March 05, 2016

…Do not ever let your wrath (your exasperation, your fury or indignation) last until the sun goes down.
—Ephesians 4:26
Anger expressed inappropriately is a problem, but so is repressed anger. Anger that is stuffed inside and not dealt with properly will eventually come out one way or another. It may show up in depression, anxiety, or any of a variety of other negative emotions—but it will come out. It can even manifest in sickness and disease. If we don't deal with our anger quickly, we will eventually either explode or implode.
The right way to express anger is to talk to God. Tell Him all about the way you feel and ask Him to help you manage the feelings properly. Talk to a professional or a mature friend if necessary, but do not pretend you're not angry when you are. That's not managing your emotions—that is ignoring them, and it is dangerous.
One thing that helps me deal properly with anger is to realize that sometimes God permits people to irritate me in order to help me grow in patience and unconditional love. None of the fruit of the Spirit develops without something to make us exercise them. Ouch! I wish I could magically have all these wonderful fruits working full force in my life without any effort on my part, but that is just not the way it works.
The offending person's bad behavior is not right, but God often uses their behavior as sandpaper in our lives, to polish our rough edges. He is more concerned about changing our character than He is about changing our circumstances.
If I get angry when someone does something to me that's wrong, is my anger any less wrong than the wrong they committed? I think not. Sometimes their wrongdoing merely exposes my weakness and I am able to repent and ask God to help me overcome it. Be determined to get something good out of every trial you face in life, and don't let the sun go down on your anger.
Trust in Him: Are you angry about anything or at anyone? If your answer is yes, begin controlling that emotion right now, deal with it properly, and trust God to deliver you from your circumstances in His timing.