How is my life speaking?

How often do I let my emotions control my reaction to a situation? How often do I let my logic and reasoning alone guide my response? How infrequently is my heart what guides and controls my thoughts and emotions?

Proverbs 15:28 NLT
The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking; the mouth of the wicked overflows with evil words.

Or is the problem that our thoughts and actions betray the truth about our wicked hearts?

Yes, it is a question of heart.

And our hearts tell us who and what we really treasure. Our minds can make it all about me – leaving plenty of room for hurtful words and actions towards others. And our emotions left unchecked are like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

So we have a heart of the godly,  if we have a humble heart,  if we are seeking to love and serve and honor God – by loving and serving and honoring others… then shouldn’t it be our heart that guides our thoughts and words and actions?

And shouldn’t that heart, if empowered by the Holy Spirit of Christ who lives in us – shouldn’t it overcome the logic of self first thinking – shouldn’t it overcome the emotional outbursts and reactions towards life’s situations and circumstances?

Oh,  how I long for the day when I am a completed work and when there are no more trials and temptations, when I stand with Christ, and when this world is no longer filled with death,  disease,  pain,  and sin. So,  that is how I know the state of my heart – because I hate the sinful ways of this world. I hate my many stumbles. I long to see the enemy crushed and judgement to be complete.

But many times I am not as disciplined as I would like to be,  and an emotional response to my circumstances slips past my lips.

And many times I am not as wise as I would like to be, and a logical answer slips past my lips that is still selfish or hurtful towards another because of my ignorance.

But my heart cries out with love,  with mercy,  with forgiveness, with patience,  with joy,  with peace – it cries out with all those things that my emotions and my logic can’t grasp hold of,  that they can wrestle against but that they cannot overcome. And this is because I no longer have the heart of stone that allowed my emotions and logic to reign supreme with myself as the God of my own life – it has been replaced with a heart of flesh and filled with the Holy Spirit of the living God, of Christ who lives in me.

So yes, I am changed. And I know this because of the battle. I know this because of the conflict. I know this because I see walls falling and parts of my life being taken over by the power of my heart, spiritual territories that used to be ruled by my emotion and logic alone are being surrendered to the Lord for His glory and honor.

But I am still in the potter’s hands,  so I apologize for those times when it is so evident that I am still an incomplete work. I’m focused on the task at hand, and I’m dedicated to seeing this through to the end, and I’m learning what I can do to make it right.

So please understand that at times I may say something foolish, because at times I am still like a child. But I have grown tired of my childish ways,  and I am putting away those childish things,  and I am setting my mind upon the higher things – but what I am learning is that to do that,  my heart has to lead me, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Help us to know our hearts today,  Lord. Where there is a need for healing, let us be touched and healed. Where there is darkness and coldness, let’s us die today surrendering our lives to Christ afresh. Where there is wickedness,  let it be crushed under your just judgement and conviction and power. Take back our hearts, take back our lives, and send us out – use us today to glorify and honor your name.

Let’s remember that so many little eyes see the testimony of our heart – through either the emptiness of our soft spoken words, or the truth of our loudly spoken actions.