Is your heart a hotel for God? Let’s face it, some let God check in, but then tell him when check out time is. Worse, others may even post a “No Vacancy” sign.
Or perhaps you rent your heart to God. You let God in for a particular term of time. You specify the rules, and how things should be left when He moves out. It wouldn’t surprise me if you even asked for references.
Why are so many people afraid to give their heart to God? Because they are afraid he will make changes. Like clean up the dirt, get rid of the clutter and even rearrange the furniture. “No! Not the furniture!” So many people aren’t happy, but they don’t want to give up control.
If one wants God to do his best work they must sign over the deed to their heart. Allow him to clean, declutter and yes, even rearrange the furniture. I assure you, if you trust him to do what needs to be done in order for you to have a better life you will like the improvements.
Rick Renner, from his book “Sparkling Gems from the Greek” reminds us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 6:19) He leads us in a prayer and a confession:
MY PRAYER FOR TODAY Lord, I am so excited to think that You made my heart Your home. It is so overwhelming to think that You want to live inside me. Help me see myself as Your dwelling place and to honor Your Presence inside me by the kind of life I lead. I want to bless You and honor You, so please help me do the right things that bring You the greatest pleasure and joy. I pray this in Jesus’ name!
MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY I gratefully acknowledge that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Yes, the Holy Spirit lives inside me. My heart is not a hotel where He occasionally visits; rather, my heart has become His home. He has invested His power, His gifts, His fruit, and the life of Jesus Christ in me. Inwardly I am highly adorned with the goodness of God. My spirit is so marvelously created in Christ Jesus that God Himself is comfortable to live inside me! I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!
Copyright © 2020 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.
If God healed me of one of my issues, there would be no reason to go to the doctor who is treating me for that issue. The truth is though that doctor is searching for God. Over the last two years I have developed a safe and trusted relationship with him as I listen to his thoughts, and opinions and he listens to mine. If God healed me, who would be there to share the gospel with him? Sure, God could send a new patient, but building that relationship takes time. Also, would the next patient be open to share God?
God’s is speaking a lot lately, through many means, but seems to be saying the same thing. When that happens, pay attention and listen to the message, because God doesn’t want you to miss it.
I used to drive fast. I mean, really fast, or perhaps I should say, “stupidly fast!” In the early eighties, in Massachusetts, I was driving my Chevette. Okay, you can stop laughing now. As I was going up a hill and into a sharp turn to my left I saw a car coming fast, straight for me in my lane. It was going to be a head on collision and I said to myself, Oh this is going to hurt! But right before the point of impact I shut my eyes hard, and screamed, “Oh God!”
Recently, a mother shared with me one of her two year old’s newest habit. She said, “Everywhere we go, he announces to anyone, ‘Look, this is my mother!’” I laughed as I pictured her adorable son smiling and making that bold declaration.
God, I worship you, and praise your name, because you are:
God is with me in the special moments, but I would rather have him in the regular ones. There are more of them!
How can we sum this up? All those people who didn’t seem interested in what God was doing actually embraced what God was doing as he straightened out their lives. And Israel, who seemed so interested in reading and talking about what God was doing, missed it. How could they miss it? Because instead of trusting God, they took over. They were absorbed in what they themselves were doing. They were so absorbed in their “God projects” that they didn’t notice God right in front of them, like a huge rock in the middle of the road. And so they stumbled into him and went sprawling. Isaiah (again!) gives us the metaphor for pulling this together:
I was praying for my neighbors the other day, for I have just moved into their neighborhood.
brady, mark a. 