Follow Your Heart



When I think about the goodness of Jesus, I am amazed! I'm amazed by his grace and mercy when I allow my head to lead me instead of my heart.  Have you ever had to battle the voices between your mind and your spirit?
The bible account of God sending Samuel to anoint David king shows us that we can be misled by our minds.  When Samuel went to the house of Jesse and laid eyes on Eliab, he was sure that he had found God's choice for king.  God quickly admonished Samuel to see beyond his preconceived notions and intellectual deductions.  In other words, God wanted Samuel to look at the heart of Jesse's son and not his appearance.  Have you ever been fooled by the way a person looks?  When you first saw them, you sized them up by the designer shoes, tailored outfit, and perfectly groomed hair.  Right away, you knew he was a preacher, a lawyer, or simply a good person.  You didn't look for any signs of compassion, sensitivity, or ambition.  After some interactions, you found him to be untrustworthy, negative, and downright far from God.

Many times our heads get us in trouble.  Sometimes we inadvertently try to think ahead of God.  In fact, we try to think for God.  When we face difficult situations, we try to use our education to solve the problem.  What we fail to realize is that we can only work within our limitations.  We are no match for God.  He knows every stumbling block we face, every person's path we cross, and every discouraging word the enemy speaks against us.
What's worse than trying to think our way through life is when we handle each other from the mind instead of the heart. We let our minds dictate how we will respond to those who have mistreated us or those we deem unworthy of our forgiveness.

God wants us to be lead by love just as his love for you lead him to the cross.  There are times when God will speak to your heart concerning your sister and instead of going to her, you turn your back.  Your mind replays all of the reasons you don't speak.  Pain and unforgiveness push away the pull of God at your heart.  Your mind will justify your actions, but your heart will correct them.  We can really hurt each other when we speak from the mind instead of the heart.  In doing so, we also hurt ourselves.  Allowing the mind to rule, robs us of God's favor.  We aren't walking in the spirit or serving in humility when we let our agendas steer us away from God's purpose.
Jesus acted from the heart.  His love for you stemmed from his heart, not his mind.  Imagine if he had thought more of your sin than he does of your heart.  He doesn't allow what he knows you have done to keep his heart from you. If Samuel had been allowed to choose a king, he would have denied David his destiny.  Don't let your mind steal your destiny.  God isn't looking at where you are, but he's looking at he's taking you!

Reaching the lost at any cost,
Pastor Odie Kennedy

Reference scripture: 1 Samuel 16:1-7
Image Credit: deFig

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