The past few days have proved a bit challenging as I've watched my heart undulate up and down on an emotional roller coaster ride, all while desperately clinging on for dear life! It began after receiving news that someone whom I consider family was admitted to the hospital due to trauma in the brain. The uncertainty of his medical condition daunts the hearts and minds of family and friends. In one of my visits to the hospital, I walked out after saying goodbye and despair filled my chest, his helpless form etched in my mind. Instead of trusting in God's word and His promises, I was leaning on my own understanding, acting in the flesh, and assessing the situation based on the circumstances. My emotions were contradicting God's word as doubt seeped into my mind. How did I let my emotions rule me in this way? I realized that I was certainly not surrendered to the Holy Spirit as the fruits of the Spirit were not evident in this situation. The Lord spoke to me, "My child, tame your mind"!
Yesterday, I attended bible study as part of my Thursday morning routine and afterwards listened attentively to the lecture that ensued. The woman who conducts the lecture wears a warm smile and serves up a word enriched with wisdom every week. This particular week, she focused on Hebrews 3 and then addressed something that I desperately needed to hear. I realized at that moment how important it was that I was there (despite every attempt I made to mope around the house earlier that morning). She spoke about entering God's rest.
The book of Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians in order to encourage them in the faith. Hebrews 3 reminds them to not rebel against the word of God as their ancestors did in the wilderness for forty years. Their rebellion gave way to a hardened heart and as a result they never entered the promised land of Canaan. The author encourages his audience just as the Lord encourages us this day, "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion" (Hebrews 3:15). We were prompted by the bible study teacher to make a choice TODAY to turn to God's place of rest. In order to do that, we must be conscious about our thoughts. We were reminded that a drifting mind can lead to doubting of God's word, which in turn hardens the heart. Where did the Israelites drift in their minds? They began to romanticize about the past, a life of bondage in Egypt. If they kept their minds fixed on God's promise, they would have entered God's rest, the promised land, in eleven days, rather than forty years! We are not to allow our minds to escape into the past, fixated upon what once was, nor should we entertain shifty thoughts that engage our attention to and fro. We are to be centered on Christ, asking the Holy Spirit to lead us in our thoughts. If we choose to neglect the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we in turn escape the temporal blessing of rest God offers us while we are here on this earth.
Now you might ask, spiritually speaking, what is the difference between the heart and the mind? Our mind dictates what we do when met with a particular circumstance. Our heart is our emotional response to this choice. As I mentioned earlier, the Lord instructed me through prayer that I must tame my mind as the emotional unrest I was experiencing was a result of a thought process diverging from God's word. Jesus is my proper focus. If I had managed the circumstance I faced appropriately, focusing on God's Word and His report, rather than my own, I would have found peace. Scripture tells us to "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23 NKJV). Other translations of the bible state "Guard your heart...". As I mentioned earlier, our hearts gauge the climate of our minds and pour out the emotion that culminates as a result of our thought process.
How then do we guard our hearts? Proverbs 16:3 states, "Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established". Strong's concordance defines the word "commit" as "to roll, roll down, roll away, remove". The word is used several times throughout the Bible, encouraging believers to roll our works into God's care. We must work at committing our minds to Christ. If we surrender our minds to His care, then our "thoughts will be established". Our thoughts will be evidence of a sound mind centered on Christ. Naturally, the heart is then guarded because our thoughts are safe within the peace of Christ, the peace that surpasses all understanding! How might a heart respond to a mind at peace? It would be calm and at rest. This is the rest God offers us if we diligently seek it.
I am finally at peace with my circumstances and encouraged to write this blog in hopes that it may bless the lives of others who too might be experiencing spiritual and emotional unrest. I pray that the Lord will reveal to you the gravity of centering our minds on Christ. If we drift away in our thoughts, our hearts will reveal it. So, let us be diligent in seeking God's rest as He has offered it to those who commit their thoughts to Him. As a result, we will sense a protective coat covering our hearts, shielding us from the woes of despair, confusion, and bitterness. If you are in doubt of whether or not you have entered God's rest, honestly gauge your behavior and emotions with that of the fruits of the spirit (ref Galatians 5:22-23). Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you into His rest, and be surrendered, allowing yourself to feel every emotion, but trusting that it is only temporary. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." (Psalm 30:5) Be encouraged this week! May God bless you and keep you in His perfect peace!
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