A sound heart and mind

Spirit of the living God, we welcome you into this place, our homes and hearts In the Name of Jesus. Speak to us LORD and as we read and share Your Word today, may it be firmly planted and rooted in our hearts where it will yield bountiful harvests over every area of our lives In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Thought I would share a Word today about our hearts especially in the context of making a decision. First and foremost, the ultimate soundness of mind is found in Christ Jesus. He is the prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6) that provides peace like nothing or anybody in this world can offer. Luke 12:34 reads, "for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." In case you are wondering, one of the best ways to know what's on your heart is through your thoughts. What are you constantly thinking about?

The above Word is telling us that your heart will be where your treasure is. Treasure does not always imply money but rather something of significant value to you. If something is on your mind, usually you're either wondering about its outcome or questioning if you should take a certain course of action.

Romans 14:22 says, "...Blessed are those who don't feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything that you believe is not right, you are sinning." You can't imagine that this was Apostle Paul's advice when he was speaking to believers in Rome concerning their food choices. If this statement is true for food, then how much more accurate can the principle of following our convictions apply to the daily decisions we make in our lives. Apostle Paul is sharing some practical tips with us that when choosing to make a decision, be completely honest with yourself that its truly what you want. For example, don't say yes to go out for coffee when you would rather stay home and listen to some praise and worship music because in the end, you won't be happy that you did not stay true to yourself which will in turn affect your mood and the people you are hanging out with.

The second person you want to be faithful to after God, is yourself. This is the premise of a sound heart and mind. When you're completely honest with yourself and emotions, beginning with the smallest decisions such as food, because in God's eyes every detail about your life is important to Him, you are not only honoring yourself but you are also honoring God. When making a decision, the Bible is clear that our heavenly Father does not want us walking around with choices we are unsatisfied with but rather He expects us to make our needs known to Him in prayer and as we do this, we receive His peace and direction (Philippians 4:7).

Romans 13:9-10, reminds us that "...You shall love your neighbour as yourself. Love does no harm to a neighbour; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." Often times, emphasis is placed on loving your neighbour which is great and extremely important. However, how well you love your neighbour is dependent on how well you love yourself. When you feel at peace with the decisions you make despite how mundane they may appear, you will realize that you are gradually able to live in peace with your neighbours. When you're kind, patient with your flaws and not demanding a high level of perfectionism from yourself, you will in turn be better positioned to share that kindness and patience with other people's faults thereby giving you the ability to not only love your neighbours as you love yourself but to possess a sound heart and mind with every decision you make.

I'll end with this Word found in James 1:5-8 NLT

"If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do."

Prayer: I join my faith with yours that as you seek the wisdom and counsel of the LORD with every decision, you will remain firm, stable, unshakeable and with one mind In the Name of Jesus. For some of you, this may not be easy but we thank you LORD that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens and gives us the ability to do so for it is not by power, might but by the Spirit of the LORD working in us. Thank you LORD for a sound heart and mind, In the Name of Jesus, Amen.