Devo: "Judging the Contents of Our Hearts, Part 2"
Judging the Contents of Our Hearts, Part 2
“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
(Hebrews 4:12)
I was raised up in a small south Florida town called Okeechobee. Okeechobee sits on the north side of Lake Okeechobee. Around the south side of Lake Okeechobee is some of the most fertile soil in the world and as a result the farming industry has flourished on the south side of the Lake. Whatever the farmers plant in that rich soil, vigorously grows. The problem with the rich soil on the south side of the Lake is weeds will grow fast and tall. The soil vigorously grows whatever is planted in it. The soil does not have any discernment of what to grow and what not to grow.
Our hearts and minds are just like the rich soil on the southside of Lake Okeechobee, whatever is planted in it, grows. If fleshly and worldly things are sown into our minds and hearts, we will manifest fleshly and worldly words and actions. But if the fruit of the Spirit is sown into our hearts and minds our relationships, we will manifest relationships filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faith and self-control. The challenge for mankind is to know what to allow into and what to flow out of our hearts and minds.
The Word of God serves as an awesome tool for us to judge the thoughts and intentions of our hearts and minds. The Word of God planted in our heart enables us to judge the difference between thoughts of hate and thoughts of agape love. The Word of God helps us judge the difference between the emotion of love and the emotion of lust. When we are provoked to anger by another person, the Word of God enables us to know we are not walking in the love of God. The Word of God allows us to judge that a zeal for the knowledge of the Bible, is different than a zeal to know God, His love and what He is saying. The Word of God empowers me to judge a conversational atmosphere with other people that is filled with disorder and confusion, is being tainted by jealousy and selfish ambition. The Word of God judges that our thoughts to be seen and known by people is a path of thinking that will hinder my faith and open doors of fear of rejection.
I could go on and on about the different ways the Word of God gives us the ability to judge the thoughts and intentions of our hearts and minds. The important thing is that we would be encouraged to use the Word of God as a judge of the thoughts and the intentions of our hearts and minds. “Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11)