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Who is Directing Your Heart?

Cast Down Ev’ry Idol Throne

Holy Spirit, all divine,
Dwell within this heart of mine;
Cast down ev’ry idol throne,
Reign supreme, and reign alone.

Holy Spirit, Light Divine (1817)

By: Andrew Reed, (1787-1862)

Listen to this karaoke version as you prepare to ponder this old hymn. Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available to Subscribers, sometimes to Free Members, and occasionally to everyone.  Want to learn more about accessing all the additional material in the Subscriber Content Library? Click here.  Or check out some other samples at our Free Member Content Library.  We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today!!

Everyone enjoy this podcast and transcript below!  It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.

Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

We conclude our journey of resonance toward Pentecost with this lessor known hymn last week. We celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the early followers of Jesus Christ.  Like them, He desires to reign in our hearts. Let’s think about this.

What are Your Idols?

Before your dismiss the question, I want to invite you to ask the Spirit to help you identify what may at least occasionally compete for the affection that only Jesus Christ deserves and the throne of your heart. Even before we ask Him to cast them down, stop, quiet yourself and ask Him to show you if there are things that you may have set up as idols, including yourself. They need not be carved images, but can be as simply as an idea, or a desire that consumes your energy and focus and in so doing pulls those things away from your pursuit of God.

Ask the Holy Spirit, “Please reveal any idols in my heart, including my self.” As He does, make a mental note of them so you may ask the Holy Spirit to…

Cast down ev’ry idol throne,

He is the only One worthy of your worship. He knows that. You know that. You have to agree with Him about it so that you can partner with Him in a life of brining glory to His name alone.

I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. Isaiah 42:8 ESV

Self-Directed Life

Get used to asking the Spirit routinely if there are any idols trying to climb onto the throne of your heart. We are guilty of placing things that have no ability to climb onto that throne. Sounds ridiculous but it is true.

Instead of asking the God of the universe who loves us eternally and unconditionally to reign in our hearts, we allow other things to do so. The figures in the Old Testament seem so foolish for trusting in carved images that could not possibly help.  We look at them and think, “I would never do that.” Instead, we trust in symbolic idols, images and ideas in our minds without even fashioning physical idols. We must also deal with our self, which becomes the entry point of all other idols.

We are going to ask Him to reign in the next section, but first take a few moments and develop a willingness to allow the Spirit to identify and cast down your idols. He will help you if you simply ask Him.

RESONATE!
By this point in our progression we have already asked the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts. As we do, we are effectively inviting Him to take up residence there. He will not share the space with anything else, including us. Ask Him to help you identify and cast down idols every day. Confess your proclivity to raise them up. Let Him help you change that thought process and behavior.

Asking the Holy Spirit to Reign

Christ-Directed Life

Putting Christ on the throne of your heart, allowing the Holy Spirit to reign and reign alone is the wisest thing you could ever do. It may also be the most difficult. But asking Him to dwell in your heart, and cast down every other idol from that throne are essential first steps.

Once you have done those things you are have created a scenario where Christ can reign alone on the throne of your heart. The challenge becomes practicing this so that you do not displace Him through your thoughts and choices. The Holy Spirit becomes the central, crucial figure in accomplishing this daily.

Reign supreme, and reign alone.

This simple, beautiful prayer is ultimately the one that allows all the other prayers we have prayed throughout this hymn actually become an ongoing reality. The Holy Spirit can illumine, cleanse, heal, encourage and so much more if we will allow Him but the key indicator is love. When we love Him, and demonstrate that in love for one another, He lives in us.

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 1 John 4:13 ESV

His Spirit helps us to love and shows He dwells in us. Welcome that evidence.

 

RESONATE!
Thank the Holy Spirit for His work of love in your idol-ravaged heart. Though we are inclined in our selves to put any number of other things on the throne of our hearts, the Holy Spirit helps us put Christ there. Then we are empowered to love Him and love others. Invite that work again today, and every day.

Jesus, thank You for sending Your Spirit to cheer my saddened heart, and ultimately heal my wounded bleeding heart. Thank You, Spirit, for invading those woes and exiling them far away from me. Help me to continue to learn how to walk in the overwhelming, eternal joy only You can bring. In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Lovely Thinking!

Are these thoughts helping you to develop greater spiritual awareness?  Sign-up in the form to the right above to get updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.

Podcast 17.4 Transcript

Welcome to Thursday Thoughts at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s think about this.

Holy Spirit, all divine,

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV

To be transformed into the very image of God, reflecting His glory, is our highest aspiration. Only the Spirit can cause this to happen. Welcome His work today.

Dwell within this heart of mine;

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16 ESV

How often do we act as though we do not know the answer to this question? Yes, the Spirit dwells in us. And we need Him to remind us of that regularly, and His power to rest in His abiding presence. Ask Him to fill you again today that you may live for His glory.

Cast down ev’ry idol throne,

I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. Isaiah 42:8 ESV

Idols are not just an Old Testament problem. Anything that competes with our affection for God is an idol. We may not craft them with our hands, but they still try to establish a throne in our hearts. Ask the Spirit to identify rivals for worship so you may be aware, then cast them down.

Reign supreme, and reign alone.

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 1 John 4:13 ESV

We know God abides and reigns in us as we love one another. Christ identified the greatest commandment, to both love God, and our neighbors as ourselves. We can truly only do that as the Spirit helps us. Ask Him to reign in you today as you love others.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has come to your mind, or listen to what He is saying to you, then I will read our text once more.

Holy Spirit, all divine,
Dwell within this heart of mine;
Cast down ev’ry idol throne,
Reign supreme, and reign alone.

Take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond.  Until next time, be Resonant.

The post Who is Directing Your Heart? appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image Attributions
Self-Directed Life – https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/10-basic-steps/1-the-christian-adventure.2.html
Christ-Directed Life – https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/10-basic-steps/1-the-christian-adventure.2.html
for more on these images and the concepts they depict visit those links.

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Thought Idols

Wednesday Wanderings with Dr. Sherri is biweekly and a time we set aside to wander in the Presence of Jesus and ponder His truths. When you are ready, prepare your mind, body, and soul to have a transformational encounter with Jesus.

Watch the Wednesday Wanderings Welcome for this week.

Now that we have cleared our minds of the clutter, we can wander on the journey with Jesus.

PREPARATION: In our last Wandering with Dr. Sherri, we examined Entitlement. This week we will explore Thought Idols. When you are ready, you may begin the dialogue with Jesus and state: “Jesus, I invite you to help me to leisurely wander into your Presence. Prepare my heart to receive, and illuminate my spiritual senses to encounter you.”

PROMISE: Phillipians 4:8

8 Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].

Centering on “these things” and implanting them in our heart will keep us mindful of what is valuable to us and prevent us from the thought idols that take over our thoughts of Christ.

PSALM: Holy Spirit, Light Divine by Andrew Reed

Holy Spirit, all divine,
Dwell within this heart of mine;
Cast down ev’ry idol throne,
Reign supreme, and reign alone.

Reed invites the Holy Spirit to dwell within his heart because he recognizes that what he treasures will be what preoccupies his thoughts.

PARABLE:  An idol is anything that has become the object on which we dwell our attention. To dwell is to linger, spend time thinking about, muse over, and even to be obsessed with something or someone. What is in your heart will dwell in your your thoughts. In mental health, ruminating thoughts are described as the excessive and intrusive thoughts about negative experiences and feelings. A person who has experienced trauma may be unable to stop thinking about the traumatic event. A person with depression may persistently think negative thoughts and thoughts that are self-defeating. A common intervention for ruminating thoughts is thought stopping. Thought stopping is a cognitive intervention technique that interrupts, removes, and replaces recurring thoughts. 

The COVID-19 pandemic is a traumatic occurrence that has affected the world. It is challenging to not allow it to occupy our minds and our hearts when the news, the death of unknown people and loved ones, and personal protective equipment are constant reminders. How do we prevent COVID-19 from becoming a thought idol that we persistently mull over in our minds?  By dileberately intervening with thought stopping and thinking on things that are lovely and bring peace and that are right and are confirmed by God’s word we will make the emotional space for God whom we treasure, cast down the emotional deterrents of COVID-19, allow God to reign supreme, and dwell within our hearts.

PONDER and WANDER:  If you choose, Ponder the questions: How can I clear my head, heart, and spirit space and make room for thoughts that direct me to think about Jesus?

The soul training  contemplative thought relsease visualization exercise can assist us to move over the things that distract us from making room in our minds and hearts and treasuring Jesus.

  Jesus,  Thoughts of You

Soul care training exercise: If you choose, complete this week’s soul training exercise.

  • When you are ready, clear your mind and invite the Holy Spirit to help you Imagine a bright blue sky across the landscape of your mind dotted with white clouds. Imagine that each and every cloud represents a single thought in your mind and the thought idols that have your attention. Perhaps it is COVID-19, your job, or your children.
  • Next,  begin your slow and steady breath– imagine your breath as a gentle breeze, moving the clouds across the blue skyline. Watch the clouds as they move across your mind, carried by the gentle breeze of your breath, one thought at a time.  Observe the thought as it passes. Watch it without judgment or critcism, and without blame of self or others.
  • Then, let each thought pass one at a time, carried by a gentle breeze across the landscape of your mind.
  • Finally, replace the thought idols with thoughts that are true, honorable,  just,  pure, lovely,  commendable,  excellent, and worthy of praise,

PRAYER: Jesus, I move over anything that is keeping me from making you the Lover of my Soul. Consume my thoughts until I dwell on you. Social media, my job, my family, COVID-19, my grief–please move all of these over until all I see is you. The supernatural law of breakthrough is pursuing God, ruminating on His Truths over and over until you see healing and deliverance. I commit to making You my priority and pursuing thoughts of You in expectation that as a result, peace will come. In Your loving name I pray, Amen. 

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your mind of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to think of Jesus and let the work of your wandering fill you with thoughts that confirm God’s Word.

Then take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

The post Thought Idols appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image Attributions:
Whatsoever is true: Google Images
Thoughts of you: belovedwomen.org with text added

Bonus Reflection:

COVID-19 has afforded some of us time to do some of the things we have wished we had time to do. As we phase back in to opening our country, let us not forget the blessings of time and how we have had the opportunity to slow down our busyness addictions and MAKE ROOM for time with and thoughts of God. If you choose, take five minutes and listen to and reflect on the song by Jonathan McReynolds. Take it as a reminder to Make Room for God, invite Him to live in your thoughts, and make Him your priority.

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Welcome Home, Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit, All Divine

Holy Spirit, all divine,
Dwell within this heart of mine;
Cast down ev’ry idol throne,
Reign supreme, and reign alone.

Holy Spirit, Light Divine (1817)

By: Andrew Reed, (1787-1862)

Listen to this karaoke version as you prepare to ponder this old hymn. Please make certain to enjoy the video below.

Below is content always available to Subscribers, often to Free Members, and sometimes to everyone.  Want to learn more about accessing all the additional material in the Subscriber Content Library, click here, or the Free Member Content Library with some examples of the complete Subscribers content, click here.

Everyone, enjoy this video, and the transcript below.

Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

We conclude our journey of resonance toward Pentecost with this lesser known hymn. We remember the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the early followers of Jesus Christ.  He is our Teacher and Guide as well, the One who reveals the Lord to us, and makes our heart His home. Let’s tune our hearts.

Fully God

Holy Spirit, all divine,

Part of the problem with our relationship with the Holy Spirit is we often fail to acknowledge Him as being God. I think, at times, we are guilty of relegating Him to the category of some unseen, mysterious force, when in all actuality, He is a person, and just as much God as the Father and Jesus Christ. I don’t think the issue is that we don’t think He is God, we just diminish His role in the Triune character of God, and in so doing, we diminish His influence in our lives.

And we must be careful not to do that because the consequences are dire.

The Spirit is the one who does the work of revealing the glory of God to us.  When we diminish His role and work, we are reducing the reality of Who God is, effectively relying on our own devices to discern the wonder of our Lord. Not only that, but we are also limiting the work of the One who also transforms us into the image of God.

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV

And this is our highest aspiration, to be transformed into the very image of God, reflecting His glory every day. As this verse says, “this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” If we do not embrace His work of showing God to us, we are handicapping our transformation. Embrace His work today.

The Holy Spirit is fully God, and desires to fully dwell in every soul who has yielded to His ways. Acknowledge the Spirit as God, and surrender yourself again to Him today, inviting Him to have His way in you, that you may learn the ways of the Lord under His guiding influence.

RESONATE!
Begin this transformational process by welcoming the Spirit, Who is fully God, to come and do His work of revealing God to you today. Surrender yourself to Him and welcome Him to come and transform you today. Once you have done that, you have effectively opened the door of your life to Him to have His way in you, but this is not only a one-time transaction.  As He walks in the door of your heart, you must let Him take up residence.

Giving Him the Key to Your Heart

Dwell Within This Heart of Mine

The God Who Dwells within.

There is a mystery here, but let us see if we can unravel it just a bit. We often talk about inviting Jesus into our hearts, but He is fully God AND fully man, so He can not live inside our hearts practically speaking.  The Father, likewise, sits on His throne in heaven, ever receiving the praise of the angel host, so neither can He.

Yet we believe the Scripture clearly teaches that at salvation, God takes up residence in our hearts. That resident must, by process of elimination, be the Holy Spirit. Excuse my crude oversimplification of the Godhead, but it does help us to wrap our minds around the reality of the Spirit living within every believer.

Dwell within this heart of mine;

The real issue for us becomes this tension that arises between our wanting to have Him over as a guest versus signing the deed of our hearts over to Him. You generally do not give a guest a key to your home. If they are really close, you may do that on occasion or even make up a bed so they may stay the night once in a while, but you are still the owner of the home.

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16 ESV

The Holy Spirit does not want to be just another resident in your heart, albeit an honored and esteemed one. Having brightened, cleansed, healed, and gladdened your heart, He wants to be free to dwell there as the King. To come and go as He pleases. He wants the key to your heart, the seat of your emotions, intellect, and will.

Welcome Him to come and reign in your heart again today as King. Repeat that exercise every day thereafter.

RESONATE!
Imagine there is a key that unlocks your heart, letting in whoever holds it. Protecting from entry anything that would harm it. Can you see it? Hold it in your outstretched hand. Offer it to the Holy Spirit, symbolically giving Him not only access but control of all that enters. Then ask Him to help you live in such a way that you partner with Him to allow your heart to be a place that resembles a place where One such as He lives and reigns.

Jesus, thank You for sending Your Spirit to dwell in me, showing me Who God really is, and helping me to adjust my passions to His ways.  Spirit, dwell in me today, and every day. Make my heart resonate with Your heart. In Jesus name.  Amen!

Reverent Tuning!

Keep coming back, and we will work to help you remove the things that may hinder your longing for His return by cultivating an awareness of God’s presence.   We will help you tune your heart to live out your worship by providing resources like this to help you acknowledge the greatness of God as you become more Resonant, 7 days a week.

Like what you’re finding here?  Fill out the form to the right to get an email with each fresh post and updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.

Please comment below and share if you have found this helpful in your journey of being more resonant.

Video 17.4 Transcript

Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.

Holy Spirit, all divine,
Dwell within this heart of mine;
Cast down ev’ry idol throne,
Reign supreme, and reign alone.

The Holy Spirit is fully God, and desires to fully dwell in every soul who has yielded to His ways. Acknowledge the Spirit as God and surrender yourself again to Him today, inviting Him to have His way in you, that you may learn the ways of the Lord under His guiding influence.

He does not want to be just another resident in your heart. Having brightened, cleansed, healed, and gladdened your heart, He wants to be free to dwell there as the King. Welcome Him to come and reign in your heart again today as King. Repeat that exercise every day thereafter.

Idols are so insidious. Unlike in the Old Testament, we often do not realize when we have allowed something to compete with our affections for God.  He has no rivals or equals, and we must be cognizant of things that steal our hearts away, renouncing them. Do so now.

Indeed, He wants to reign supreme and all alone as the Sovereign of your life. As you pray prayers like the words of this great hymn, you are inviting Him to do that and actually practicing the crucial activity that makes it a reality, ongoing conversation. Ask Him to help you grow in that.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.

Sing

Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond.  Until next time, be Resonant.

The post Welcome Home, Holy Spirit appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image Attributions
Holy Spirit, All Divine – https://www.crosswalk.com/video/video-q-a/what-does-john-16-teach-us-about-the-holy-spirit.html
Dwell Within This Heart of Mine – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/key-heart-love-symbol-valentine-2114350/

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Have You Asked the Spirit to Heal Your Heart?

Many Woes

Holy Spirit, Joy divine,
Cheer this saddened heart of mine;
Bid my many woes depart;
Heal my wounded, bleeding heart.

Holy Spirit, Light Divine (1817)

By: Andrew Reed, (1787-1862)

Listen to this karaoke version as you prepare to ponder this old hymn. Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available to Subscribers, sometimes to Free Members, and occasionally to everyone.  Want to learn more about accessing all the additional material in the Subscriber Content Library? Click here.  Or check out some other samples at our Free Member Content Library.  We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today!!

Everyone enjoy this podcast and transcript below!  It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.

Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

We began our journey of resonance toward Pentecost with this lessor known hymn last week. We celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the early followers of Jesus Christ.  Like them, He cheers us to live a joy-filled life. Let’s think about this.

Not Knowing What to Pray For

Now sometimes we know what to pray for. Comfort for a friend who is grieving a loss. Strength for a family member who is facing dilemma. Peace for ourselves in the midst of a storm, sometimes of our own making.

But sometimes, I would suggest oftentimes, we do not know what to pray for. We often pray for a change in the symptoms of a problem, when we should be trying to discern and cry out for the infirmity or cause. It’s like praying your boat won’t sink, instead of praying for the storm to cease. Jesus always knew what to pray for.

And so does the Holy Spirit.

Bid my many woes depart;

The line before asks Him to cheer saddened hearts. That is a good prayer. This line asks Him to remove the cause of the sadness. Bid the woes depart, the many woes, that are causing my heart to be sad.

We don’t have to know what to pray for. We can ask the Spirit to do it for us. Our part, asking Him for the help. His part, being that help.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Romans 8:26 ESV

We are weak and frail and sometimes so much so that we do not even know what to pray for.  Our griefs and woes leave us speechless before our gracious Lord. Even then the Spirit works to send those woes packing.  That cheers our hearts and creates an environment for joy to take root. We are responsible to cultivate that sprout, by regularly asking Him to pray for us, effectively removing the weeds of woe that would otherwise choke the life from our joy.

Will you welcome Him to do that work for which He is uniquely equipped?

RESONATE!
Looking to the Spirit to speak to our woes, as opposed to speaking to them ourselves, makes a lot of sense. Often we do not have much authority to make them depart, but He always does. Even when He does not immediately answer this prayer, turning it over to Him helps. Try it now. Ask Him to bid your woes depart.

Bleeding Heart

Seeing the Progression that Leads to Healed Hearts

There is an interesting progression in this stanza that is easy to overlook since each line is strong enough to stand alone. It is really beautiful when you see it. Think about it for just a few moments.

  1. We acknowledge the Spirit is the joy of God. That creates a standard we can measure our countenance against, and when we do, we will often find ourselves lacking, or falling short, of our inheritance. So we determine to do something about it.
  2. We respond by asking the Spirit to cheer our hearts, which when set against the reality of His joy are clearly sad. As He does this work, we realize there are woes, or causes of our sadness, which are deeper than we first recognized.  This leads us to a franker, more honest prayer.
  3. We ask Him to tell our woes to depart, to leave us. We may not even understand the real cause of some of them, but we ask not simply to be cheered, but delivered, from them entirely. As He does that gracious work, we begin to see there is one final prayer we must pray.
  4. We ask for healing. As the Spirit delivers us from the cause of our woes, we come to find that they have left wounds, and often, we are still bleeding even after they have gone. We invite the Spirit to heal our hearts.

And He does it all.

Heal my wounded, bleeding heart.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3 ESV

What has broken your heart? What has caused you wounds? Maybe you are still bleeding. Have you brought those woes to the Spirit and asked Him to heal your heart? If not, do so right now. List them off and ask for His healing.

Seriously. If anything came to mind you have not brought to Him, don’t put it off. Stop and do it right now.

If you already have, and nothing new is coming to mind, thank Him again for the healing He has brought and will continue to bring.

RESONATE!
Thank the Holy Spirit for His work of joy in your wounded heart. You have faced many woes, and there may even be some places you are still bleeding, but you can trust He is able to heal them. Ask Him to remind you to bring all your sadness to Him without hesitation.

Jesus, thank You for sending Your Spirit to cheer my saddened heart, and ultimately heal my wounded bleeding heart. Thank You, Spirit, for invading those woes and exiling them far away from me. Help me to continue to learn how to walk in the overwhelming, eternal joy only You can bring. In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Joy-filled Thinking!

Are these thoughts helping you to develop greater spiritual awareness?  Sign-up in the form to the right above to get updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.

Podcast 17.3 Transcript

Welcome to Thursday Thoughts at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s think about this.

Holy Spirit, Joy divine,

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11 ESV

The Holy Spirit is our teacher and guide.  He reveals to us the very presence of God. In His presence is fullness of joy. Begin with this acknowledgement of divine joy and thank the Holy Spirit for showing you the path to it and God’s eternal pleasures.

Cheer this saddened heart of mine;

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13 ESV

This encouraging word is spoken to us for two purposes. It acknowledges the power of the Spirit to bring joy, peace and hope. It also validates that reality that our hearts are often saddened by the things we experience. Ask the Spirit to cheer your saddened heart with His joy today.

Bid my many woes depart;

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Romans 8:26 ESV

We are weak and frail and sometimes so much so that we do not even know what to pray for.  Our griefs and woes leave us speechless before our gracious Lord. Even then the Spirit works to bring His unrivaled joy into our hearts by bidding woes depart. Welcome Him to do that work.

Heal my wounded, bleeding heart.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3 ESV

What has broken your heart? What has caused you wounds? Have you brought those to the Spirit and asked Him to heal your heart? If not, do so right now. List them off and ask for His healing. If you already have, thank Him again for the healing He brings.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has come to your mind, or listen to what He is saying to you, then I will read our text once more.

Holy Spirit, Joy divine,
Cheer this saddened heart of mine;
Bid my many woes depart;
Heal my wounded, bleeding heart.

Take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond.  Until next time, be Resonant.

The post Have You Asked the Spirit to Heal Your Heart? appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image Attributions
Many Woes – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/sad-cry-tear-emotion-mood-face-1533965/
Wounded, Bleeding Heart – https://pixabay.com/photos/broken-heart-heart-bleeding-heart-2318143/

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Becoming Examples in Affliction, with Joy

Wednesday Wanderings is a time we set aside to wander in the Presence of Jesus and ponder His truths. When you are ready, prepare your mind, body, and soul to have a transformational encounter with Jesus.

Watch the Wednesday Wanderings Welcome for this week.

Now that we have cleared our minds of the clutter, we can wander on the journey with Jesus.

PREPARATION: In our last Wandering, we welcomed the divine power of the Holy Spirit to help us overcome. This week we are inviting His joy to gladden our wounded, bleeding hearts. When you are ready, you may begin the dialogue with Jesus and state: “Jesus, I invite you to help me to leisurely wander into your Presence. Prepare my heart to receive, and illuminate my spiritual senses to encounter you.”

PROMISE: I Thessalonians 1:6-7a ESV
And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,  so that you became an example to all the believers…

It is the Spirit who first helps us understand our sadness in light of the purposes and deliverance of God, and it is also the Spirit who ushers in His healing. Let’s take a few minutes today to turn from the sadness of affliction and embrace the joy available in His presence. Will you join us on the journey?

Saddened Heart

PSALM:Holy Spirit, Light Divine (1817)
By: Andrew Reed, (1787-1862)

Holy Spirit, Joy divine,
Cheer this saddened heart of mine;
Bid my many woes depart;
Heal my wounded, bleeding heart.

Reed turns the joy of the Holy Spirit inward again in this stanza, using it to undo the effects our woes and sorrow have on us.  Take a few moments to apply His joy to any sadness you may be nursing today and rest in the unrivaled mercy of our God to you. How gentle He is!

PARABLE: Sadness. All of us struggle with some of this. There are many sources of sadness and they are as varied as they are numerous. Sometimes people do or say things that hurt us. Sometimes we are the people doing the hurting and we later feel the remorse it can bring. Sometimes we are disappointed, and other times we disappoint others. Sometimes the wounds leave scars that are difficult to work through, and that is after the bleeding has finally stopped. All of these kinds of things can cause sadness, and none of us is immune from having to deal with some of this.

So how do you find joy in affliction? Short answer, never easily. Long answer, be drawing close to the source of all joy.

As you draw close to the Lord, you begin to imitate Him. As you imitate Jesus you are able to be become the example that at first you were only following. A key piece of this is receiving the word, even in your affliction. It is not easy to listen to what God is saying when we are hurting, but we must learn this invaluable lesson.

Imagine if Jesus was not able to walk through the affliction of the cross.  If He would have turned away before He got there, or not completed His work in the way the Father had designed. Yes, designed. We can accept the fact that God designed the cross for Christ, but sometimes struggle to think that imitating Him will require similar self-denial.

Wounded Heart

Remember Jesus asking for the cup to be removed? So we are in good company when we ask Him to cause our woes to depart. By the stripes He bore there, we are healed. So do not hesitate to ask for that healing to flow in your life that your wounded, bleeding heart may be whole again.

You can be healed and joyful. But you must ask. This stanza is a simple but beautiful prayer. Will you make it yours today?

PONDER and WANDER:  If you choose, Ponder the question: How can I routinely welcome the joy available through God’s healing into my life?

The joy of the Holy Spirit wants to flood your life and bring healing.  We must be willing to welcome that joy every day. He has His part which you can not do, but you must do your part and invite Him to come and partner with you and help you with yours. The exercise below expands the simple prayer of this stanza.  Use it and continue to develop resonance as you remove things that hinder the flow of His joy in your soul.

Soul care training exercise: If you choose, complete this week’s soul training exercise.

  • When you are ready, clear your mind and acknowledge that the Spirit is the joy of God.  We must begin there so we are prepared to apply His joy to our sorrows.
  • Next, invite the Holy Spirit to come and cheer your heart when you are confronted with the reality of God and the sadness it reveals in your heart.
  • As He shows you the woes that needs to be informed and healed by His joy, do not hesitate to ask Him to bid them depart.
  • Finally, thank Him that He can heal your wounded bleeding heart, then trust Him to do it today and every day. 

PRAYER: Jesus, thank you for sending Your Spirit to help me deal with my sadness. I need His help every day. Help me to remember this and be quick to ask for it. In Your name I pray, Amen. 

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your soul of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to worship Him and let the work of your wandering fill you with the praise of Christ.

Then take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

The post Becoming Examples in Affliction, with Joy appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image Attributions:
Saddened Heart – https://pixabay.com/photos/people-man-guy-cry-tears-groom-2566201/
Wounded Heart – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/heart-broken-heart-valentine-love-667806/

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