A heart condition

A few things I'm learning these days:

A while ago I blogged about my hardened heart. Well, I'm still noticing how quickly my heart grows cold and hard if not tended to. The other day I was reading Psalm 119 (which I love so much and am quite familiar with) and my heart was hard. With each word I read, I felt a change. My eyes filled with tears and my heart began to melt. At that moment I realized the Word of God is the only thing that can truly soften my heart. If I have a heart of stone, it is an indication that I am not in the word enough. I thank God for this revelation because it shows me my daily need for nourishment from the Word of God. I am starving without it...growing cold...and slowly dying.

Man, God has really been making me aware of the condition of my heart; after all, that is what He is concerned about. The more I learn about my depraved heart, the more I have to cling to Christ.

I am also learning much through my Bible Study (Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss). It is allowing me to identify lies I didn't know I was believing. Simple lies like "I can make it through the day without prayer and the word...I'll do it tomorrow," or "I can watch this movie, be entertained, and NOT be drawn away from Christ." These are lies, direct lies. I am unable to do anything pleasing to God when I do it in my flesh...and you better believe I am acting in my flesh when I haven't been in the Word or in prayer that day.

Romans 8:5-8 "For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God."

It comes full circle...if I am not in the Word, I set my mind on things of the flesh, I start to believe lies, my heart begins to harden, and I can do nothing to please God.

Thank God for His Word, and for Christ Jesus, who is our hope and our righteousness.