"Guard Your Heart"

"I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O LORD, according unto thy word." (Psalms 119:107)

  I really don't know how else to describe what I feel the Lord speaking into my heart this morning, except to say that we must prepare our hearts for all that is false and evil all around us. The Bible truly teaches us that it will be very difficult for even those that are of the elect to not be deceived. (Matthew 24:24) God's word is not only a light for our path, which shows us the direction; it is a lamp unto our feet, which guides us in the darkness. Maybe this might seem outdated to some; especially those that are not quite certain that the Old Testament and New Testament are one of the same; as if the old no longer matters and it is now all about grace. It is easy to be deceived in that area, because we tend to believe what best agrees with the desire of our hearts. It is only going to get harder to endure sound doctrine; more and more churches are giving into the more modern way of thinking; as if the grace of God allows for people to live and explore all the desires of the heart, as long as it involves love, it must be of God. We are surely living in the last days! Every day I hear of something new that is happening which points to the sign of the season we are living in. The word "afflicted" is really quite an unusual word. It speaks to something of akin to becoming worldly, as in to till the ground, to bring the earth into cultivation; to submit yourself to anyone, or labor upon anything. Whether it counts for anything or not, it is this kind of thing that takes its toll upon those saints that serve in ministry. Serving the Lord is not meant to be laboring, it is meant to be joyful and energizing the soul. The word "quicken" is a word that speaks off giving life, reviving and refreshing are hearts and soul; causing there to be a glow in our lives and in the way feel by walking with the Lord. This is hard to talk about because there are so many brothers and sisters that I know that just don't look happy. I mean, I know that there is not much to rejoice over here in this world, but this is all temporary and the best is just around the corner...

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all." (Psalms 34:19) KJV