Shepherd of My Heart
By-Crickettt
(Scriptures taken from the Living Bible and King James)
Psalm 34:18,19-The Lord is close to those whose hearts are breaking; He rescues those who are humbly sorry for their sins. The good man does not escape all troubles-he has them too. But the Lord helps him in each and every one.
Psalm 139:1,16,23-24-O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test my thoughts. Point out anything you find in me that makes you sad and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
The heart is the most vital organ within our body that keeps us alive. Not only does it pump blood throughout our entire body, but it also sustains us in various ways. The Bible speaks of the heart as being the very core of man. From the heart flows the nature and character of man. (KJV) Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” God dwells within the heart of man. What we say and what we do has been planted in our hearts by our surroundings. We make the choices of what we see, hear and say. We act upon the things we have allowed to come inside our hearts. Our actions are usually based upon our emotions. Within our heart there is an unction given to man by God for a reason. This inner knowledge urges us to do what is right before God. When we are out of step with God, we ignore the unction within and act upon our own way of doing things. We experience guilt as a result of our disobedience towards God. This guilt is actually a good way of letting us know that we messed up and now have an opportunity to make things right.
Because of ignorance toward God, we find ourselves involved in many troubles. God dwells in those people who have accepted his son Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Satan controls the ones who have rejected Jesus. Their hearts can only be filled with wickedness because they have become slaves to Satan. There is hope! Jesus said, "Unless a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." To be born again means to be changed Spiritually. Our hearts become renewed and changes take place within us in order to make us new in Christ. The Bible says, in Philippines 4:7- And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (KJV). In other words, God works directly within the hearts of man. The heart defines who we really are as people. Our character, beliefs, faith, actions, motives, and everything we do is determined by what lies on the inside of our heart. The scriptures above, taken from Psalm, distinctively teaches us that God examines the heart of man to see if there is any good on the inside since our true nature is within. When we plan out revengeful acts towards others or try to disguise our actions, we are only fooling ourselves. Mankind cannot hide from God. God knows our every move even before we plan it out. He is very much aware of our intentions. He knows if we are doing things deliberately or not. For example, if I said something to someone which offended them but did not intentionally mean to hurt them, God would look inside my heart and know the truth. He would also allow me to experience that inner quilt so I would be obedient and apologize to that person.
The Bible teaches the importance of guarding your heart. The devil is constantly attacking us from every side and if we are not putting God's Word and His Love into operation, we will fall victim to Satan. Jesus said, "I am the Good Shepherd, I take care of my sheep." "My sheep hear my voice and a stranger’s voice they will not follow." Jesus is the shepherd of the hearts of those who accept him as their Lord and Savior. I know personally that I can fully trust in and count on Jesus to always give my heart the peace it needs in times of trouble. Sometimes, our hearts are broken by people we trusted or from circumstances around us. Unless we have the love of Christ dwelling within, it is difficult to overcome those hurts and disappointments. That is why Jesus said, "Be of good courage for I have overcome the world for you," and "I am with you always, even until the end of time." Jesus experienced the same hurts we have all felt at one time or another. The difference is, his experiences consisted of a much greater pain than we could ever possibly fathom or would ever know. Through it all, Jesus continued to keep his heart and mind fixed on God's promises. His heart was settled because God's Word was his comfort and peace.
Jesus is the Shepherd of my heart because no other living being would ever give up for me what Jesus did on that cross. When the battles rage around me and the devil tries to beat me up, Jesus steps in and fixes things. His love covers all my sins, mistakes and failures. I am able to pick myself up again and get back on the right path. As long as I am walking with Christ, there is nothing that I cannot handle; he is fighting that battle for me. Jesus said he had already conquered the world by conquering death, hell, and the grave.
I pray that you will examine your heart as the Bible says and see if there is anything displeasing to God within you. If you discover something wrong, confess it before God and let his forgiveness give you peace. Christ wants to work in your heart. He wants your heart to be settled with him and he wants to be the shepherd of your heart. If you have not asked Jesus to come into your life, I pray that you will stop and ask him to come in, fill you with his Holy Spirit, forgive your sins and change your life. Maybe you are a Christian and you are reading this, knowing that something is missing and you have drifted away from God for whatever reasons. It's never too late to get your heart right. Only you and God know what direction you are headed in.
Read Psalm 51, it is the Psalm king David wrote after he had sinned against God by committing adultery with Bathsheba. She became pregnant so David sent her husband on the front line of the battle to have him killed so David could take Bathsheba as his wife and cover up their sin. David had to suffer the punishment for his sin since he was king over God's people, Israel. After the death of their son, David realized he had fallen away from God's commands. He fell upon his face in true humbleness and sincerity before God and God heard his cry. He raised David up and made him even greater than before.
We all have to fall on our faces at times or hit rock bottom in order to appreciate what we have in God. Don't let the mistakes you have made keep you from running to God for forgiveness. He wants to cleanse you and make all things new. He will put you back on the right path where you belong. Let Christ become the Shepherd of your heart today! He is waiting on you with open arms!
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