Hearty vs Heady

carole l. haines

I have reflected on some things God is bringing forth in my life, sins that need to be dealt with at a deeper level. Jesus says: Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, ¹⁹ because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?” ²⁰ And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. ²¹ For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, ²² deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. ²³ All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.” (Mark 7 NASB)  I have been surprised at some of the sins still lurking beneath the surface. I have been caught off guard by some things that I have said lately. Have you ever surprised yourself, and wondered “Where in the world did that come from?”  Well, I certainly have, and I had a moment like that about 2 weeks ago, and have taken it before the Lord for further cleansing.  We need to be careful not to cover up these sins that surprise us, as we mature in Christ. Instead, we need to run swiftly to God with them.  God’s Word invites us to do just that, Come boldly to His throne of Grace.

¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16 NASB)

Jesus is our Great High Priest, and He can sympathize with our weaknesses because He has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.  Think on that mind-blowing truth for a moment! Our Savior, Our God, knows what it feels like to be tempted to sin, but He never did.  He, then, can show us how not to sin.  We definitely need to resist the natural response of “duck and cover”‘ when we have these sideways reactions, or ‘triggers” to things.  We must instead come boldly to His throne of Grace to find help in that moment of need.  He is able, willing and joyful about helping us walk in His ways.  My Mom always told me that the longest 18 inches is the distance between the head and the heart.  We can discover what is wrong on an intellectual level, but only God can remove things from our heart. God wants to make us people of “heart knowledge, more than head knowledge.  He wants us to Hearty, not Heady.

Lord make this true, in all of us, and teach us to drop the fig leaves Adam and Eve have handed down to us, and run to You, our Great High Priest instead, when we see these frailties in ourselves and in others.  Amen