Wrestling in Your Soul

Ultimately, there are two Kingdoms: Jesus' kingdom of light vs. the Satanic kingdom of darkness.

Our fully sovereign Creator gives each person the freedom to choose between the two. He tries to draw us, woo us, and influence us to choose Jesus and His kingdom. But He won't force us.

An Old Warhorse

Today I'm sharing thoughts about warhorses. This analogy first came to mind decades ago. I don't recall now what stirred this to life, but I do know that God was in it and that He used it to speak to me down deep in my soul. Maybe this is mostly for me, but I think it will speak to you, too.

I'm certainly no expert on horses or on warhorses, for that matter, so if my historical accuracy is a little off, please bear with me. It's my story, after all.

A Soft and Tender Heart

The choices you make as a Believer have a huge impact on your life and the lives of others. For it to be a godly impact, you must maintain a soft and tender heart towards God. 

Choosing that kind of heart is up to you. He'll help you, but you determine the tenderness of your heart.

Psalm 95:7-8 (NIV)

Today, if only you would hear his voice, “Do not harden your hearts..."

 

He wouldn't have said that if you didn't have a choice in the matter. As Tarzan might have said it, 

"Hard heart bad. Soft heart good."

Embracing His Plan

From the beginning, God's plan through Jesus has been to rescue fallen people and take them to Himself in Heaven. In large measure, He's delaying judgement on this fallen world, allowing more time for more people to turn to Him. And not for them to just kind of turn; to really turn, an all the way deep down in the heart kind of turn that impacts every part of a person's life.

That kind of heart change won't always be easy. But whether it's easy or not, the goal for us, more than anything, should be to sell out completely to whatever makes our Creator's heart sing and rejoice.  

The Truth About Death

There. That got your attention. Now let me explain what I means when I say "The Truth About Death." 

You might guess I'm talking about becoming less self-oriented and more Christ-oriented.

That's a good guess. Jesus spoke repeatedly to His disciples that they must die to living for themselves and instead live for Him. Matthew 16:24 and Mark 8:34 are good examples. That is the subject of many sermons, and rightfully so, but that's not the kind of death I'm talking about today.

This is.