Author Archives: ClayHeart

About ClayHeart

This author's personal blog is www.clayheart.com. Her heart is to share personal writings in an open, honest and raw manner in hopes to convey the human need for a Savior, Jesus Christ, and to inspire others toward deeper relationship with Him.

I am Changed

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I am changed.  I am changed, forever and I want everyone to know.

I have been released and have let go of the things that have held me captive.   I will no longer walk in the shadows of blessings because of pre-conceived ideas of what was expected of me.  I will no longer be in bondage and, now, I am changed.

I am a part of the fellowship of the unashamed.

I have Holy Ghost power!

The die has been cast.
I have stepped over the line.
The decision has been made.
I am a disciple of His.

I will not look back…
let up…
slow down…
back away…
or be still.
My past is redeemed.
My present makes sense.
My future is secure.

I am finished and done with:
low-living,
sight-walking,
chintzy-giving,
dwarf goals.

I no longer need:
pre-eminence…
prosperity…
position…
prominence…
plaudits… or
popularity.

I don’t have to be:
right…
first…
tops…
recognized…
praised…
regarded… or
rewarded.

I now live by presence…
lean by faith…
walk with patience…
lift by prayer.. and
labor by power.

My face is set…

My way is rough…
My companions few…
My guide reliable…
My mission clear.
My gate is fast…
My goal is heaven…
My road is narrow…

I cannot be bought…
compromised…
detoured…
lured away…
turned back…
deluded… or
delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice…
hesitate in the presence of the adversary…
negotiate at the pool of popularity… or
meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I will not give up…
shut up… or
let up…

Until I’ve stayed up…
stored up…
prayed up…
paid up…
preached up
for the cause of Christ.
I am a disciple of Jesus.

I must:
go until He comes…
give until I drop…
preach all I know…
and work until He stops me.

And when He comes for me, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be quite clear.

Not by might or by power, but by His Spirit…

~ Beautifully shared by, Nancy Coen.

Seeing and Showing the Love of God

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Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.   1 Corinthians 13:4-7  (NIV)

ppl-kid-07Love can be hard when you come across someone who seems unlovable. They may have harsh words when they speak to you, or they may do things that hurt your feelings and you wonder how you can love this person.  It is sometimes very hard to show the Love of God to people who seem abrasive and hurtful.  But, that is what we are called to do.

The good news is if God can love you and me with all of our short comings, and issues, we can ask him to help us love others the same way. It will not always feel good because it will be a struggle to overcome the selfish nature we have to automatically protect ourselves and to retaliate.

Demonstrate the love of God by showing kindness regardless of the situation. No one said love would be easy. We are not focusing on the easy to love but those seemingly unlovable people who you run into time after time. Make a decision in your head and heart that you will show that person the love of God through kindness regardless of their reaction. Do this enough times and you will begin to see the power of love in action. Slowly that cold barrier will start to dissolve.

Another way to show the love of God is to be deliberate about loving others in your actions and words. Once you decide how you will do this, the actual love acts will become easier and you will begin to feel joy about how you are positively impacting others for Christ.

Being slow to anger is another demonstration of the love of God. There are times when you may be tired and not have much patience, but remember that God shows us mercy every day and we need to do the same for our brothers and sisters.

Protect your relationships from the enemy by being willing to forgive and really forget if another has offended you. This can be challenging when someone close to you hurts you but you can forgive with God’s help. This not only shows God’s love, but it strengthens our connections as the body of Christ.

Show love by thinking of others before you think of yourself. Jesus was the greatest example of this by his death on the cross. We need to die to ourselves everyday as a witness to the love of Christ on this earth.

Keep trying to show the love of God to everyone you meet. Think of ways you can change someone’s life though an act of love. Love is powerful, give it freely and often.

 

Rend Your Heart

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Should you not fear me?” declares the Lord.
    “Should you not tremble in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,
    an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
    they may roar, but they cannot cross it.
But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts;
    they have turned aside and gone away.
They do not say to themselves,
    ‘Let us fear the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains in season,
    who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’
Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
    your sins have deprived you of good.
– Jeremiah 5:22-25

In September, the piercing truth of those verses above were devastating to my soul.  All of the first 20 or so chapters of Jeremiah were that way for me.  The back and forth between the Lord and Israel, and the prayers and pleas of Jeremiah were intense and raw.  The reality and how close these situations hit home in my heart was overwhelming.  Yet there was so much truth in this book of Jeremiah that I continued reading chapter upon chapter non-stop for a few days while the Lord deeply rebuked, convicted and comforted me during that time.

My emotions have been all over the place since then.  I would have periods of dropping into the depths of shame and despair, end up wailing on the floor and in my spirit with major outward expressions of grief and repentance, only to have the Lord lift me up and cradle me in His arms in greater comfort and peace.  We would wrestle for a while many times before I would ultimately accept what He was pouring out over me.  His incessant amazing love continues to prevail – far beyond my finite understanding… and I am so thankful!

In a way, back in September was probably one of the first real times that I began to actively “fear God” and those deep seeds were beginning to be sown into my spirit.  The first part of a prayer from Jeremiah in chapter 10 was something I felt very strongly connected to and it became a prayer of my own:

I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own;
it is not for man to direct his steps.
Correct me, Lord, but only with justice—
not in your anger,
lest you reduce me to nothing.
– Jeremiah 10:23-24

If there is one thing that I now can comprehend more deeply than I have previously… it is that the Lord is still and always faithful.  He answered my prayer and has not corrected me in His anger, but with justice… He has not reduced me to nothing, though the correction and discipline is still very painful.

I’ve been in a season of rending since September.  It’s also a time of correction and discipline from my Father, but rending has been my response to it (that is, after the initial stubborn resistance).  I couldn’t fully describe what kind of season it’s been until last week when I read the book of Joel.  I’m not sure if I’ve ever paid attention to the word “rend” before – but I immediately noticed and began to digest it.

“Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
– Joel 2:12-13

To me, this goes along with Jeremiah and all that the Lord has been bringing me through.  It is only by His grace that He’s brought me to this place and it’s incredible!  This is definitely not a place I would ever be able to conjure up for myself.

When I was in rebellion, not truly fearing Him but had elevated MAN and people above Him by literally fearing THEM and letting others’ dictate my life instead of His Kingship… I was bitter, resentful, and in constant chaos.  Yet those were just the effects of my disobedience – the deeper sin and issue.  I was blinded by so many things though, and in the Lord’s faithfulness, He opened my heart and eyes to more of His truth.

Rend means to “tear”.

I’ve used the term “fillet” in regards to the heart before, and it’s along those same lines… filleting the heart open before the Lord is necessary for the relationship.  But I’m really liking the “rending” term too!  Filleting is a cutting process that often uses a sharp utensil of some kind.  So in a sense it’s a more sophisticated method… while tearing is using your hands and a much more crude method.  It’s using what you already have access to – something raw and natural.  The process is unrefined and desperate… more human.  Maybe that doesn’t really make sense and I’m putting more thoughtfulness into that than is necessary.  But I tend to observe things that way though and process more allegorically so it feels important to me.

From my limited understanding, the culture of the Jewish people and many other Eastern cultures of Biblical times was to tear their garments when upset or in mourning.  Just remembering from off the top of my head (I’d have to do further investigating to be totally sure), I believe plenty of prophets and other people mentioned in the Bible tore their clothes when hearing devastating or upsetting news or in repentance of their sins, etc.  This was a surface expression of how upset they were – an outward show of their deeper emotions.

Anyone can tear their garments and put on an outward show though, even without the deeper things going on… if you pay closer attention the verse in Joel, it is so clear in requesting a rending (tearing) of the heart and NOT the garments.  In other words and how I take that, tear things deeper and not just superficially or on the surface.

Each of us has the capacity to deceive ourselves… we can go about our lives with an outward superficial show of repentance or appear as if we are fearing the Lord, when in reality and in the deeper parts of our souls – we are not.  When we’re being disobedient or deceptive in the deeper parts of our hearts, we might can successfully fool everyone around us, but we can’t fool the One who created us and who has everything laid out wide open before Him.  That’s why we have to trust God, and not our own selves.

We all need a time of heart rending before the Lord… if we’re opposed to it and satisfied to just carry on with our superficial lives, not trembling in His presence, being stubborn and rebellious, not returning to Him with our whole hearts… we will bring the Lord and ourselves more grief.  The Lord knows what is best and good for us… that’s why He’s gracious and compassionate, abounding in love and slow to anger!  But He is also JUST and that’s why correction and rebuke is necessary and good.

We each need to wake up and be sensitive to pay attention to His heart, because it’s typically after a good rebuking and responsive rending that our hearts can be changed since we’ve become open, broken, and soft enough to listen to Him… I feel like the Lord begins to reveal Himself more clearly in that time and it’s all in preparation for the Day of His return.  A great, dreadful, amazing day that will be!  We need to be ready for it and not grow cold, weary, or lose heart.

“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.”
– Malachi 4:1-2

I don’t know about you but I want to fear God, take His correction, be obedient and rend my heart… returning to the Lord, revering His name, so I can be with Him in eternity and see that amazing day of Jesus’ return.  I don’t want anything of this world, my flesh and sin nature, Satan’s schemes or whatever to detour me from obtaining the prize of Jesus and being with Him forever.  Holy Spirit, start revival!

Does Anyone Really Care?

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“And let us consider and give attentive, continuous care to watching over one another.”  Hebrews 10:24

building each other upDo you ever wonder if anyone really cares?  If  you have accepted Christ as your savior, not only do you have a new life and purpose, but you also have a new family.  In this family, the Bible teaches us that we should care for each other and encourage one another.  The Amplified bible says to give attentive continuous care to watching over one another.

With the online social movement many people have become somewhat reclusive from face-to-face contact.  It seems that the new lifestyle and societal trend is to connect with relationships virtually – without physical interactions.  Unfortunately, in too many cases it has become to easy of an escape from recognizing and responding to the needs of others.  It’s difficult to wash feet and serve needs from a virtual connection.

Restoring Families

Social sites certainly have a place in our society and can help us find new ways of loving, encouraging, and sharing. We should carefully evaluate how we are building each other up in the Faith.  God has called us to Love unconditionally and to care for each other by serving in the nurturing of Faith.   Let us diligently and attentively consider each other’s trials, difficulties, and weaknesses; feel for each other, and excite each other to an increase of love to God and man; and as proof of it, to be fruitful in good works.

We are to be concerned about other Christians because they are our brothers and sisters. When you are in a family and care about others, you watch out for them and it sets you free from a lonely, secluded, and self centered life. Verse 24 says to give continuous (nonstop, constant) care to watching out for one another.

In your natural family, what was your response when you were asked by your dad or mom to look after your younger brother or sister? Whatever thoughts you have today that are hurtful and childish, just simply put them away (1 Corinthians 13:11) because these thoughts  and feelings are blocks that are keeping you from being obedient to the Word of God.

I remember a song we sang at youth camp around the camp fire many years ago. The words to that song had such an impact on my life. The song went something like this:  Do you really care -do you know how to share with people everywhere – do you really care?

What is holding you back? Identify your feelings and ask the Lord to fill you will His Love anew that you may be able to give it to others.

Waiting on the Lord to Lift me up!

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“The Lord will take me up.” Psalm 27:10

confess our iniquityHe had actually called me to walk on a path called Righteousness. My desire to walk upright prior to God was not so that he would accept me because now I started to actually comprehend that He had actually already accepted me. As I continued on this course called righteousness and as His word continued to penetrate my heart I began to totally experience God in my life.

“When my dad and mom forsake me, then the Lord will take me up” (Psalm 27:10). If you were forsaken throughout your youth, ask the Lord to show you if you are still holding on to discomfort or if you responded in a sinful way. Maturation comes as w e are healed of the pain and then start to take duty for our own sinful response

Insights on Preparation – Get the Joseph Report

I matured without a dad’s impact; he was gone most of the time during my childhood. I was unaware that my heart had to be cleansed from the bitterness and anger from years of hurt and disappointments. From the hurt, I evaluated my dad. I was so concentrated on exactly what he had actually done to hurt me that I did rule out how sinful my responses were.

The Holy Spirit exposed to me that I had broken numerous spiritual laws. I dishonored my dad by judging him, and now I was due to reap what I had actually sown. The Lord convicted me that I should forgive him and repent for my sinful response, or I would do the exact same thing to my children.

I quickly repented. In His mercy He raised me up from the bad consequences that had begun to happen. Then He set my feet on solid ground and said, “This is the right means, now walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21).

Every day, I tried to walk closer to the Lord. As He exposed Himself and I started to receive His truth, I began to feel like I was scaling a stunning mountain.

My desire to walk upright prior to God was not so that he would accept me since now I began to really comprehend that He had already accepted me. As I continued on this course called righteousness and as His word continued to permeate my heart I began to completely experience God in my life. “When my father and mom forsake me, then the Lord will take me up” (Psalm 27:10).

Do You Know God’s Will For Your Life?

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Learning to Trust AgainHave you ever questioned what God’s will for your life is?  God’s Kingdom is distinct and a different way of life. Phil 2:13 says, “It is God in you that works to will and to act according to His excellent pleasure”.

I have actually discovered that I can pray the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done”, and afterwards resist the work of Christ in me. “Col 1: 27 says, To whom God would make understood exactly what is the riches of the glory of this secret among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory”. I had to find out the difference between my will and His. My will includes doing whatever I wish to do, as much as I wish to do it. If I live according to my will, then I will consume all the food I want, invest all the cash I want, then whine since I am overweight and broke. When I abide and submit by His will, then I have criteria and borders. When I surrender my life to Christ and ask Him to be in charge, I am doing exactly what He desires me to do.

Your life will not be complicated if you surrender to God’s plan and will for your life. It is Christ working inside of you, changing your will to do the Fathers will. Take time to read His Word and you will quickly see who you are.

JOSEPH REPORT:  INSIGHTS ON PREPAREDNESS

You are His kid and a beneficiary. You are to live as a successor, a joint successor with Christ. It will alter your plan for the day when you get a look that you are here on planet earth as a beneficiary to develop and keep your Fathers kingdom.

Pray this easy prayer, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in paradise.” Journal as you ask Him to reveal you His will. What does it appear like?

Have you ever questioned exactly what God’s will for your life is? God’s Kingdom is distinct and a different method of life. I am doing exactly what He desires me to do when I surrender my life to Christ and ask Him to be in charge.

Your life will not be complicated if you surrender to God’s strategy and will for your life.

God Prepares You for Your Blessing

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“For You make him to be blessed and a blessing for life …” Psalm 21:6

rest in HimDavid said in Psalms 21:6, that God in fact makes you to be blessed. He makes you or simply puts, He prepares you ‘to get’ His blessings so that you can be a blessing to others. Think about it, today He is preparing you for His true blessings!

You resemble a storehouse that He should prepare to pour His true blessings into.   If you are a little 4 room residence He may require you to expand to get a blessing.  You cannot have the “us 4 and no even more” mindset and anticipate God to bless you beyond where you currently are. It could be that where you are right now in your thinking is not huge enough to hold all the blessings God has actually planned for you.

They had to comply with God in order to be prepared for the true blessings. Their storehouse had to be prepared so they would appropriately manage true blessings as God released them.

We are always blessed by God so we can keep the true blessings flowing and be a true blessing to God’s individuals. If you are blessed by God, as Joseph was blessed, it indicates you need to find out the best ways to regulate the true blessing and launch it to God’s individuals at the selected time. True blessings from God suggest He has actually left you with something, and all He asks of you is to be a great steward and correctly keep the blessing.

When God abundantly blesses someone, they are not to be storehouses that accumulate the blessings and state, “take a look at me.” He blesses us so He can use us to pour out true blessings out and share with others. This is completion of the verse from Psalm 21:6, You make him exceedingly delighted with the joy of Your Presence. As we bless others the flow of God’s true blessing continues to stream to us and this is how we become a blessing forever. “Give and it should be offered to you.” Be a blessing to others with the true blessings God has actually entrusted you with.

God prepares you ‘to get’ His blessings so that you can be a blessing to others. We are constantly blessed by God so we can keep the true blessings flowing and be a blessing to God’s individuals. Blessings from God suggest He has entrusted you with something, and all He asks of you is to be an excellent steward and properly keep and share the blessing.

As we bless others the flow of God’s true blessing continues to stream to us and this is how we become a blessing forever. Be a blessing to others with the true blessings God has actually delegated you with.

Pray this prayer…
Dear Lord, It is really my heart’s desire to be a true blessing to others. Help me to prepare myself ahead of time to receive Your blessings. I desire my life to be a storehouse that You fill out so I have plenty to offer to others who require. Show me today what I have to do to prepare myself for Your blessings.

In Jesus’ Name,.

How to Find Perfect Love

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“Perfect love casts out all fear, for fear hath torment.  And he that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 1 John 4:18

perfect loveWe are created in the image of God and designed to have intimate relationships bound in love.   I guess it would be safe to say we are created with a “need” to love, and be loved.

As an infant, the first time we are touched and held by our parent, our initial experience with physical love is activated.  But, only for a moment.  At the stage of infancy, the ability to hold-on to love has not been fully established.  The ability to hold-on when someone says they are holding you is what we label as trust.  Just as a baby will continue to cry until he/she learns how to trust, we as adults will continue to whine and complain until we mature and learn to trust God completely.

We first learn to trust through loving, nurturing parents.  Since they are our first source of nurturing, we begin to trust them as a source of comfort and “love”.  We trust them to return, even when they are away for a day.  Once trust has been established, they can be away for longer periods of time and we still feel secure and loved.  Their continual flow of love keeps our hearts soft and open to trusting.

Unfortunately, some people never fully experience that sense of trust.  A lack of love due to neglect, rejection or abuse is painful and causes emotions to shut down and their heart begins to harden.  Each time pain is felt, a stone is formed in the heart.    After a period of time, the stones form a wall around the heart for protection against further pain.  A person with a stony heart has a difficult time receiving love from God or others – and also have a tough time offering love to others.  Relationships are difficult, and unfortunately, the very thing that is needed to heal the pain is blocked out.

We all have areas of our heart that are stony due to the fact that we all have been hurt when love did not flow properly from early relationships in our lives.   Sometimes parents are unable to provide the relationship and unconditional love that helps build a soft, trusting heart.  Perhaps their own struggles caused them to have a hardened heart – and unable to love properly.

The fact is, as adults we need to understand that our example of love is Jesus Christ.  Through him our hearts can be softened in order to love others.  Regardless of hurts or lack of trust from early relationships, by opening our hearts to Christ we can love through hurts and disappointments.

Ask God for His perfect love to fill you; for God is the only one who has perfect love, (I John 4:18).

Imperfect love hurts; perfect love heals.

Living Life to the Fullest

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“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. – Matthew 22:37

fearfully and wonderfully madeI have a class assignment due in the morning. I found it extremely interesting and it got me mulling over some things at a depth I haven’t had “time” to do for a while. I think I’m moving too fast these days… I miss the times when I can just slow down and breathe. I miss abiding in Him, in His presence… resting with Him, being gentle and not SO intense about everything.

The assignment was to get each student to personally think and to then express what this specific statement meant to them. The statement was basically talking about living life to the fullest, having a good quality life, etc.

I’m in the healthcare field, but in a more specific type of field that approaches things more holistically (where every part of a person’s life is interconnected and certain ailments or impairments should not just be viewed as a singular separate issue). I like this approach because, to me, it’s valid.

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. – Matthew 22:37 

We are complex creatures. Fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God. So it’s no wonder we have to consider all of the complex areas of our lives and how they play into our health. I think the command to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind shows this. It makes me wonder…

Could we just love God with our mind? With just our hearts? With just our soul? Is that a possibility? Or is there something deeper going on that Jesus and God are trying to say?

I have no idea, nor do I want to let my mind try to fathom that at the moment.

I just think that what the point MAY be is simpler than where my complex brain likes to travel, simply… ALL of you. Yes, every element, every ounce, every aspect of your character, every part of you… God wants us to love Him with ALL of us. We have interconnected pieces of who we are. Mind, heart, body, and soul.

I want all of that to be captivated and caught up in who He is, loving Him and being loved back. A good quality of life and living life to the fullest only comes from knowing Jesus and letting Him teach me how to TRULY live, with every part of my little human life.

Abiding in His Presence

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If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.   John 15:7

Abiding in His PresenceIn today’s fast-pace and hectic lifestyles we often strive to accomplish our tasks in order to feel accomplishment.   Unfortunately, those busy tasks often cause us to ignore the vital importance of spending time in the presence of God.

The word “abiding” means to remain continuously.  Our need is to abide in His presence continuously and allow His words to remain in us continuously.  Unfortunately, too often we replace  abiding in His presence with other tasks and priorities and become overwhelmed with things of this world – rather than living victoriously in Him.

We can find a deep, comforting delight that just arises from spending time with our Heavenly Father and abiding in His presence.  There are a lot of people who enjoy quite moments alone and perhaps sit by their fireplace in deep meditation!  They may be lonely and hurting.  They might sit alone, however there is someone who is hidden from view, but ever-present and waiting for their reach.  Yet, for some reason, people often do not completely recognize His presence.

Recognizing God’s presence can be limited by the stresses of mind, feelings, physical condition, or even the weather conditions outside.  The rainfall or thick fog outside, the lack of sleep or intense pain, seem to obstruct people from the ability to grasp the fullness of His presence.

We simply need to call upon Him and surrender those moments to really basking in His presence.  He is always faithful to meet us.  As we rest expectantly in God’s presence, the Lord takes control and starts to draw our attention to God’s word and His peace that passes all understanding.  We begin to sense His comforting love as His presence fills our hearts.

There is a deep demand in every one of us to be close to our God.  Abiding in His presence is something to be sought after and not to be stayed clear of. While many try to live our lives according God’s word, our experiences with God will make it all come alive.  The Bible is a book of experiences, of men and women of God throughout history, whose lives were changed with a divine encounter.   Our lives will also be changed as we seek to abide in His presence.

There is more than simply understanding His presence.  The higher important thing is to appreciate His presence and enjoy the precious time with Him.  He is close to you, and His presence is real.  He is always present, a warmhearted friend, and the all-powerful Lord.   He is there to listen to your hurts, fears and disappointments, as-well-as your joys and victories.

This is a joyful reality for hurting hearts everywhere… God is with you, and is closer than ever.  You are not alone, He is always there.  Abide in Him.