Quiet Room Work

I am sitting here in a completely quiet room. Well, it’s not totally quiet. I can hear cars passing by every once in awhile. I can hear the fan in my desktop PC running. My Big Dog Clock is ticking seconds away on the wall. I can hear a ringing in my ear, (Not sure what’s that about.) No TV, DVD, ipod, stereo or talking. Just quiet. Some normal background noise of a room but still very, very quiet. It is an amazing thing to sit in this kind of quiet because the mind begins to scan for mental activity. Yesterdays adventures, last years successes and failures, good memories and bad ones and of course plans for the future begin to run through your thoughts,

I realized I had total control over what I was going to think about. That was scary. As I roamed through the pages of my mind I realized more troubling things began to find their way to the forefront than good ones. Things that didn’t go so well or as planned. People I was troubled or challenged by. Moments in time that was not the best. BUT – I had control over my thoughts. I could drive them or just take my hands off the wheel so to say and let my thoughts drive themselves where ever they wanted to go. Kind of like driving your car, foot to the floor but with you hands in your pocket. I can guarantee you, you will wreck. Somebody is going to get hurt.

Philippians 4:8 MSG Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious--the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

Everyone needs to have quiet time to think things through. Make plans, work through situations and happenings. So what do you need to know before you enter into the quiet room of your mind? Here are a few things to consider.

1. You never enter the room alone. – God and the Devil come with you.

2. The mind is the Devils favorite battlefield. He loves to go mano-a-mano with you right there in the middle of your thoughts. And remember the devil is really good at thought-fighting. 1 Peter 5:8 NASB Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

3. Confess you sins at the door. I John 1:9 - This will remove the devil's weapons.

4. Be rested before you enter – No one enters a battle exhausted and expects to win. Remember the mind is the devils battlefield so when you enter the quiet room it is a battle over your thoughts. A battle you want to win.

5. Have a plan before you go in. Go in with things you want to think over. Don’t go in with your hands off the wheel – you will wreck. A plan gives you control over your thoughts.

A Pure Heart - Men's Breakfast

This morning I have the pleasure of going to a men's breakfast at church. The greater joy is I will be speaking to a group of men and have the opportunity to share God's Word. I always love the men's breakfasts. Here our my notes.

Psalms 51:10 NASB Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Psalms 51:10 NLT Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.

Psalms 51:10 GNB Create a pure heart in me, O God, and put a new and loyal spirit in me.

Hebrew word for heart in this verse speaks of feelings, the will, the intellect. Mainly the inner man – the mind - the will - the emotions.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 NASB 23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

To the GREEKS the heart was made up of three things. Logos – Words that you spoken. Pathos – Emotions you expressed. Ethos – Character that you displayed.

Jesus spoke of the heart,

Matthew 5:8 NASB "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Matthew 5:28 NASB but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Mat 6:20,21 "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; v21 for where your treasure [the thing you place your highest value on] is, there your heart [thoughts – feelings – emotions] will be also.

Matthew 15:18-19 NASB "But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. 19 "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.

Luke 6:45 NKJV A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Luke 6:45 NLT . . . . What you say flows from what is in your heart.

So you may ask, what will a pure heart look like? Let me give you a few suggestion from the Word of God. What will a pure heart look like?

1. A pure heart is one that chases after God.

Psa 63:1-3 NASB . . . O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. (2) Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. (3) Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You.

2. A pure heart is one that doesn’t run with lust after physical pleasure.

1Jo 2:15-17 NASB Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (16) For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. (17) The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

This verse speaks of - A heart that takes no pride in the flesh - A heart that never boasts about what it has or what it has done. (Pro 27:2 NASB Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.) - A heart that knows no greed when it looks upon wordly treasues

3. A pure heart is one that OBEDIENTLY refuses what God rightly and wisely fences away as sin.

1Sa 15:22 NASB Samuel said, "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.

SITUATIONAL ETHICS - Whatever fits the moment must be correct. Foolish thinking. It is what God's word says that we should follow not what we think.

4. A pure heart doesn't insist on its own way.

Eph 4:32 NLT Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Pro 3:27 NASB Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.

5. A pure heart argues for love and fairness and righteousness.

Mat 5:6 NASB "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

6. A pure heart walks humbly, not trying to appear more important than it is.

Luk 14:8 NASB "When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, Jam 4:6 NASB But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE."

Here are six things that we all need to reflect on. REMEMBER: Who you are, is really a heart issue and not what is happening to you issue. Proverbs 4:23 GW Guard your heart more than anything else, because the source of your life flows from it.

Not So Small A TOE

Wednesday evening I worked a fund raiser for a Mission team of ministry students going to Argentina during Spring break 2008. Fun night with LOTS of walking and talking. Not sure which one I did the most of. I do know which one caused me the most pain. WALKING. Good shoes are worth their weight in gold. Unfortunately, I did not have on a GOOD pair of shoes. They are good for riding my Harley, as a paper weight, throwing at the dogs when they get on my nerves and assorted others jobs that they really were not designed to do. Lots of walking is not one of those job. I found that out to late.

My feet hurt like the devil that evening. When I took my shoes off you could hear my feet crying. I believe I even heard a few choice words from my left foot who suffered the most from the evening. Apparently, an affliction know as an ingrown toenail was waging war with my toe inside the shoes. I could not even walk. The pain was incredible. Even this morning, two days later, I still have pain and walking is an experience in suffering.

1Co 12:22 NLT In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.

Small toes don't seem to important until you have a problem with one and you try to walk. At that moment the small toe that is suffering becomes a BIG pain.

1Co 12:26 NLT If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, . . . .

Reminds us that a church is a living body with everything from noses to toes. Every part is needed. When one suffers we all truly do suffer. Simple lesson but one we continually forget.

It is true of a family. If mom is sick the family suffers. If dad is sick the same is true. I watched a show the other night. There was a young couple whose baby was sick and dying. Very sad to seeing parents going through this kind of suffering. They were handling themselves well. At least on camera. The baby was sick and the whole family was suffering.

SO this weekend if you see me at the mall you may just find me with a new pair of shoes. My feet need them, my toes will welcome them and the economy will benefit from my spending.

Today marks the day that I break another habit. Habit to me is something that you loved to do or say at one time and then it got carried away. It become something you didn't want to stop and then something you could not stop.

I believe this is what has happened to my and my love for ice cream. I love ice cream and I love it so much that if I don't have it every couple of days, well, you know what happens. I start thinking about it. Make excuses why I should have it. Don't care how much it costs. Will go out in rain, snow any kind of weather conditions to get some ice cream. Then when I do buy it, I eat a half a gallon at one sitting. Now that is OUT OF CONTROL.

It happened last night, again. Tin roof was the flavor. Excellent stuff made by Blue Bell Ice Cream. They make great ice cream. I tried the small potion but as always I ended up eating a little more than half of the half gallon. Then ALL NIGHT LONG I PAID FOR IT. Stomach turned over every 30 seconds for a couple of hours followed by the mad rush to the throne room to - well do I need to say more.

So today I am going cold turkey. No Ice cream. I say this now, the morning after - I sound like a alcoholic saying that was my last drink. Ask me by Friday. I need to learn control and balance. Neither is easy for me when it comes to ice cream. We all have an 'ice cream' in your life.

To some it is TV. To others it's chocolate or fast food or potato chips or M&M's or Coke or Pepsi or COFFEE (Here is a big one) or cars or motorcycles or work or Internet. These are the ones we joke about. How about drugs - prescription and over the counter - or alcohol or porn.

You know what yours is. You may not want to admit it but if you got honest with yourself you would know it. My ice cream one is no worse than some. But I still need to learn balance and control. Neither one is popular in our society. Hebrews 12:11 NASB All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Discipline never seems good at the time but it's reward come with time and patience and endurance. You got to see it through. The best way to see it through is to set a goal to reach that will come about by the discipline you are going through. 1 Timothy 4:7 NASB . . . On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;. Sometimes the only goal I have from the disciplines I set in my life is freedom from being held hostage by something.

This all sounds good on the morning after. Ask me Friday about ice cream and I may have a different answer for you. Proverbs 19:20 NASB Listen to counsel and accept discipline, That you may be wise the rest of your days.