Heart AND Head

To be all heart and no head is not Biblical.

Many folks will say they have a “heart” for such and such, or that God spoke to their “heart.”

It’s easy “Christian-speak” to fall into, especially if one is a new believer in the evangelical fold.

My response to these “heart” statements is,

“Do you also have a mind for such and such?”

and

“Did God also speak to your brain?”

All heart can be illogical, yes—even in God’s economy (some people seem to think that all ministry must make no sense in order for them to do it—it seems more “radical,” sacrificial and spiritual to them).

Yet God, in His magnificence, did give us these little things in our heads called thinking caps, stitched together with brain cells.

And so this notion that we are to tie the love and serving of God with heart alone, and that to hear from God means to hear with our heart only, is to miss completely His warnings on how the heart can mislead, and how we must not give our hearts “carte blanche” simply because they are our hearts and our feelings are strong:

“The heart is more deceitful than all else

And is desperately sick;

Who can understand it?

‘I, the LORD, search the heart,

I test the mind,

Even to give to each man according to his ways,

According to the results of his deeds.’” Jeremiah 17:9-10

“Examine me, O LORD, and try me;

Test my mind and my heart.” Psalm 26:2

“A person may think their own ways are right,

but the LORD weighs the heart.” Proverbs 21:2

God’s call to wisdom and knowledge is often tossed aside—or never learned to begin with—due to our desire to do what we want and cloak the go-ahead in a heart-shaped confirmation from God.

But God may indeed not approve, or at minimum, may not have unequivocally called us to the thing we are “feeling” (meaning there may be many Godly options; therefore, if a spouse or some other concern may challenge our emotional surety, then we need to reconsider and not forge ahead. We need to seek and honor the counsel, Godly wisdom and input of others and begin to perceive the Spirit’s inner Godly logic):

“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,

But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.” Proverbs 12:15

“He who gets wisdom loves his own soul;

He who keeps understanding will find good.” Proverbs 19:8

“Listen to counsel and accept discipline,

That you may be wise the rest of your days.” Proverbs 19:20

“Many plans are in a man’s heart,

But the counsel of the LORD will stand.” Proverbs 19:21

“And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;” John 16:8

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.” John 16:13-14

God calls us to grow in and rely upon His wisdom and knowledge in all of our decisions and attitudes—in all aspects of life.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

“But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:16b

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” 2 Peter 1:3

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;” 2 Peter 1:5

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18a

In this way, we trust in the Lord with all of our heart while yet not leaning on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).

A heart informed by our increasing Biblical knowledge and the daily application of a growing spiritual maturity—in all situations and with all people—will not lead us astray. 

We will be able to incorporate the wise discernment God desires, being shrewd as serpents but at the same time as innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16). 

We can then attain the steadfast consistency where the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

Copyright Barb Harwood

The Danger of Blaming "Spiritual Attack"

I have perceived an unsettling component within evangelicalism that blames Satan and “spiritual attack” for what is actually life simply not going our way.

See, when Christians fall into the delusion that just because they want something then God must certainly want it for them too, then, when they don’t get what they want, they blame Satan for attacking them.

Or when the normal ups and downs of life—common to all—happen, such as sickness, the car breaking down, or not having an offer-to-purchase accepted on their dream home, these same Christians believe they are being specifically singled out and persecuted by the devil.

Did you ever meet folks who, when you ask them how they are doing, consistently answer that they are under “spiritual attack?” It can go on for years: the loss of a job, difficulties with co-workers, a struggling marriage, a teen child’s drug use—all of it is automatically attributed to “spiritual attack.” And this form of spiritual attack is always worse for them than for anyone else.

With this mindset, people become un-accountable.

They fail to see their own culpability in why life may have taken the turn that it has, and are blind to their own faults (and when it comes to their offspring, they may disregard poor behavior by attributing it to Satanic attack). Satan becomes a simplistic and pat explanation, letting folks off the hook to ever having to mature or work with God on the purification of a corrupt heart.

In short, they can be the Christians in shining armor who are always right and everyone and everything else is always wrong.

The website Gotquestions.org sums it up beautifully:

“The devil is absolutely worthy of blame for much of the evil in the world, but using the devil as a scapegoat for our own sinful choices is counterproductive to achieving victory over sin.”

And what about those times that we don’t get what we desire simply because that’s the way life goes? That our sin, per se, had nothing to do with it? To what do we attribute that if it isn’t Satan?

Well, it could be a result of someone else’s spiritual immaturity. Or it could be a result of natural occurrences, such as weather or illness. It could be that another candidate for the job we are applying for is simply more qualified or a better fit for the company than we are—no sin is involved; that’s just the way it is.

Same for missing out on the dream home: another buyer has fewer contingencies so they get the house. No one is out to get us—it’s just a fact that when there is one job and many applicants, or one house and many offers, only one person can be the receiver.

If we come away from these life experiences self-righteously convinced we are under “spiritual attack,” we are demeaning others (concluding they are unworthy of what they have received) and promoting ourselves above them.

Scripture would advise,

“Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for you own personal interests, but also for the interests of others (Philippians 2:1-4).

Scripture gives the reason why we selfishly allow our own personal interests to take precedence, leading us into unrealistic or untrue assessments of other people and situations:

“But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust” (James 1:14).

Do we get this?

Do we see how futile it is to take everything in life that doesn’t go our way as a personal affront and coming at the hand of the devil himself?

We may indeed be worthy of something, but so might others; we might be a wonderful person for a job, but so might others; we might want to own that home, but so might others.

As Christians, we must take our defeats—our not getting what we want, our worldly losses that are other peoples’ wins—in grace. To do otherwise—to play the ceaseless casualty of Satan—is to lift him above God.

Scripture is clear:

“You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

copyright Barb Harwood

Two Parts of the Beatitudes People Often Miss

Many folks, including non-believers and especially secular humanists, love to quote Matthew 5:3 this way:

“Blessed are the poor.”

In this edited version, the verse is co-opted to justify and call for any number of financial and material donations and entitlements.

However, although the Bible is very clear about how to meet people’s material needs, this is not the verse.

Because this verse doesn’t even say what many have professed it to say. Here’s what the verse actually says:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Poor here is referring to poor in spirit.

The reason the second half of this verse is normally cut off is because most people are quoting other humans when using this verse, having never actually read it in context for themselves in Scripture, and often without the attendant enlightenment of the counsel of the Holy Spirit.

(ditto for Matthew 5:6, which doesn’t say “blessed are the hungry,” but “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”).

This turning of the Beatitudes into a sanctimonious or sentimental secular platitude results in an off-kilter attempt at “doing good” without the actual good of the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to heal the problems that instigated, and now perpetuate, the poverty in the first place.

And as long as this warped interpretation continues, the world will be spinning its wheels, with all attempts at alleviating societal ills short-sighted and temporary, because they don’t answer the deep need of the spirit.

The second part of the Beatitudes that those who use it as their trump card seem to miss, is this:

“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me” (Matthew 5:11).

Those who love to quote "blessed are the poor" but who, at the same time, despise, misunderstand, mock and misappropriate the belief and motives of Christians not only misapply Matthew 5:3, they miss Matthew 5:11 entirely. They don't even realize that they are the ones doing the insulting, persecuting and lying about Christians, and thus, Jesus Himself, when they accuse belief in Jesus as being hateful, judgmental, dogmatic and useless. 

Why do I point this out?

Because it is so easy for those on the outside of faith to call Christians hypocrites simply because we put as much weight on feeding everyone, not just those in poverty, the truth of Jesus Christ as we do a hot turkey dinner.

Christians understand that poverty is equally applied to the poverty of one’s soul (which affects everyone at one time or another) as it is to the poverty of one’s stomach.

Because we, as Christians, understand and love the whole person, made in the image of God, we obey God’s call to thus minister to the whole person: mind, body, soul and spirit.

That is the fulfillment of the Beatitudes.

And since Jesus, God incarnate, is the source of all blessing (Genesis and Ephesians to start, Revelation 4:11), and the Beatitudes begin with “Blessed are you” then Jesus, being the source of the Beatitudes, is also the fulfillment of them.

copyright Barb Harwood

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10

Arrival

Arrival

The warmth of a new sun.

The light of a new fire.

The tide coming in afresh, washing away every vestige of a marred past.

A retreating tide exposing purity, possibility and grace.

The beautiful unblemished unknown in place of the irreparable and already-spent.

The marvel of belief
in place of self-assurance and conjecture.

Fantastic joy in actual and attainable second-chances,

in the sought-after finality of full relinquishment

(following years of fits and starts);

of walking into the ever-present arms of absolute, true, Father and Family.

Of never turning back again—

only going forward,

in peace,

joy,

and the sealed protection and empowerment,

forgiveness and redemption,

strength and humility,

wisdom

and love

of Jesus.”

by Barb Harwood

copyright Barb Harwood

“But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.” Malachi 4:2a