“If the Living Word is a person named Jesus, who forever connected us to the Father and released the Spirit of Truth to live within our hearts, then it makes much more sense to stop, wait, and listen to Him before we listen to fear.”- Christa Black Gifford
“So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”- Romans 10:17 (NKJV)
In Chapter 8 (“Your Heart-Brain Connection”) of Heart Made Whole, Christa Black Gifford notes our frequent reaction to bad reports. Sometimes our frantic first reaction involves activating prayer chains via email and Facebook. While enlisting the prayer support of churches and friends matters greatly, our worried hearts must not ignore the Holy Spirit.
Most noteworthy, our Counselor, Helper, and Comforter stands ready and willing to show us God’s view of the situation. Furthermore, we need to add one step when we run to our Bible promises, declaring the logically with our brains. We must allow Jesus to emerge from the center of our hearts where we hold our core beliefs.
Therefore, Ms. Gifford sees prayer as “living at the feet of Jesus in intimate relationship, then listening to everything He has to say about our current situation. Once we have a word from Him through the counseling Holy Spirit, we need only come into agreement with what He’s already praying.”
Finally, Christa addresses “what-if” scenarios. As the author observes, the majority of such “what-ifs” never come close to happening. Yet, these imagined scenes contain great power. As a result, these scenes end up dictating our responses and actions. In the process, they ruin our present moments with unnecessary emotions.
Thus, Christa concludes, shouldn’t we learn to use our imaginations in a sanctified way to draw closer to Jesus?
Today’s question: What Bible verses help you stop, wait, and listen to Jesus? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Your brain – the gatekeeper of your heart”
