THE HEART OF THE MATTER

Psalm 86:11 "Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth: give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name."

Welcome to Hester's Heart! Thank you for joining me today. The title of my blog and following byline portray what God has put in my heart. The Lord has defined my purpose in reaching women through speaking and teaching His Word. He has defined my passion in leading women toward spiritual maturity in Christ. God has given me courage to embrace this calling. As I share from a heart being shaped by God, my prayer for you is to be encouraged in your faith and challenged to go deeper with our Lord.

As I take inventory of my life, I am grateful for how the Lord continues to graciously mold my heart to be more like His. There have been times in my life when I have lived and done what was “expected”. Sometime the choices I have made have been done for the approval and praise of others. The motives of my heart have not always been pure. When I was younger I wanted to “be” a good Christian. However, I lacked the maturity to be real and transparent with myself, with God and with others.

A change in my heart was born out of extreme heartache and intense grief. It is interesting how the Lord uses tragedy to catapult Truth into our lives. Five and a half years ago, cancer unexpectedly came, quickly taking the life of my dear Mother. I wept bitterly for months.

Slowly through time, by the Spirit’s conviction and self-realization, God revealed much to me regarding my heart and my relationship with Him. In my brokenness, my soul was laid bare; my heart unzipped. God tenderly showed me how I compared myself to others, how I was judgmental, how I imposed my own agenda on others. I was prideful and lacked a proper view of grace. My relationship with Him was far from what He desired.

The all too familiar saying, "The heart of the matter, is the matter of the heart", says a lot about who we really are as Christians. Who we are on the inside is really who we are. What is in our heart will naturally overflow into our daily life. The condition of our heart will always be the crux of our relationship with God. It is the hinge holding it together. A heart rightly aligned with Christ loves God and His Word.

Joshua 22:5 "But be very careful to keep the commandments and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to obey His commands, to hold fast to him and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul."

Jeremiah 29:13 "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

1 Samuel 16:7 "Do not consider his appearance or his height. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Joshua 24:15 "Destroy the idols among you, and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel."

Psalm 86:11 "Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth: give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name."

God's Word consistently speaks to us regarding our hearts. He instructs us to have our hearts right with Him. God disciplined and rebuked the Israelites over and over because they were not "wholehearted" in their love and devotion to God. Are we wholehearted? Are we trying to give God just a piece of our heart, but not all of it? Do our actions reveal a love for God and His Word?

I have experienced the power and work of God in my life through His process of refinement. He has brought me to a place of complete humility and freedom. I now have a firmer grasp of grace and His tender mercy. He has enabled me to see others through the eyes of Christ without judging them. I see God’s hand molding and shaping me into the person He has intended me to be. I humbly surrender myself to the merciful hand of a sovereign God, to His glory.

Now my motivation stems from a deep LOVE for my Savior. He has replaced complacency and contentment with a passionate pursuit of Him. He completes me. He fills me. He sustains me.

Through this process of restoration, God is forging me into His masterpiece and has brought me to this point. I believe He is bringing to fruition a seed He planted in my heart years ago in college. As a result of His call on my life, I walk in obedience. I am honored to be used by the Master. The Lord has defined my purpose in reaching women through speaking and teaching His Word. He has defined my passion in leading women toward spiritual maturity in Christ.

Although I prayed and prayed for God to heal my Mother, . . .He, in His infinite and sovereign wisdom chose rather, . . .to heal my heart.

Heart Work:
Take inventory of your life to see where the Lord has brought you. Ask him to make your heart right with Him and show you how you can love Him with an undivided heart.

Heart Examination:
Why do I do what I do? Is it for the approval and praise of others? What is the condition of my heart? What is right or wrong about my motives? Do I lack the maturity to be real with myself, with God and with others? Am I wholehearted in my love and devotion to God? Why or why not?

Life Changing Word:
Deuteronomy 6:4 "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."

1 Samuel 12:20 “But make sure now that you worship the Lord with all your heart, and don't turn your back on Him."




Copyright 2010 by Hester Christensen. All rights reserved.