Heartbeat

Don’t Lose Hope

Hope is defined as a confident expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. Without hope, life would seem pretty meaningless, right?
When we sit down in a chair, we expect the chair to hold us.
When we get in our car in the morning, we expect it to start.
When we see the sunrise, we expect to see it set.
However, life has a way, at times, to make us less confident of the things we would otherwise expect.
Perhaps past experiences have jaded us to only expect the worst.
But, that’s not true! And, it’s a lie from the enemy.
God said, For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future!
Don’t lose hope in expecting the best from God.

Vines

One of my favorite hobbies is gardening. I really enjoy all that goes into planting, caring for, and watching my flowers grow! When I saw one of my favorite authors, Beth Moore, had written a book called Chasing Vines, I knew I wanted to read it!
 Before I even started reading, I loved one of the phrases from the back cover, “Nothing in our lives is wasted. Not the places we’ve been planted – or even the painful pruning. Nothing is for nothing.”
Friends, even on our darkest days, there is beauty, nothing is wasted. Think about the verses in Matthew 6:25-34. Why do we worry about our every day life? When we consider the lilies of the field and the birds in the air. Look at how God cares for them! Are we not far more valuable to Him?

Left or Right?

Most of us, generally believe we’re on the right path in life. We make our own decisions and know where we’re going. All seems well until the road twists and turns with anxiety, fear and worry. How did something so certain change so quickly?
 
Philippians 4:6 states, “Don’t be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
 
With so many choices in life, relying on God for guidance is the only way to know we’re headed in the right direction. Whether you go left or right, pray for God’s wisdom.  He will never lead you down the wrong path.
 

You are God's masterpiece

I like to think of myself as a work in progress, this helps me to have grace with myself but to also be faithful in surrendering daily to God and His plans for my life. I believe, each day God is helping me grow into who He created me to be. I’m not perfect, I don’t have it all figured out. BUT, I don’t need to know every detail of what my life will look like, I just have to trust Him.
It's pretty cool to think that each day, whether it’s filled with lots of good things or filled with lots of challenges, none of it is a surprise to our Heavenly Father.
In Ephesians, we are reminded that “we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
God created each of us with a purpose, know wherever you find yourself today, you are loved, and you are God’s masterpiece.
 

Life Shapers

Our friends and community become life-shapers to us. So, who, in your life are helping to shape you and push you to be the best that you can be?
Not everyone in your life will be your coach, advocate or cheerleader!
In the Bible, Amos 3:3 asks the question, “Can two walk together, unless they agree?”
Many times, it’s healthy to respectfully disagree with a friend. But this is never acceptable if this person is hindering your growth in Christ.
If you’re in a negative relationship that is holding you back or pulling you down, you may need to cut ties.
Seek positive relationships with people who support, grow and challenge you to be the best version of who God created you to be.

Scripture out of context is dangerous!

Think about the last time you went shopping for clothes. What would you do if the sweater you were trying on didn’t fit? Would you force it on or look for one in the correct size?
Sometimes we do this with scripture. We may pluck out a verse here or there to suit our needs or fit our opinions. But, out of context, we can do some serious damage by reading the word of God in this way. We may end up attempting to force a verse into a situation that was never intended to fit our expectations.
When we’re studying the Bible, it’s important to know the circumstances, timeline and the audience. We should allow the Bible to teach us about who Jesus is and who we are in Him.
 

Be Bold

In the Bible, when the woman with the issue of blood touched the hem of the Savior’s garment, Jesus already knew that she was going to touch Him. He already knew she was in the crowd. After all, He is God in the flesh. Now, while He could have pointed her out, Jesus asked, “Who touched Me?”
God wants us to ignore the crowd around us, look past the chaos, and approach His throne boldly. It could have been an unmentioned miracle, but Jesus would have this unnamed woman speak up publicly, for what she sought after and received from Him. Jesus said to her, “Your faith has made you whole,”. She wasn’t just made well, but WHOLE- completely restored.
So, what are you desperately believing God for? And what are you willing to risk?  Whatever you do, be bold in your pursuit of God

We have exciting news to share about HEARTBEAT!

Thank you so much for listening to HEARTBEAT!
We have some exciting news to share! Beginning this September we’re joining Salem Media Group’s Christian podcast network, LifeAudio.
 
LifeAudio is home to top charting, Christian podcasts and they’re proud to bring entertaining, life-changing, and family-friendly podcasts for the engaged, evangelical Christian audience.
 
This partnership in ministry will allow HEARTBEAT to be in front of even more potential listeners as we continue to create the show you know and love.
 
You will not need to resubscribe or do anything different as this change will be seamless.
We will be running some advertisements on the show which will help us cover some of our production costs but the show itself will not change.
 
To learn more about life audio- visit https://www.lifeaudio.com/
Thank you for listening and God bless
 
 

Are you defined by your occupation?

Consider how you introduce yourself to someone new. You might say something like, “Hi, I’m Janine and I’m a school principal.” Or, “Hi, I’m Jake and I’m an engineer”.
In these examples, we say our name followed by our job title or some major accomplishment. It’s easy for us to get so wrapped up in what we do, that it becomes who we think we are.
In contrast, God values us before we do anything. He would introduce us as Janine, Jake and Meagan as dearly loved children of God. To God, who we are is much more important than what we do.
So, certainly, take pride in your work but don’t let it become your sole identity. Before anything, you are a child of God.

Are we taking care of the planet?

In Genesis 1, verse 28, we read “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth”.
Did you know that some people actually point to this scripture to excuse human behavior as we mistreat the planet?
Well, according to Strong’s Concordance, did you know that the phrase, “have dominion” is the Hebrew word, radah? This Hebrew word is related to other words which mean descend, wander and spread. Many scholars believe that the appropriate understanding of this verb- in this context means “to rule by going down and walking among the subjects as an equal.”
How are we caring for God’s creation in this way? Are we mistreating it as a cruel leader? Or are we treating it with the Grace, love and kindness our Father has shown to us?