Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I began this new day of this new week off on the Right foot by spending time with my God outside on the front porch again this morning. It’s a glorious morning in Virginia with cool air and clear skies, and just the weather alone is enough to make me smile, BUT it’s not nearly enough to Prepare my Heart or to keep me going today. My heart has been Tenderized by the King, and it takes a lot of work to keep it in Fighting Shape…so I do what I need to do to strengthen it or to soften it, depending on my Circumstances and the people in my Life at the time. Although the Gospel never changes, the ones we Share it with are not one-size-fits-all, so I need to be sure I’m Prepared for all shapes and sizes. As Paul said, “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some,” and to pull that off, it takes a lot of Focus on the Heart. My surroundings are just a small part of the equation on any given day, the biggest Part is the part that the Journey can’t necessarily be seen with the eyes. It’s one thing to be thrilled by the view, it’s another thing to be Thrilled by the Creator of the view. Isn’t that the way you see it, too?

There are so many things that can stir my Heart in a million different directions from one minute to the next. When it’s stirred with pleasure, it’s easy to keep my Heart in balance and to have the right perspective; but sometimes even good things require a Good Balance. So often it’s those things that bring us the most pleasure in life that can so easily take the place of the King in the Heart if we’re not careful. A loved one…a child or a grandchild…our work or our service…all of these things have the potential to outshine the King when we rely on pleasure to direct our steps. But without Him, none of these things that bring us pleasure would exist at all! As David once said, “There is no good thing apart from you”, so we put our Hope, our Time, and our Attention on the Most High God and not on the outward things. This is the secret to Supernatural Joy and the kind of Peace that “surpasses all understanding”.

When the Heart is stirred with hurt, it’s even easier to lose our Perspective. When we’re wronged or cheated, manipulated or lied to, the Heart is inclined to harden IF we aren’t careful. Forgiveness is the way to Freedom, and forgiveness is a Choice. It’s when the Heart becomes hard, and we ALLOW ourselves to be consumed with hurt, that we lose sight of the King if we’re not careful. All of these things have the potential to distract us and to outshine the King in the Heart if we don’t guard it. All of these things have the potential to corrupt our joy and to disrupt our Purpose when we rely on the actions of someone other than the King to determine our steps. It’s when we’re too weak to do Damage Control, and it’s when the Heart becomes hard that we lose our ability to forgive the ones who have wronged us. It’s only when the King outshines the pain that we can soften the heart all over again, and it’s only through Him that we learn to Forgive. This is the secret to true Peace.

Just like everybody else, my Heart is sometimes inclined to get out of balance from one minute to the next IF I’M NOT CAREFUL, BUT I know where to go to get my Heart back on track and I know where my Focus belongs. The focus from where I sit isn’t on the mountains, or my furry friends – it isn’t on the plants and trees, or the clouds in the sky, or the birds. My Focus is so much Bigger than any of those beautiful things- my Focus is on the Creator AND the Lord of all!

I understand that if the Condition of my Heart isn’t pleasing to my God, then I can’t be a worthy Vessel to be used by Him. I understand that refusing to Forgive someone else would come with HUGE Kingdom Consequences – a price I’m not willing to pay. I understand that if I don’t walk the walk I talk about – if my Character isn’t in alignment with my words, then there is a chance I could do more harm than Good for the Kingdom…a price I’m not willing to pay. The Journey of Faith is NOT a walk in the park; it’s serious business with Eternal consequences. The Journey doesn’t just cost us something – it costs us everything…a price I AM willing to pay for the King! No matter what this Journey costs me while I’m navigating through this thing called Life, it pales in comparison to the price Jesus Christ paid for me. The way I see it, if He was willing to die for me, then I sure ought to be willing to Live for Him…no matter the cost. It’s ONLY in His Presence where indescribable Peace and Joy are found – all I know is that I never want to be Separated from Him…and I NEVER want to live without Peace and Joy. I have Peace and Joy here on this earth and I’ll carry it with me when I go Home to Glory. How can you put a price on that?

I’m clinging to the King today and I’m Prepared for the pleasure or the pain that I might encounter along the way. I’ll give thanks for the pleasurable things, I’ll turn the other cheek when I’m wronged, and I’ll extend Forgiveness when I’m betrayed. You don’t believe that’s possible? Of course it is! The Words tells me that I “can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” – and I believe every word of the Word.

How about you?

Do you rely on outward circumstances or other people for your joy and your peace and does your Heart reflect your circumstances? IF so, reach out to me. We’ll have a long talk about where you can find your ONLY long-lasting Source of Peace and Joy and how little all of the other things and people matter in the Bigger Picture and when I’m done with you, everyone and everything will take 2nd place to the King in your life too!