Refreshing

Daily
in God’s Word
Emphasis on
 From My Heart
May 1

 Bible Reading: Psalm 25

 Key Verse: Verse 2 - “O my God, I trust in thee: let me
not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over
me.”
Key Words: O my God

David is speaking directly from his heart when he says,

“O my God;” but as you read the psalm it’s easy to see that
David is in the midst of turmoil.
In verse 15 he is in a dilemma, and in verse 16 he is
desolate, in verse 17 he is distressed, in verse 18 he is
defeated, and in verse 19 he is defenseless; but he cries out to
God to deliver his soul.
With that being said let me speak from my heart. The
Covid-19 virus that we are facing is a sample of the pestilences
of the last days. It’s a clear picture that man has no absolute
answers for what this world is facing. So it will be in the
tribulation (Matthew 24:7). The Lord is giving us a glimpse
into the future and what is in store ahead. We are seeing that
the people will fall in line with what government orders for
them.
Now with that being said some have questioned and
wondered if our church should have not continued to
assemble together saying God will protect us. I agree that we
serve a God who can and does protect; but we also serve a God
that gives discernment, discretion, and wisdom. If I jump off
the top of a ten story building saying God will protect, you
would say that I am foolish and I would agree because God
gives us “common sense” enough to know better than that.
During this virus our church decided to go to online
services; it has caused us to stretch our thinking beyond what
we thought was possible. We have developed ministries that
we would have never even thought of had it not been for the
Covid-19 virus. We have reached people in parts of the world
that we would have never reached before the virus outbreak.
Don’t misunderstand, I long to assemble together because
that is what the church is- an assembled body of believers- but
until that time comes I thank God for the ability to continue to
present the Word and share the gospel.
In closing this devotion let me add we did not close
because the government told us to. We made our decision to
go to online school and services before our President and our
Governor decided that we should. We will open up again not
because of politicians but because we are led of the Lord to do
so.
Yes, God can protect. Part of the way He protects us is
by giving us discretion, discernment, and wisdom. We all
would do well to use it because that is the way God protects as
well.

What to do:
✞Stay safe by using good old common sense.

********************

The Heart
May 2

 Bible Reading: Proverbs 4:23-27

 Key Verse: Verse 23- “Keep thy heart with all
diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
Key Words: Keep thy heart

The word keep carries the idea of guarding. It

also means to reel in, like having a fish on the end of
your fishing line and bringing it in. Keeping your heart
under control is the idea.
So what exactly is the heart? It’s the inner person;
it’s the seat of your emotions, appetites, desires. So we
are to keep in check, guard our inner emotions, appetites
and desires.
I once read about a well-to-do family who hired a
nanny (maid) for the sole purpose of taking care of their
spoiled four-year-old son. One day the boy was
constantly crying so the mother asked the maid what the
problem was. The maid responded that he “wanted
something he shouldn’t have.” The mother scolded the
maid and told her to “let him have what he wanted”…so
she did. A moment later the little fellow cried out with a
loud painful scream. Again the mother asked, “Now,
what’s wrong?” to which the maid replied, “He wanted a
wasp and he got it.”
Letting our heart have its way can result in some
painful life experiences.

What to do:
✞Make sure you truly know who you’re giving
your heart to before giving it away
.
********************

The Evil Heart

May 3

 Bible Reading: Genesis 6:1-8

 Key Verse: Verse 5 - “And GOD saw that the
wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that
every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was
only evil continually.”
Key Words: his heart was only evil continually

When you consider that the heart is the inner man, the
seat of his emotions, appetites (cravings), and desires; and
God says that man’s appetites and desires were evil (low
down, bad, wicked). Mankind was evil in his emotions
coninually (all the time).
We live in a world today that reminds me of those days:
pornography, violence, LGBTQ, same-sex marriages, drugs,
and the list goes on and on.
Why, today there are those persons who refuse to speak
out against “evil hearts”. They prefer numbers and popularity
over the boldness to speak the truth in love!
We desire to see all men and women come to a saving
knowledge of Jesus Christ but I am here for God’s pleasure,
not man’s pleasure. Those who live evil lives will eventually
come crashing down.
A few years ago in Texas, a pilot left the motor running on
a plane and somehow that plane engaged itself. It was
without a pilot and took off. It was flying on its own. It stayed
in the air for over 90 minutes. Then, the inevitable happened:
it ran out of gas, crashed, and was totally destroyed. For a
while, you can fly on your own. For a while, you can take off
and be somebody. For a while, you can act like God does not
exist. For a while, you can play a little religion, but not be
serious about subordinating yourself. And for a while, you can
fly. I know there are atheists, and they look like they’re flying.
I know, sometimes you look at evil people and you say, How
come they can be so evil and can fly so high? I know
sometimes you are jealous when you look at folk who have no
respect for deity and seem to be flying high. Keep watching,
because sooner or later, they will run out of gas, crash, and be
destroyed. When you fly your life without God in the pilot’s
seat, that’s what happens. That’s why the Bible says don’t be
envious of the evildoers. Just because they are making money
and getting ahead by doing wrong, don’t get jealous of them.
One can only fly high on their own for a while, but there will
come a point where they will run out of gas and will discover
in an abrupt way there is a God who is Lord over the universe.

What to do:
 ✞Remember, you are free to do what you want but
you are not free to choose the consequences of your
action.
Heart of Flesh
May 4

 Bible Reading: Ezekiel 11:14-23

 Key Verse: Verse 19 – “And I will give them one heart,
and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take
the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them
an heart of flesh:”
Key Words: heart of flesh

God shows Ezekiel the two types of heart that dwelt in

Jerusalem. In verses 1 – 13 we find the hard heart; in verses
14 – 20 we find the soft heart. The word flesh found in verse
19 means soft or tender.
But it’s not just that way in Jerusalem. In every
country you have both hard and soft hearts. So it is in our
churches and even in our homes.
One of the greatest inventions of all time is soft-serve
ice cream.  Where ice cream could be hard and scooped out
using a lot of effort with an ice cream scooper, somebody
figured out a way to make soft-serve ice cream immediately
available with minimal effort.
There is a homemade way to get soft-serve ice cream
too.  Take the carton out of the freezer, put it on the kitchen
counter, and let it set out for a while.  Simply transfer the
atmosphere of the ice cream and after a bit of time you will
see change.  Situating it in the right location will produce the
transformation desired.
The reason why some Christians are so cold, callous,
stingy, unloving, and evil is because they are not hanging out
in the right atmosphere.  God will do the work of
transformation if we are in an atmosphere where He is.  He is
willing to do the work of change in our hearts and minds if we
will allow Him. 

What to do:
 ✞If you find yourself constantly in a negative frame of
mind toward God’s people, you should probably
change your atmosphere.
The Bitter Heart
May 5

 Bible Reading: Proverbs 14:8-16

 Key Verse: Verses 10 –“ The heart knoweth his own
bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with
his joy.”
Key Words: The heart knoweth his own bitterness

We can hide a lot of things from ourselves but

bitterness is not one of them. The heart knows when and why
it is bitter. Bitterness kills! It kills our willingness to see
right. It kills our willingness to hear right. It kills our
willingness to act right. Bitterness is a killer.
 I recently read a story : A man in Spokane had
arranged for the minister from Fourth Memorial church to
have his wedding. The day came and the minister didn’t. The
minister sent a replacement. The man was upset, and never
forgot the incident. Thirty years later Carolyn had a garage
sale. My mother was there helping. A neighbor came over
and they introduced themselves. He said, “Are you related to
a minister?” “Yes, my husband is one.” “Well, I could tell you
a thing or two.” Mom said, “Go ahead, I’ve heard it all.”
“Thirty years ago he was supposed to marry…” and he told his
story. Mom asked, “How long ago was that?” “Thirty years”
he said. “Well, it couldn’t have been my husband. We only
moved here 25 years ago.” For thirty years this man had been
bitter at the wrong man!

What to do:
✞It is wise to remember, no matter how long you
nurse a grudge, it won’t get better.
 The Heart of the Here and Now
May 6

 Bible Reading: Ecclesiastes 2:1-8

 Key Verse: Verse 1 – “I said in mine heart, Go to now,
I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure:
and, behold, this also is vanity.”
Key Words: I said in mine heart, Go to now

J. Vernon McGee says of Ecclesiastes 2:1, “Solomon

probably tried everything known in the way of pleasure. We
are a sex-mad people. And what do we have to show for it?
Well, we certainly have low morals, and we have venereal
disease in epidemic proportions. Today the church has
entered the field also. I suppose most pastors have a sermon
on sex; some of them have a whole series.
“There are many who feel that the church should have
a course to teach our young people about sex. I think that is a
tragic mistake. This generation is getting sex right up to their
ears — all they need and more. Now Solomon was an expert
in the area of sex. He had one thousand wives and
concubines, and they were all available to him. A man who
had a thousand women around him is some sort of an expert.
Solomon tried that way to seek satisfaction. Also he went in
for drinking and for entertainment. I suppose he could have
put on a performance that would make Las Vegas look like it
was penny ante or just a sideshow in a small circus. Solomon
went all out for pleasure. ‘I said in mine heart, Go to now, I
will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure.’ But
notice his conclusion: ‘Behold, this also is vanity’ — empty.”

What to do:
 ✞There is pleasure in sin, but remember it is only
for a season (a short while), then you will have to
“face the music” (Hebrews 11:25).
A Double Heart
May 7

 Bible Reading: Psalm 12

 Key Verse: Verse 2– “They speak vanity every one
with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a
double heart do they speak.”
Key Words: with a double heart do they speak

A double heart carries the idea of a heart that says one

thing but means another.
The person who will tell a string of calculated lies is a
man who has a double heart. He is what the world calls a “con
man.”
Modern history gives us an example. "The greater the
lie the more chance it has of being believed," said Adolf Hitler
in Mein Kampf. The manipulation of truth was an essential
part of Nazism. Behind the scenes, manipulating the media,
orchestrating the propaganda for the Nazis was Josef
Goebbles, the greatest liar of them all. He was the tactical
genius behind the clever promotion of the party, the myth-
maker, the creator of that halo of infallibility which allowed a
petty politician by the name of Adolf Schicklgruber to become
Der Fuhrer. Goebbels with his personal courage, his tireless
mental energy, his unfailing flair for propaganda, and his
hatred of the human race perhaps did more than Hitler to
foist Nazism on the German people. They were a pair well
met – Hitler the politician and Goebbels the propagandist…
both con-men, both double-hearted men!

What to do:
✞Say what you mean and mean what you say.
 A Man after God’s Own Heart
May 8

 Bible Reading: I Samuel 13:10-16

 Key Verse: Verse 14 – “ But now thy kingdom shall not
continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his
own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be
captain over his people, because thou hast not kept
that which the LORD commanded thee.”
Key Words: a man after his own heart

Saul was told from the beginning of his reign that if he

obeyed God he would be blessed; but if not, judgement would
come and so it did. God had already chosen someone to take
Saul's place to be a captain over God’s people. That man, of
course, was David. He was the man after God’s own heart.

When I go to Washington, DC, I love to spend time

with the American Association of Christian School’s
Legislative Director, Jameson Coppola. When we talk about
political issues, we are always in agreement. The same can be
said for social issues or educational issues. We are of one
heart, at least on those issues. There are others I could sit
with and we would not be of one heart.

 If you oppose abortion, we are of one heart on that

one.
 If you oppose the homosexual movement (not the
individual but the movement), we are of one heart on
that one.
 If you oppose the LGBTQ movement, again we are of
one heart in that area.
 If you oppose the pushing and promoting of socialism
by many Democrats, we are of one heart on that one.
 If you oppose the teaching of evolution in our schools,
then we are of one heart in that area.
  And the list goes on and on…but I think you get the
point.

So it’s not important that I align with the political

party, but it is of utmost importance that I align with God and
be of one heart.

What to do:
✞Be a person after God’s own heart.

********************

The Far-Away Heart

May 9

 Bible Reading: Matthew 15:1-11

 Key Verse: Verse 8 – “This people draweth nigh unto
me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their
lips; but their heart is far from me.”
Key Words: but their heart is far from me

Jesus is actually quoting from Isaiah 29:13. The Lord

called the scribes and Pharisees hypocrites. This is the most
frightful word in Scripture. Nothing quite corresponds to it,
but it did not have quite the meaning in that day that it does
today. To us it is a scorching word, but in Jesus’ day it simply
meant to answer back and was used of an actor in a play. It
means that an actor would receive a cue and then answer
back. Jesus accused the scribes and Pharisees of playing at
religion.
The religious leaders were eager to have people go
through the ceremony of washing their hands, but they
ignored the condition of the heart, which was the important
thing to God. The Pharisees were focusing on ritualism, not
righteousness. They focused on being clean outward but not
inward.
An example would be parents who say to their
children, “You wash your hands before you come to the table,”
but they pay no attention to what their children see on
television, which is the thing that is damaging their heart. Oh,
of course, children should wash their hands, but what is on
the inside is far more important.

What to do:
✞Have clean hands, but it’s more important to
have a clean heart.

********************

A Clean Heart
May 10

 Bible Reading: Psalm 51:1-12

 Key Verse: Verse 10 – “Create in me a clean heart, O
God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
Key Words: Create in me a clean heart

How many times have you said to your children or

how many times did your parents say to you, “Wash your
hands”? If I heard it once, I heard it hundreds of times.
But how many of us tell our children, “Wash your
heart…keep your heart clean!” I doubt if any of us do, but we
all should. A clean heart is much better for you than clean
hands.
Each time we partake of the Lord's Supper we remind
ourselves that the elements are symbolic of what Christ has
done for us. New research accentuates this symbolism. Dr.
Leroy Creasy of Cornell University has identified a chemical in
grapes that the Journal of Applied Cardiology says reduces the
risk of heart disease. “Resveratrol” lowers cholesterol in
humans and is found in Concord grape juice. Now as we
drink a substance that helps cleans the physical heart of life-
threatening impurities, we can be reminded in a new way that
it is the blood of Christ that cleanses our spiritual hearts of
sin’s deadly effects.
What to do:
✞Remember, it is better to eat
with dirty hands than to live with a dirty heart.

********************

Put Your Heart Into It

May 11

 Bible Reading: I Samuel 12:18-25

 Key Verse: Verse 24 – “Only fear the LORD, and
serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider
how great things he hath done for you.”
Key Words: serve him in truth with all your heart

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and the waiter had

a bad attitude? The waiter didn't speak to you correctly,
wasn't attentive, or kind of tossed dishes onto the table. Every
now and then a waiter can act as if he or she doesn’t recognize
who you are.
You see, number one, your company creates the
opportunity for a job. No coming equals no customers, and
no customers equal no income. A waiter is there to serve you.
This is their purpose. A correct attitude will be reflected in
statements like…
“Yes, sir.”
“So glad to have you here today.”
“Ah, just a moment, we’ll seat you shortly.”
“I’m sorry it’s taking so long.”
“We finally have a table for you, why don’t you
follow me.”
“Can I get you something to drink?”
“Can I get you some appetizers?”
“This item is particularly good. I had that
yesterday and I’d love to recommend it to you.”
“Is there anything on the menu I can explain
further to you? I’d be happy to do it.”
 When you get that kind of waiter, the kind who is
concerned with your well-being, who doesn’t think you came
to the restaurant for them, who acts as if they exist at the
restaurant to service you, who behaves like you are the only
reason they’re there, it is a wonderful experience.
All of a sudden when you get the check and you
measure the tip, even folks who hate tipping, even cheap
tippers, have to reconsider the agenda. Why? Because of how
they’ve served you. Because of their consciousness to please
you. Because of their desire to make you feel good about that
experience at that restaurant.
God didn’t create you and save you so that He could
serve you. He created you and saved you so that you could
serve Him. He wants you to service Him.
“God, what can I do for You today?”
“How can I please You today?”
“God, this is the best seat in the house. You
can have it today.”
“God, You really need to know, I know it’s not
about me, it’s about You.”
“God, I’m getting ready to go to bed but I want
to let You know that between now and when I wake up in the
morning, the first thought I am going to have is of how I can
serve You again tomorrow. That’s why I’m here.”
When you decide that He is the reason why you are
here, when you look at your check, there’s going to be a
whopping tip because God loves to share with those who are
there for Him. You’re here for Him. So when it comes to our
service for God, put your heart into it.

What to do:
✞Remember, a half-hearted effort is a total failure.
 A Prepared Heart
May 12

 Bible Reading: Ezra 7:1-10

 Key Verse: Verse 10 - "For Ezra had prepared his
heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to
teach in Israel statutes and judgments.”
Key Words: For Ezra had prepared his heart

Remember the heart is the seat of our emotions, the

seat of our appetite and desires; and if our heart is not
prepared for the trials and tests that lie before us we will
surely faint, give up, quit, turn back. But preparing the heart
is much like preparing to build a building, all the plans,
equipment, and supplies must be ready. So it is with the
heart. We prepare it by having the plan for the day laid out,
by having the equipment of God’s Word and prayer, and
putting on the armor of God.
Several centuries ago, a Japanese emperor
commissioned an artist to paint a bird. A number of months
passed, then several years, and still no painting was brought
to the palace. Finally the emperor became so exasperated that
he went to the artist’s home to demand an explanation.
Instead of making excuses, the artist placed a blank canvas on
the easel. In less than an hour, he completed a painting that
was to become a brilliant masterpiece. When the emperor
asked the reason for the delay, the artist showed him
armloads of drawings of feathers, wings, heads, and feet.
Then he explained that all of this research and study had been
necessary before he could complete the painting.
The reason so many believers turn back and quit is
they fail to have a heart prepared for the spiritual battles they
are going to face in their lives. So let me challenge you:
prepare your heart and keep it prepared.

What to do:
 ✞Remember, the heart that isn’t prepared for success
is prepared to fail.
The Far-Away Heart
May 13

 Bible Reading:Mark 7:1-13

 Key Verse: Verse 6 – “He answered and said unto
them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites,
as it is written, This people honoureth me with their
lips, but their heart is far from me.”
Key Words: but their heart is far from me

There are a lot of people that can talk about a spiritual

life and how they love the Lord. The problem is not their lips
but their heart. We are not told that out of the lips are the
issues of life but out of the heart.
Some people go to the podiatrist because they need
him to cut off a callus where their skin has gotten really hard.
It’s not that they don’t still have soft skin; it’s just that it’s
been covered over for so long, they can’t feel it anymore.
When you and I have gone an extended time away
from God, a callus can grow, so that you don’t feel the desire
to be close to God. It’s not that the desire isn’t there. A new
nature exists for Christians and the new nature always is
feeling God. The reason a person might not feel the desire is
because they are calloused. Their heart has become hard,
many times due to ungratefulness and discontent.

What to do:
✞It’s hard to do right when your heart is far away
from God.
 The Telling Heart
May 14

 Bible Reading: Matthew 6:16-21

 Key Verse: Verse 21–“For where your treasure is,
there will your heart be also.”
Key Words: For where your treasure is, there will
your heart be also

The word treasure carries the idea of where our

valuable things are stored. So our heart reveals what is
precious or valuable in our lives.
We know what is stored in one’s heart by the decisions
they make in life.
The average person today has a distorted view of what
is important. Let me explain.
Some thieves one day broke into a store but didn't
steal anything. They just exchanged the tags. They took a
$6,000 tag off a diamond ring and put it on an imitation
diamond. They took the imitation diamond tag of $99.95 and
put it on the $6,000 ring. They took an imitation print
painting and reversed its tag with that of an expensive
original. People came in and bought stuff up. They spent a lot
of money on the worthless and a little bit of money on the
expensive.
We live in a culture today that has switched the tags.
We put a lot of money on the flashy and put thirty-nine cents
on character. We put a lot of money on expensive cars and
high positions of career, but we put ten cents on integrity,
truthfulness, dignity, and character. We have switched the
tags. Don’t let anybody switch your tags.
.

What to do:
 ✞Remember, your heart tells others where your
treasure is.

The Glad Heart

May 15

 Bible Reading: Psalm 4

 Key Verse: Verse 7 – “Thou hast put gladness in my
heart, more than in the time that their corn and their
wine increased.”
Key Words: Thou hast put gladness in my heart

The word gladness means mirth, happiness, joy. One

writer says it means leaping for joy.
In Acts 3 the lame man at the gate beautiful after his
lameness was removed was leaping and praising God.
Needless to say, he was filled with gladness, but notice where
the gladness comes from, “Thou [God] hast put gladness in
my heart.” The reason for David’s gladness was that God had
defeated his enemy. We read in II Chronicles 20:15, “And he
said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and thou king Jehoshaphat, thus saith the LORD unto you, Be
not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for
the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
Real gladness is more of a habit than a goal, more of
an attitude than an attainment. It is the companion of
cheerfulness, not the creature of circumstances. Gladness is
what overtakes us when we forget ourselves, when we learn to
open our eyes in optimism and close the door in the face of
defeat. We win gladness when we lose ourselves for the glory
of God and service to others.

What to do:
✞Remember, most folks are about as glad as they
make up their minds to be.
 The Proven Heart
May 16
 Bible Reading: Psalm 17
 Key Verse: Verse 3 - “Thou hast proved mine heart;
thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me,
and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth
shall not transgress.”
Key Words: Thou hast proved mine heart

The psalmist tells us how God proved his heart. He

visited him at night to see where he was and what he was
doing. Not only did he visit him at night, he tried him (put
him to the test).
When I was in middle school, our class visited a
refinery that processed gold and silver. We were allowed to
stay and see the complete refining process. The journeyman
working the silver had a huge black pot which was filled with
silver. He placed that pot on an open fire and waited for the
silver to melt, which it eventually did. He then took a lathe
and went across the top of the silver getting as much of the
dross as he could. He then looked into the “pot” full of silver
and said, “Not yet.” So he did the same process over and over
again. Finally on the seventh time he looked into the pot filled
with silver and said, “That’s it! It’s now pure silver.”
One of the students asked how he knew it was pure.
He smiled and said, “Because I can see my reflection in the
silver.”
That is what God wants from our lives. He tests us
and tries us and puts us through the fire. Then he removes
the dross from us until we are pure. We know when our heart
has been totally proven and found pure, when the Lord can
see Himself in our heart.
The song writer said it best when he said, “Let others
see Jesus in you. Keep telling the story, be faithful, and then
let others see Jesus in you.”
What to do:
✞Let others see Jesus in you.
The Giving Heart
May 17

 Bible Reading: II Corinthians 9:1-8

Key Verse: Verse 7 - “Every man according as he
purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not
grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful
giver.”
Key Words: as he purposeth in his heart, so let
him give

I’ve heard people say, “If you can’t give cheerfully,

then don’t give.” I am not sure that is the purest context of
the verse. I personally believe that when one cannot give
cheerfully, it says a lot about their heart. It’s a begrudging
heart; it’s a heart lacking cheerfulness. You see, when one
refuses to give, it tells us a lot about their spiritual condition.
There are three kinds of givers: the flint, the sponge,
and the honeycomb. To get anything out of the flint, you must
hammer it. Yet, all you generally get are chips and sparks. To
get anything from the sponge, you have got to squeeze it. The
more you squeeze, the more you get. But the honeycomb
simply overflows with sweetness.
When a person understands what God has done for
them, you don’t have to prime them to give and you don’t
need ten collections. They understand that He is a great God.
In fact, at offering time, we ought to jump to our feet and
applaud that we are here to give, have something to give, and
have been blessed to have strength enough to work that we
might be able to give. We ought to just applaud the privilege
of giving.
Amen and amen!
What to do:
✞Like one person said, “You go ahead and give it
grudgingly and we will receive it cheerfully.”
The Removed Heart
May 18

 Bible Reading: Isaiah 29:13-24

 Key Verse: Verse 13 – “Wherefore the Lord said,
Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their
mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have
removed their heart far from me, and their fear
toward me is taught by the precept of men:”
Key Words: but have removed their heart far from
me

The word removed is a key word in our text verse. It

means exited to a faraway place. Kind of sounds like the
prodigal son of Luke 15 who took his journey into a far
country. The prodigal’s heart was removed from the father
even before he left home. His heart was far, far away.
What we need today is a generation of Christians who
will have the guts to believe that following God has pleasure.
It is not a boring life.
There is a story of a kite that was flying and the kite
began to talk to itself. The kite said , “If only I could get rid of
this string . If the string wasn’t holding me back, then I could
fly. I could fly above the clouds. I could fly as high as I
wanted to. If I could get rid of this string, there would be
nothing holding me back. I’m limited by this string.”
One day the kite got its wish. The string broke and the
kite came crashing down. What the kite did not realize was
that the same string that kept it down also kept it up. Cutting
the string did not make it freer.
We will always head toward disaster when we cut the
string of dependence on God in search of more pleasure. The
same string that seems to hold you down also keeps you flying
high. God wants us to trust Him and let Him hold the string.
Staying connected to Him keeps us from falling and having a
removed heart and going far, far away.
What to do:
✞Remember, your heart can be moved by the Holy
Spirit or removed by Satan. It’s your call.

********************

The Assured Heart

May 19

 Bible Reading: I John 3:16-24

 Key Verse: Verse 19 – “And hereby we know that we
are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before
him.”
Key Words: assure our hearts before him

One of the ways we assure our hearts that we are born

again is through deeds and truth. Every one of us know if our
deeds are artificial or real. When we love the Lord and serve
Him with “truth deeds” (verse 18), we assure our hearts that
indeed we are born again, not by what we do, but by why we
do it.
Sometime when you’re in an airport, observe the
difference between passengers who hold confirmed tickets
and those who are on standby. The ones with confirmed
tickets read newspapers, chat with their friends or sleep. The
ones on standby hang around the ticket counter, pace and
smoke, smoke and pace. The difference is caused by the
confidence factor. If you knew that in fifteen minutes you
would have to stand in judgment before the Holy God and
learn your eternal destiny, what would your reaction be?
Would you smoke and pace? Would you say to yourself, “I
don’t know what God is going to say…will it be ‘Welcome
home, child’ or will it be ‘Depart from me; I never knew you?”
What to do:
✞Be sure; it beats worrying and fear.
The Melted Heart
May 20

 Bible Reading: Joshua 7:1-9

 Key Verse: Verse 5 – “And the men of Ai smote of
them about thirty and six men: for they chased them
from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote
them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the
people melted, and became as water.”
Key Words: the hearts of the people melted

A melted heart is not always a bad thing. Several years

ago after one of our daughters’ wedding, I had walked over to
the fellowship hall to the reception. I had noticed but had not
paid close attention to my three-year-old grandson who was
talking to me. He as well knew that I was not listening to
what he was saying so he reached and grabbed my face with
both hands and pulled it toward him and said with a loud
voice, “Paw Paw, I said I love you!!” That was a melting heart
moment.
But that’s not the kind of melting heart Israel was
facing in Joshua 7. They were being soundly defeated by the
army of men from Ai. The word melted means fainting with
fear, running, fleeing when we should stand (i.e., Jonah).
Have you ever had that kind of a melted heart?
It is said that seeking to know God better, John
Chrysostom became a hermit in the mountains near Antioch
in A.D. 373. Although his time of isolation was cut short by
illness, he learned that with God at his side, he could stand
alone against anyone or anything.
That lesson served Chrysostom well. In A.D. 398 he
was appointed patriarch of Constantinople, where his zeal for
reform antagonized the Empress Eudoxia, who had him
exiled. Allowed to return after a short time, Chrysostom again
infuriated Eudoxia, who sent him away again. How did
Chrysostom respond to such persecution? With these words:
"What can I fear? Will it be death? But you know that Christ
is my life, and that I shall gain by death. Will it be exile? But
the earth and all its fullness are the Lord's. Poverty I do not
fear; riches I do not sigh for; and from death I do not shrink."
What to do:
✞It’s good to have a melted heart because of love, but
not because of defeat.

********************

God Knows Your Heart

May 21

 Bible Reading: I Kings 8:35-43

 Key Verse: Verse 39 - “Then hear thou in heaven thy
dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every
man according to his ways, whose heart thou
knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the
hearts of all the children of men;)”
Key Words: even thou only, knowest the hearts of
all the children of men

Women take a lot of time and attention to make sure

they look glorious. They are a lot like my wife. If I tell her we
have to go somewhere at seven o’clock she “goeth” before the
mirror of her glory. She goes to work. She pulls out eye
mascara, eyeliner, foundation, rollers, curlers, a hot iron, and
stuff I can’t even pronounce. In one hour she is transformed
before my very eyes.
We go to the car; the car is in the garage, so she
doesn’t have to go outside first to mess up her glory. She can
go straight to the car, and keep all her glory intact. The first
thing she does is to pull out the visor to check the glory she
just put on. When we get to the building we are traveling to,
we go in and come to the elevator. Guess what? There’s a
mirror in the elevator, to double-check her glory. When we
arrive at our floor and get off the elevator, my wife will make a
beeline for the powder room. Now, there is nothing wrong
with a wife who seeks to be glorious. The Bible says that a
woman is the glory of the man and I don’t mind my wife
making me look good.
 But God is looking for even more. He wants us to be
glorious on the inside, not merely on the outside. Far too
many women are elegant on the outside, but bargain
basement on the inside, evil-spirited, evil attitude,
disregarding, disrespectful.

What to do:
✞Remember, outward beauty can never cover inward
ugliness and that’s what God sees.

********************

The Surfeiting Heart

May 22

 Bible Reading: Luke 21:25-38

 Key Verse: Verse 34 – “And take heed to yourselves,
lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with
surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life,
and so that day come upon you unawares.”
Key Words: your hearts be overcharged with
surfeiting

The word surfeiting carries the idea of nausea which

comes from drunkenness. Drunkenness is a problem.
According to Lou Nicholas from Family Times, there are over
12 million alcoholics in our nation and millions more who are
“problem drinkers.” At least 70% of these problem drinkers
started when they were in their teens. No wonder the alcohol
industry spends a large part of its advertising budget on
winning the young people.
Times are changing. There are some in our schools
today who are more concerned about our students praying
than drinking.
In the fifties the major discipline problems in our
public schools were cigarette smoking, skipping class, running
in the halls, spit balls, chewing gum, and whispering in class.
Today - the major problems are deadly weapons - kids
carrying guns, knives, and even assault weapons. This is
followed by arson, drugs, vandalism, and drunkenness.
Recently in Florida a high school teacher observed a number
of boys in the corner of the gymnasium on their hands and
knees. Rushing up to the boys, the teacher demanded, “What
are you doing?” One of the boys looked up and answered,
“We’re shooting dice!” The teacher responded with, “Oh,
thank goodness. I thought you were praying.”
What a shame!

What to do:
✞Seek ye first the kingdom of God.

********************

A Complaining Heart
May 23

 Bible Reading: Psalm 77:1-20

 Key Verse: Verse 6 - “I call to remembrance my song
in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and
my spirit made diligent search.”
Key Words: I commune with mine own heart

Complaining can consume you if you’re not careful.

All you see are the things you think are wrong; and seldom, if
ever, do you see anything good.
In Psalm 77 the psalmist, because of the psalmist’s
heart condition, lists for us all the things he saw as a
“problem” and complained about them.
1. God was a problem. I remembered God and was
“troubled” (stirred up emotionally) Psalm 77:3a.
2. Complaining consumed the psalmist so he couldn’t or
wouldn’t sleep (verse 4).
3. He complained because things weren’t like they used
to be (verse 5).
 4. A complaining spirit can’t “find” the Lord (verse 2).
5. A complaining spirit refuses to find good (verse 2).
Charles Spurgeon once said, in part: “A heavy wagon
was being dragged along a country lane by a team of oxen.
The axles groaned and creaked terribly, when the oxen
turning around thus addressed the wheels, ‘Hey there, why do
you make so much noise? We bear all the labor, and we – not
you – ought to cry out!’ Those who complain first in our
ministries are those who are determined to find fault. The gift
of grumbling is largely dispensed among those who have no
other talents.”
I have a saying that goes, “I can’t hear your complaints
because I’ve never heard your praises.”
As always, thanks for reading and not complaining.

What to do:
✞Remember, if one has never heard your praises, they
will in all likelihood, never hear your complaints.

********************

A Confident Heart
May 24

 Bible Reading: Proverbs 3:1-10

 Key Verse: Verse 5 - “Trust in the LORD with all thine
heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”
Key Words: Trust in the LORD with all thine heart

True faith has no room for doubt. Where there is

doubt, there is no true faith.
Several years ago I was traveling to Salt Lake City,
Utah. Reservations were made and I had chosen my seat (I
always choose a window seat). When I boarded the plane, to
my amazement, a young boy was sitting in my reserved seat. I
chose to not make a scene and just took the aisle seat. Sitting
in front of us were three teen-aged girls who looked to be in
their early teens; and it was obvious none of them had ever
flown before. As the plane began to taxi down the runway,
you would have thought that they were on a ride at Six Flags.
Finally, it came time for the plane to take off and the pressure
pushed the girls back in their seats. About now they are
screaming and crying, not out of joy but out of fear. It was
then that my little flying companion leaned forward and
rebuked the girls, telling them to knock off the screaming and
crying and assuring them that all was well. One of the young
teens turned around and as best she could asked, “How do
you know everything is alright?” To which the young boy said,
“Because my daddy is the pilot!”
He had total faith and trust that all was well because
he had a personal relationship with the pilot. You can say he
had a confident heart.
In all of life’s situations we, as well, know that all is
well because our Heavenly Father is the pilot of our lives and
He makes no mistakes.
Today, let God pilot your life and have a confident
heart that all will end well.

What to do:
✞If you are not trusting God with all your heart, then
you are not walking by faith.

********************

The Hemorrhoids that Soften

the Heart
May 25

 Bible Reading: I Samuel 6:1-9

 Key Verse: Verse 6 – “Wherefore then do ye harden
your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened
their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully
 among them, did they not let the people go, and they
departed?”
Key Words: Wherefore then do ye harden your
hearts

You have to chuckle at the plight of the Philistines.

They have taken the ark of God from Israel. Don’t you know
they were proud of this? But their joy would soon turn to
sadness. They set the ark of God in with their god (Dagon)
and when they went to check on the ark of God, Dagon had
fallen on her face. Even false gods bow before Jehovah. Not
only that, the Philistines began to be smitten with of all
things, hemorrhoids. Now, what do they do? Well, they
decided the ark of God had to go so they decided that they
couldn’t send the ark back empty so they put a trespass
offering in of five gold mice and five gold hemorrhoids. Now,
some evidently didn’t like the idea of sending the ark back to
Israel. They had to be reminded of the plaques on Egypt
when Egypt hardened their hearts (verse 6) and so the ark
went back. It took the plaque of hemorrhoids to get their
attention but it worked!
Don’t let a hard heart destroy you!
Many people smoke day after day, month after month,
year after year and all of a sudden their ability to breathe is
impacted and the lungs become hard. A lung is supposed to
be soft and pliable but when a person smokes like that, their
lungs become hard and the air can’t penetrate them.
You can read the Bible until you are blue in the face,
but if it is being read by a hard heart, the Spirit won’t
penetrate it.

What to do:
✞Don’t let a hard heart produce hemorrhoids
(emerods) in your life.
 A True Heart
May 26

 Bible Reading: Hebrews 10:11-25

 Key Verse: Verse 22 - “Let us draw near with a true
heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts
sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies
washed with pure water.”
Key Words: Let us draw near with a true heart

The key to having full assurance comes from “drawing

near to God with a true heart.” It seems being far away from
God doesn’t work too well in producing full assurance.
A guy was watching football on a Saturday afternoon.
He had the remote in his hand when the phone rang. He
walked over to the phone with the remote in his hand. Even
while on the phone, he was interested in keeping up with the
game so as not to miss any big plays. He couldn't see the TV
but he figured that at least he could half listen in. He pointed
the remote in the direction of the TV and attempted to turn
the volume up. Nothing happened because he was too far. It's
not that the remote didn't work, and it's not that the TV didn't
work. He was just too far.
Sometimes Christians will say that God doesn't work
when in reality the problem is that they are simply too far
away from the Lord. It's not that Jesus doesn't work. It's not
that the Bible doesn't work, and it's not that the Holy Spirit
doesn't work. If a person is not in the vicinity, if he or she is
not close to God at all, then it will certainly seem that God's
way doesn't work. Closeness and intimacy with God is what
provides the full experience of walking with Him.

What to do:
✞If nothing spiritually is happening in your life, try
getting closer to God.
 A Blind Officer
May 27

 Bible Reading: I Samuel 16:1-13

 Key Verse: Verse 7 - "But the LORD said unto
Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the
height of his stature; because I have refused him: for
the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on
the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on
the heart.”
Key Words: but the LORD looketh on the heart

Donald Grey Barnhouse writes of a young officer who

was blinded during the war and met and later married one of
the nurses who took care of him in an army hospital.  One day
he overheard someone speaking about himself and his wife:
“It was lucky for her that he was blind since he never would
have married such a homely woman if he had sight!”  
He rose to his feet and walked toward the voices,
saying, “I overheard what you said, and I thank God from the
depths of my heart for blindness of eyes that might have kept
me from seeing the marvelous worth of the soul of this woman
who is my wife.  She is the most noble character I have ever
known; if the shape of her features is such that it might have
masked her inward beauty to my soul, then I am the greater
gainer by having lost my sight.” 
The Bible says that God seeth not as man seeth “for
man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh
on the heart” (I Samuel 16:7b). The Bible also says that God
prefers holiness to glamour (I Peter 3:4). If a man or woman
possesses physical beauty, they may be thankful for it; but
they should realize what a temptation it can be to them and
must ever surrender it to the Lord.

What to do:
✞Surrender everything to God.
 The Purged Heart
May 28

 Bible Reading: Malachi 3:1-6

 Key Verse: Verse 3 - “And he shall sit as a refiner and
purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi,
and purge them as gold and silver, that they may
offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.”
Key Words: And he shall sit as a refiner

In the great bazaars of Istanbul, Damascus, or Cairo,

you will see men sitting at their places in the section of the
silversmiths. Beside them you will generally find piles of
United States twenty-five, fifty, and ten-cent pieces.
Thousands of travelers give American coins as tips, and all of
those monies are melted back into silver and poured into little
silver charms that are sold back to the tourists. This is done
in the most old-fashioned way. I have watched a silversmith
drop a coin into the molten silver; in a little while the coin is
melted down under the hot fire. Every once in a while the
man gets up, lifts himself over the little bowl of silver, and
goes back to sawing on some little pin that he is making, a
silver clasp or ornament. Again he will get up and look in the
bowl; he will take a sieve and scrape off the scoria that is on
the top. He takes away the dross, and if you should ask him,
“What are you waiting to see,” he would say, “I keep it on the
fire until there is no more scum; when I lean over it, I can see
myself reflected there as in the best mirror.”
That is what it means in Malachi when it says that God
shall sit as a refiner of silver, God says, “I am going to keep
you in the fire until I see My face in you; this is what I’m
working for. I want to purge away the dross. I want to make
you like the Lord Jesus Christ.” While the Scripture doesn’t
specifically mention the heart, being like Jesus begins with a
purging of the heart!!

What to do:
✞Desire to be more like Jesus.
 My Heart Shall Not Fear
May 29

 Bible Reading: Psalm 27:1-7

 Key Verse: Verse 3– “Though an host should encamp
against me, my heart shall not fear: though war
should rise against me, in this will I be confident..”
Key Words: my heart shall not fear

David does not tell us which specific incident he is

writing of in Psalm 27. It could have been when David stood
against Goliath and the Philistines. It may have been when
Absalom pursued after him or maybe when Saul and the army
of Israel was after him. No matter what the reason, the
psalmist is clear when he says, “Though an host should
encamp against me, my heart shall not fear.”
Tony Evans tells the following story. “One time a dog
was chasing my oldest granddaughter. She was only about
four or five years old. She was just terrified. Now, I don’t
think that dog was going to do anything to her but she didn’t
know that. She was crying and screaming as she made her
way to me as fast as her little legs would carry her. She was
yelling my name, ‘Poppy! Poppy! Poppy!’ That little girl was
in a complete state of terror. I ran to meet her and gathered
her up in my arms. She was huffing, heaving, and puffing,
totally out of breath.
“The dog ran up to me, stopped just short, and started
backing away. The advance had ended. My granddaughter
looked up at me and noticed that the dog was no longer a
threat. She looked down at the dog, and then she looked up at
me. She looked back down at the dog, and with a new verve
and vigor, she said, ‘Na-na-nana-na!’
“Intimacy breeds confidence. When you are close to
someone whom you love who has a lot more power than you
do, you can piggyback.”
.

What to do:
✞When God has your heart, there is no reason to fear.
 Pure Love
May 30

 Bible Reading: John 15:1-14

 Key Verse: Verse 13 – “Greater love hath no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Key Words: that a man lay down his life for his
friends.

We have all said or heard the following, “I love you

with all my heart,” proving that love flows from the heart.
I recently read about a crippled girl who was living in
the slums and underwent an operation that might enable her
to walk again. When the operation was over, she needed a
blood transfusion; her fourteen-year-old brother, a tough boy
of the streets, volunteered. He was taken to the hospital, to
the bedside of his crippled sister.  He stared in tight-lipped
silence while the vein in his arm was opened so that the blood
might flow into the body of his unconscious sister. When it
was over, the doctor put his hand on the boy’s shoulder and
told him that he was very brave. The boy did not
comprehend; he had not understood the nature of a
transfusion. After a moment, he looked up and said, “Doc,
how long will it be before I croak?” As far as the boy was
concerned he had been dying; slowly and willingly, he had
stoically watched the blood flow—drop by drop, expecting his
sister’s life to mean his own death.
There, indeed, is the highest in human love. If this
human love is to be seen in it highest degree, it will be
through the words of Christ, who said, “Greater love hath no
man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”
(John 15.13).

What to do:
✞Love with all your heart; if not, you have failed to
love at all.
 Spending from the Heart
May 31

 Bible Reading: John 7:37-53

 Key Verse: Verses 38 & 39 - “He that believeth on me,
as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow
rivers of living water.” (verse 38) “  (But this spake he
of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should
receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given;
because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) (verse 39)
Key Words: out of his belly shall flow rivers of
living water

A wife can never be satisfied merely because her

husband is a good provider. If he laid everything at her feet
that money could buy, there would still be a lack of just
exactly everything because he had delved into his purse
instead of his heart. But many a happy woman gladly does
without the fripperies of luxurious living, if she has not only
the large bills, but the small change from the heart of the man
she loves.
The analogy may be carried into all the relationships of
our life. Never spend money from your purse for that which
should be purchased with your very self. The Christian knows
this spending of the heart is the natural – or should we say,
the supernatural? – pouring out of the life that is released
through the indwelling presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. He
Himself said, “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath
said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this
spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should
receive….” (John 7:38, 39). Even the money that comes from
the purse will have the effect of self that pours from the heart,
if it is spent in the light and life of the Lordship of Christ.

What to do:
✞Give from your heart, not just your “purse.”
NOTES:
 I deeply appreciate
the help of

Mary Parsons

Glenda Myrick

And my lovely wife, Linda

Without God using these

people to help, this
devotional would not
have been possible.
Dr. Mike Rouse
 is a ministry of

5568 Chalkville Mountain Road

Birmingham, AL. 35235
(205) 854-2741
www.mountainviewbaptist.org