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Friday, November 25, 2016

Preparing Your Heart


With the Christmas season officially beginning, our focus should not be on the commercial aspects of the season. Our focus should remain on the true gift of the season, the birth of Jesus.

Because of God's love for us, He has prepared a way for our salvation through the birth, life and death of His son. In order for us to truly understand the nature of God's gift and His love for us, we, too, must be prepared. Our preparations set the tone for the days ahead.

This year's advent messages that I will be sharing will center on breaking away from our wicked nature and concentrating on those things that are righteous. When we prepare our hearts in this fashion, we are prepared for the return of Christ Jesus. The Son of Man will return at an unexpected hour. We must prepare ourselves.

In Job 11, Zophar rebukes Job for a sin that he has not confessed. Although Zophar judged Job incorrectly and accused him of wickedness, he still makes a valid point that Job must prepare his heart and lift up his hands to God. He further tells him to "leave all iniquity behind". By doing so, Job's life will be brighter than the noonday.

We should heed the words of Zophar and prepare our hearts for the season. I challenge everyone who reads this to take a few minutes each day to prepare your hearts. To use something that I read a while ago, "Jesus is the reason for the season."
“If only you would prepare your heart and lift up your hands to him in prayer!  Get rid of your sins, and leave all iniquity behind you. Then your face will brighten with innocence. You will be strong and free of fear. You will forget your misery; it will be like water flowing away.  Your life will be brighter than the noonday. Even darkness will be as bright as morning.  Having hope will give you courage. You will be protected and will rest in safety.  You will lie down unafraid, and many will look to you for help. Job 11:13-19 (NLT)

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