October 3, 2024, An Undivided Heart
As a young unmarried man, dating and trying to live holy, I was often surrounded by temptation! Someone said to me, “You have to try on a shoe before you buy it.” But marriage cannot be compared to buying shoes. Shoes are temporary. Marriages are meant to be permanent. As of 2024, according to the CDC, 42 percent of all marriages end in divorce. And the most likely to divorce are those who shack, move in together (to try on the ‘shoe’) before they get married! Now I’m not throwing shade on anyone. And I don’t need to write a discourse on being unequally yoked. I’ll simply say that some marriages just need to be terminated! For example, if someone is knocking your teeth out…
“Teach me your way LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” (Psalm 86:11, NIV).
An Undivided Heart
The heart, in the Hebrew context, is the seat of your understanding, emotions, will, knowledge, and character. Subconsciously, we see, hear, and think with our hearts. When my heart is divided it means my loyalty to something or someone is fractured. Before I left home to go to college, God spoke to me through His word and said, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not…” Many times, I was tempted to lean on my own understanding! Sometimes I wanted to say, “Not Your will this time, please, but mine!” But He kept my heart undivided and helped me remain loyal to Him. When your heart is undivided it simply means that your eyes, ears, and thoughts are centered on God–not on people, not on your fleshly desires and appetites, but solely on God!
When your heart is undivided you will, 1) Receive His instructions. “Teach me your way LORD.” When I was a young unmarried schoolteacher and some young ladies, teachers, who were riding with me in my car to a meeting, became overly flirtatious, He quietly instructed me to shut them down. I said, “Ladies, I won’t be like Sampson. I’m not going to play with you and lose my strength.” That ended their flirting.
And finally, you will,
With an unfractured, undivided heart you will
3) Reverence (honor via worship and praise) His name. “That I may fear your name.” With an undivided heart, I will not yield to temptation! I will not fear the wickedness that is abounding around me, my steps are ordered by the LORD. In Him, there is no failure! Thank God for an undivided heart!!
Praise Report: Evang. Marlene Manning says her primary care physician has taken her off daily insulin injections. She now only has to have them weekly. This is GREAT incremental progress! We are praying that she will soon be able to be released completely from insulin injections. Please join in praying for this to happen soon!
Focus Quote: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23 NIV).
altonesumner.com – an inspiring motivational ministry
Reminders: I would love to hear from you!!! If you would like to respond to any of my thoughts, share a praise report, a prayer request or share something I can include in the next weekly focus, please just shoot me an email or text me at the number below.
Project 2024: “If My people who are called by my name would humble themselves and pray…” Also, please do not neglect to VOTE in November!
And please continue to join us at 5:14 p.m. each day as we pause to pray.
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14).