“—I speak as to my children—open wide your hearts also”
2 Corinthians 6:13 (NIV).

Are you like me, striving to find purity of heart? It is not easy is it? One moment we think we are doing well and just like that —wham—our thoughts can take us to another place where we are not doing so well. We let our heart be, as God said, “deceitful above all things.” (See my Heart Matters Blog on 4/1/15).

We constantly struggle in our humanness asking how we can control this flip-flopping of the mind and heart. The mind wants to do one thing, the heart another. What lessons do we need to learn? Where can we find the help we need?

For me, I found the necessary help in developing, by faith, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I learned that Jesus purposely sent a “Helper” and a “Teacher” to guide us––the promised Holy Spirit. His teachings are so very precious. Through his teachings we develop the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.

His fruit fills us, guiding us in our decisions, in our thoughts and in our actions. Our job is to daily open our heart to his leading and guidance. And before we know it, an amazing transformation takes place whereby we begin to do what the Holy Book describes: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV).

“When I started on this exciting journey to find a personal relationship with Jesus, I had made a mistake. I thought what I needed was to learn to love Jesus “with all my mind.” But it was not my mind after all that needed to be opened, protected,and nurtured. It was my heart that was all tied up with rubber bands. I needed to learn to love him ‘with all my heart.’”

(Excerpt from Island Girl: A Triumph of the Spirit)

As you can see from the excerpt of my memoir, I struggled to open my heart; to give my life and my will to the Lord. However, once I learned the value in trusting a sovereign God, my whole life changed. I encourage you to also open your heart to the discovery of these amazing treasures.