Hi, I’m Grant Berry, author, and founder of Reconnecting Ministries, welcome to God Today. You know, one of the things in my own personal walk that I spend more time on than anything else is my own heart. Being free the way I believe that the Lord wanted me to have it in a daily basis. In scripture, Galatians 5:1 it says, “It’s for freedom that Yeshua has set us free that we should stand firm and not allow ourselves to be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” What does that mean? On a daily basis our minds, our hearts are battlegrounds. Peace and joy are rightfully ours, but you know what? We have to fight for them. And before we can be good for anyone else we need to be strong ourselves.
There’s a wonderful analogy I’ve picked up so many times on airplanes. You know, when that oxygen mask drops – God forbid, right? – but when it drops they always say, “Put the mask on yourself before you take care of your child next to you.” There’s a beautiful spiritual analogy in that in the sense that: if I can’t be strong myself how can I be strong for others?
So, God in the heart – protecting it and seeking the Lord and connecting to the Holy Spirit in some of the thoughts and things that come into our minds and our hearts are a very important part of our faith and something I believe can bring us into greater personal victory by standing firm and laying hold of that freedom. Looking, searching our hearts on the pillow at night and reflecting so that we can bring those thoughts that are not quite right to the obedience of Messiah and get back to that freedom.
Can I pray? Father, in the matchless name of your son, Yeshua, you have set us free. You have given us tools to move into that freedom. Help us, Lord, to be more reflective and it’s okay to spend time on ourselves before necessarily we go to others. That we may find those things that are standing in the way and deal with them with the beautiful tools you have given us. To move in daily victory and have that freedom that Yeshua came to give to us, Father. In Yeshua’s name, I just pray a blessing to you this morning that would listen to this message that you would hold on to that peace and hold on to that joy in Yeshua’s name. Amen.