From The Inside-Out… Hello to all my precious readers. Before I dive into this devotion, I have a military family that needs your prayers. They are stationed over-seas (I’m not allowed to share where they live). They found out that their three-year-old son was diagnosed with Glioblastoma. Both mother and father are military; getting him back to America will be touch-and-go, but St. Jude’s stepped in and is working to get a plane to their base to bring him home. Your prayers are needed, so thank you for doing that. I will update his status when I hear from them. As I think of this boy, it reminds me that no matter what is going on in our lives, Jesus knows us from the ‘inside-out’ and that is what my devotional is about. So here goes…

First, you may not know this, but there is a misconception that following Jesus is just behavior modification. What does that mean? Well, you don’t have to become a Christian to change your behavior. I had to read that several times before I could get what it really meant. Obviously, many people who’ve modified their actions say they didn’t need God’s help, they wanted to do that themselves. The question is why? The Pew Research put it this way, “If I can take care of myself, that is what I want instead of having to have some kind of a God telling me what I should do.” Wow, talk about a slap-in-the face to God! For those of us who are people of faith, we know that Christianity goes much deeper than external changes because we have tried things ourselves and most of it didn’t work! Trying to make your own ‘transformation’ without asking God’s help is going to get you nowhere.

In Proverbs 4:23-27 using the Message, King Solomon reminds us that we must…“Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts. Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip. Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust.”  

In other words, we need to remember that God transforms us from the inside out, and God starts with our heart. We need to be diligent with our hearts because everything in our lives flows from our heart, such as: marriage, family, work, finances, health, our relationships, decisions, responses to circumstances, and our faith in God! A hardened-heart keeps us from the joy of the Lord, his grace, and most of all, the forgiveness God has for us.

I believe that following Jesus affects our behavior and for many of us, it’s significant in many ways. Yet, that is NOT where God starts! Instead, God begins with heart transformation, which naturally produces life transformation—think of it as a constant flowing stream that you can sip at any time.

Here’s a thought for all us who are married. Remember those first days, wondering who the two of you will get through it–yet you did? Well, that wasn’t your doing, it was God already doing that ‘heart-work’ inside of both of you! God wasn’t asking you to act differently—God was changing what we wanted, what we valued, what drove our decisions. And for most of us, we didn’t even realize it—what an incredible God we have!!

In closing, think about what ‘heart attitudes’ God might be getting ready to transform you from the inside-out. Remember, God starts with the heart and everything we do flows from there so guard your heart under the wings of God’s protection. I believe that is what is going on right now for this young boy—God is transforming him from the inside-out! Since this is Valentine’s Day-that special day of LOVE – let’s raise a Hallelujah, AMEN!