Mending an unsettled heart

Are you struggling with an unsettled heart? I can understand.

When I was first getting to know Jesus, I was deeply torn between how I was living and the life he was calling me to live.

Faced with a life-altering decision, desperate for help, with no one to go to, I sought after Jesus.

The battle inside me raged, wreaking havoc over my life. There were two opposing sides: my wants and his will for me.

I didn’t see choosing his will as the right choice, because others didn’t always have the best for me in the past—leading me to feel my control was best.

I feared the worst case scenarios if I chose his will. Thus, I sought after my wants and desires first. I knew I needed to change in many ways to accept his will.

In my resistance, I wondered if others saw through my brave face and noticed the immobilized pain I was in. I was trying to ignore God’s conviction, but it was becoming overbearing at times.

The anguish I was in felt intolerable and I knew I had to do something. 

You can’t put your wants and desires first and also live the life God intended for you. When you are being convicted by the Lord in how you are living, it’s so important that you heed this warning.

If you are actively seeking a relationship with Jesus and want to grow in it, his conviction is a gift to help you.

We shouldn’t take his steering lightly; we must take action to follow the Lord—to live in the abundant life he has for us.

It’s not easy to step out in boldness for the Lord to live the life he calls us to, but it’s possible and necessary. Jesus offers you freedom from the pain and hurt that this world has to offer.

When we come to know Jesus and give him our life, how we lived our life in the past can just be that. The past.

Paul, an apostle of Christ, offered much encouragement and wisdom to the Corinthians.

They were leading a life that dishonored God and in turn hurt themselves.

Their sins and hypocrisy were evident. But Paul, a faithful follower of Christ, wanted to help them and get them back on the right track.

He provided the conviction that they needed with gentleness, calling out the areas they needed help in.

It’s not always easy to take responsibility for our shortcomings and work on these things. But it is necessary with Christ.

He provides the guidance, strength and ability to do so. He is gentle with us and loving. Not listening to the conviction of the Lord leads to further pain and hurt in this life.

As Paul addressed the Corinthians to change, he did it with ease. Yet he was forthright to make sure they knew how they must change and why.

Though God alerts us to our shortcomings, we must know that he does it for our good—like Paul did.

Jesus loves us so much, and wants us to live a life that will edify us and not be filled with hurt and pain.

Paul proceeded to provide wisdom and direction from the Lord to the Corinthians. We see this in 1 Corinthians 6:11 (NIV): “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

He instructed them to know that this was their old life and that—as followers of Christ—they were made new.

When we come to know Jesus and give him our life, how we lived our life in the past can just be that. The past.

We don’t have to operate in that manner anymore.

It may be a slow process—to make a choice each and every day for him and his ways—but when you walk in the truth that you are washed clean, set apart, and made right in the sight of God, then you can walk in this place.

Paul reminded the Corinthians, and us, of the simple gospel message of who we are now and how the powerful choice we made to follow Christ is an everyday choice to live our life for him. 

Make the decision to walk rightly with Jesus today by reflecting on the simplicity of the gospel message. 

You don’t have to live in the sins of your past and hurt yourself further—and go deeper in your sin—but you can choose to walk rightly with God.

You can choose his will for your life. Your acceptance of the gospel message changed it all for you; it gave you a loving father whose Spirit nudges you to go towards him for the best life.

Jesus sets you free from a life of wandering; through his will you can live your best life. You just need to live in the truth of the gospel message every day.

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