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Can Heart and Mind Be Separate?
CGG WeeklyGod shows through His Word that personal and public life cannot be separated, as one's personal life inevitably guides one's public life. When God established Israel in the Promised Land, He commanded the people to write His laws on their hearts, uniting civil law with divine law. Jesus Christ teaches in Matthew 6:21, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also," highlighting that what we value aligns with our hearts, the center of our devotion. This principle explains why God instructed the Israelites to keep His laws in their hearts, and why Israel's failure to do so led to the nation's downfall. As children of God, our devotion to Him demands a singular governance over our hearts, directing every action, whether public or private.
Guarding Our Vulnerable Hearts
Sermon by Clyde FinkleaThe heart is a central and vital concept, mentioned numerous times in Scripture, reflecting its importance to our spiritual existence. It often refers metaphorically to the inner person, encompassing the mind, emotions, will, or the entirety of a person, depending on the context. This frequent usage underscores God's deep concern for the condition of our hearts and minds, as the heart is pivotal to our spiritual life. God searches the heart, examining the deep things within us to understand our true nature. As seen in various passages, the heart can be prone to deception and vulnerability, capable of departing from the Lord, leading to a cursed state. Conversely, a heart that trusts and hopes in the Lord is blessed. The actions and deeds of a person, whether good or bad, proceed from what is inside the heart, revealing who we truly are. God looks beyond outward appearances, focusing on the reality and condition of what lies within. Guarding the heart is essential, for out of it spring the issues of life. A pure and clean heart is necessary to see God, and we are encouraged to pour our hearts out to Him in fervent prayer, developing an intimate relationship. Preparing and stabilizing our hearts through spiritual disciplines helps us respond positively to God in various life situations. Trusting in Him, as He instructs, prevents our hearts from being troubled and allows His peace to guard our hearts and thoughts, surpassing all understanding.
God is the Strength of My Heart
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsThe word heart is mentioned numerous times in Scripture, signifying its vital importance to our spiritual lives. It represents courage, determination, and hope, going beyond mere human will to embody lasting motivation through faithful conviction. A dedicated heart drives us to persist in worthwhile endeavors, even in failure, as it transforms our lives by fueling our fight for what we love. Biblical figures like Noah, Moses, David, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego exemplified heart through their extraordinary acts of obedience and courage in the face of immense challenges. In Scripture, the heart often symbolizes personality, intellect, memory, emotions, desires, and will, describing the inner person and the intangibles of humanity as opposed to the flesh. God strengthens our hearts with His indwelling Spirit, fortifying us with His spiritual power when our hearts and minds fail. The heart reflects human character, capable of being instilled with moral qualities, whether uncircumcised and hostile or transformed from stone to flesh through God's intervention, granting a new heart upon receiving His Holy Spirit. God looks to the heart, alongside our actions, to gauge our faithfulness, calling us to seek Him with our whole hearts. As the source of emotions, the heart flows with joy, fear, despair, sadness, trust, and anger, and serves as the seat of desire, guiding our longings and choices. Scripture teaches that out of the heart come both evil thoughts and actions, yet it also reveals God's heart, reflecting His caring contemplation and mercy in decisions, distinct from human inclinations toward destruction. Obedience from the heart is central to a stable spiritual life, as emphasized in Scripture, where true believers obey the delivered doctrine with their whole being—heart, mind, and will. Failure to obey from the heart can lead to spiritual depression, while a partial response, engaging only emotion without mind or will, results in instability and eventual unhappiness. God demands a complete response, loving Him with all our heart, soul, and mind, a total conviction that encompasses the entirety of our lives and motivates obedience to His commandments. The heart must be influenced through understanding, moving from the mind to the heart and then to the will, yielding wholehearted obedience to God's truth. Applying the whole heart to God requires faithful conviction, courage, perseverance, hope, and above all, love for Him and His way of life. As God's promise assures restoration, our lives are to become glorious, capturing the whole personality, so that we may stand as stable believers, obviously obeying from the heart the doctrine delivered to us from His Word.
The Pure in Heart
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughIt is the core of our heart that must be cleansed before we can have a pure heart, enabling us to see God as He is.
Preparing Your Heart
Sermon by John O. ReidBecause the heart represents what and who we are and how we conduct our lives, the condition of our spiritual heart is of the utmost importance to us.
The Beatitudes, Part 6: The Pure in Heart
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughPurity before God is far more than just being clean. To Jesus, being pure in heart, described in the Beatitudes, touches on the very holiness of God.
Our Hidden Enemy
CGG Weekly by John O. ReidA terrible, corrupt enemy lurks within us, poised to bring disaster on us if we allow it. It is the human heart, which God calls 'desperately wicked.'
Defining the Human Mind
Sermon by Charles Whitaker (1944-2021)The Hebrews used metaphorical extensions such as the terms 'heart' and 'head' to refer to the repositories of the breath of life given to the human soul.
Avoiding the Ruts of Puny Faith
Sermon by Bill OnisickWhen we have severe trials, we can experience a divided mind, exercising a puny faith. Does God find us willing to surrender to Him in all circumstances?
Avoiding the Ruts of Our Carnal Mind
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Bill OnisickIf we could see the traffic of our perpetually wandering minds, we would be embarrassed as to how often it strays from God's thoughts and His laws.
The Perils of Double-Mindedness (Part One)
CGG Weekly by David F. MaasGod makes it abundantly clear that double-mindedness or split-allegiances place our spiritual growth and development—and ultimately our salvation—in peril.
The Christian and the World (Part Five)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe prince of the power of the air is responsible for influencing the zeitgeist (dominant mindset of the time), pulling us away from God and His law.
Communication and Leaving Babylon (Part Two)
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughOur human nature reflects the nature of malevolent spirits' attitudes. The only way to overcome it is through God's creating a new heart in us by His Spirit.
The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part Three)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughIn most biblical contexts, 'spirit' refers to the invisible, internal activating dimension of the mind. Synonyms include heart, mind, and thoughts.
The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part Four)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughBeing 'in Christ' does not refer to location, but instead our 'concern with' or 'involvement with' Him—and He with us.
A Pure Language
Sermonette by David C. GrabbeWe don't need to be experts in Hebrew or use Hebrew names to call on the name of the Lord, nor is Hebrew sacred. Pure language comes from an undefiled heart.
Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Eighteen)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)We accept most of our opinions, prejudices, and beliefs unconsciously. We must scrutinize our own beliefs through the principles of God's Holy Scriptures.