“As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.” (Prov. 27:19 NLT) 

Your heart is what makes you, you

Your heart affects everything you say, do, and feel. It includes your interests, desires, dreams, and ambitions—the things that motivate you to get up in the morning. 

What to do

“And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matt. 22:37)

How to do it? By putting God first in all your interests, desires, dreams, and ambitions. Pray and ask Him to help you have a clean and righteous heart: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)

Therefore

Commit your heart to God: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Prov. 4:23)

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ez. 26:36)

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people.” (Col. 3:23 GNT)

Whatever you do 

The verse at the top of the page is pretty straight-forward. You must approach whatever you do with the mindset of working for God, not for people. Thinking like this will have a significant impact on your attitude and the quality of your work, propelling you to success in all your endeavors. In fact, it affirms the following command that Jesus gave: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33 ESV)

Therefore

“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” (Prov. 16:3)

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13)

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” (Psalm 32:8)

Ask, seek, and knock

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matt. 7:7-11 ESV)

Therefore

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Prov. 3:5-6)

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” (John 16:13)

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm. 129:195)

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

Someone once compared Christians to tea bags, stating that you discover their true nature when they get into hot water (trouble). True! Everyone experiences trouble from time to time. And unfortunately, not everyone does well in times of trouble. It's not that God isn't aware and willing to help, it's just that they give in to the problem without seeking His help and guidance. That’s not good! The Bible warns, “Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.” (Prov. 25:26) 

What to do

Turn immediately to God when trouble comes and stay filled with faith.

“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1 ESV).

In other words, faith is believing when we have no evidence.”  

Therefore

 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:19)

“Each of you as a good manager must use the gift that God has given you to serve others.” (1 Peter 4:10)

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Phil. 2:3-4 ESV)

Here’s how

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)

“For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Gal. 5:14)

“And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” (Luke 6:31)

“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Rom. 12:10)

“We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” (Rom. 15:1-2)

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph. 6:12)

While at a coffee shop recently, I overheard someone say that they hated a certain politician passionately and wished that they would... (I won't repeat what they said they wished would happen to them, but it was ugly.) The person saying this was a fellow believer, so I asked him if that politician was made out of “flesh and blood.” And if their answer is “yes, they are,” then our fight isn’t against them but against the enemy who is using them for his evil purposes. The passage above reveals that our warfare isn't with people but against the spiritual powers who inspire and use people.

God can change evil people!

Pray that God will save and turn around those who are off track. God is good at doing this! A good example of this is the Apostle Paul, who was complacent in the murder of Stephen and actively persecuted and imprisoned Christians. However, Jesus dramatically converted him, transforming him into a great servant for Christ. (See Acts 9:1-19; 22:6-21; and 26:12-18).

Therefore

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” (1 Tim. 2:1_2)

“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” (Matt. 5:44 ESV)

“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” (Heb. 7:25)

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

When slavery ended, not everyone got the message, so they remained in slavery even though they were legally free. Then there were some who were comfortable in slavery and chose to remain there. The same applies to Christianity: some people are unaware of their freedom, while others find comfort in the bonds that bind them. And, however they think in their minds, that’s their reality: “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Prov. 23:7).

Jesus set you free

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;” (Isa. 61:1)

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Gal. 5:1)

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Cor. 3:17)

Therefore

“Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” (1 Peter 2:16)

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.” (Rom. 6:22)

“If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.” (Eccles. 10:10 NIV)

Practice

The above passage says you need to sharpen your ax with skill, because a dull ax takes more energy and a sharp ax allows you to work more efficiently, which is smarter, not harder.

Sharpen up your abilities your aptitudes, and your skills

Sharpening up is a prudent step towards achieving success in your abilities, aptitudes and skills. How do you do this? One way is to stir them up and get them moving and working. Here’s the key: Just work on what you’re good at and make it better. Build on your strengths so that your weaknesses become irrelevant.

“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you...” (2 Tim. 1:6)

Therefore

 “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might…” (Eccles. 10:9)

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” (Prov. 31:8-9)

The Bible clearly commands us to pray for and love those who persecute us personally (see Matt. 5:44). An example of this attitude was Jesus’ prayer on the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34). But we are also commanded to stand up for truth and righteousness, to defend the rights of the poor and the needy, and to fight injustice toward those who are vulnerable in society.

“Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” (Psalm 82:3-4)

Act justly and love mercy

Micah gives a concise summary of what God requires of us,

“To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Part of living righteously means actively pursuing justice, especially for those who cannot stand up for themselves. To treat people fairly and push back against corrupt systems and power structures that oppress the marginalized. True righteousness demands action, speaking out with courage against corrupt powers to correct oppression.

“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” (Isa. 1:17)

Freedom for the oppressed

When Jesus announced the launch of His earthly ministry, He did so by quoting the prophet Isaiah,

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)

As followers of Jesus, we must be willing to take courageous stances for biblical principles, even in the face of persecution. Relying on the strength of the Lord, we can confidently obey God by advocating for the oppressed and speaking out against all forms of evil. May we passionately pursue justice, love mercy, and walk humbly before our God.

Obey God rather than men

When the religious authorities attempted to stop the apostles from preaching about Jesus, Peter responded boldly,

“We must obey God rather than human beings!” (Acts 5:29)