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Footprints by Joan, Snow Camp, NC (2026)

09/07/2026

Footprints On My Heart … 09-07-26 … “The Path We Walk”
We all walk a path through life … sometimes straight … sometimes winding … sometimes zigzagging back and forth between the good and bad choices we make along the way … sometimes our path takes more of a meandering trajectory … just going where the wind seems to blow us … unsure of where we are headed … yet still moving … still stepping … still becoming …
There are mornings when life feels like a clear country road … the sun is up … the signs are easy to read … and we feel certain about the direction before us … Then there are days when the road feels covered in fog … the next turn uncertain … the ground uneven beneath our feet … and we wonder whether we have missed a marker somewhere behind us …
I think of a woman driving home after a long and heavy day … her thoughts full of decisions she wished she could undo … words she wished she had not spoken … worries about tomorrow she could not yet solve … She had driven that road many times before … but that evening she missed her turn … and for a few minutes she was frustrated with herself … Yet as she slowed down and looked around, she saw a small sign pointing back toward the main road … It was not the road she meant to take … but even then … even in missing her turn … there was a way back …
That is often how the Lord meets us … not only when our steps are strong and steady … but also when we are lost … distracted … tired … or unsure … He does not abandon us to the detours … He goes before us … He follows behind us … and He places His hand of blessing upon us …
Psalm 139:5 … “You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.”
Scripture has much to say about the path we take through life … in fact … we could go so far as to say it is our trail guidebook … Every page reminds us that God sees what lies ahead … understands what is behind … and walks with us in the present moment …
Psalm 16:7-8 … “I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me 8 I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.”
Proverbs 16:9 … “9 We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”
We make plans … and we should … We set goals … we choose directions … we mark calendars … make promises … take jobs … build families … begin ministries … and step into seasons we never imagined we would face … But underneath every faithful step is this deeper truth … the Lord determines our steps … He is not surprised by the bend in the road … He is not confused by the valley … He is not shaken by the storm …
I would go so far as to say … that from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21 we can find detailed and explicit instruction on which trail to take … which path to walk … in any situation we find ourselves in throughout life … from our birth to our death …
We find much wisdom and instruction in the Old Testament … through the lives of the chosen people … the Israelites … times of great faithfulness … of seizure and extended captivity … of doubt and unfaithfulness … only to turn back to God as their King of kings and Lord of Lords who would once again provide for them … times of wandering and confusion … and times of rescue and renewal of their faithfulness …
And then in the New Testament we are introduced to our Savior … Christ our Lord … He gives detailed and complete instructions … He gives us a detailed map to salvation and life in eternity with Himself and God the Father … Jesus experiences life as we know it … and as Scripture tells us … He experienced all that we would or could experience in our own lives …
Hebrews 4:14-16 … “14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
Choose your steps wisely … remain attentive to the twists and turns … the snares and deceptions set up to entice and distract us from the narrow path …
Matthew 7:13-14 … “13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”
The broad road is easy to enter … because it asks little of us at first … It lets us carry our pride … our bitterness … our selfishness … our careless words … our secret compromises … But the narrow road asks us to lay those things down … to trust the Shepherd more than the scenery … to obey the Guide more than the crowd … to believe that difficult does not mean deserted … and narrow does not mean joyless …
So today … if your path feels uncertain … pause … breathe … pray … open the Guidebook … ask the Lord to examine your motives … commit your actions to Him … and take the next faithful step … not because you can see the whole trail … but because you know the One who walks beside you …
I’ll leave you with two things today … the first is Proverbs 16 … in its entirety … and the second is a poem I wrote some years ago …
Proverbs 16 New Living Translation
16:1 We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer. 2 People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives. 3 Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed. 4 The Lord has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster. 5 The Lord detests the proud; they will surely be punished.
6 Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin. By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil. 7 When people’s lives please the Lord, even their enemies are at peace with them. 8 Better to have little, with godliness, than to be rich and dishonest. 9 We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. 10 The king speaks with divine wisdom; he must never judge unfairly. 11 The Lord demands accurate scales and balances; he sets the standards for fairness. 12 A king detests wrongdoing, for his rule is built on justice. 13 The king is pleased with words from righteous lips; he loves those who speak honestly. 14 The anger of the king is a deadly threat; the wise will try to appease it. 15 When the king smiles, there is life; his favor refreshes like a spring rain. 16 How much better to get wisdom than gold, and good judgment than silver! 17 The path of the virtuous leads away from evil; whoever follows that path is safe. 18 Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall. 19 Better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud. 20 Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be joyful. 21 The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive. 22 Discretion is a life-giving fountain to those who possess it, but discipline is wasted on fools. 23 From a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive. 24 Kind words are like honey—sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. 25 There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. 26 It is good for workers to have an appetite; an empty stomach drives them on. 27 Scoundrels create trouble; their words are a destructive blaze. 28 A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends. 29 Violent people mislead their companions, leading them down a harmful path. 30 With narrowed eyes, people plot evil; with a smirk, they plan their mischief. 31 Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life. 32 Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city. 33 We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall.
A Prayer for the Path
Lord … guide my steps when the road is clear … steady my heart when the way is winding … correct me when I wander … strengthen me when the narrow road feels hard … and remind me that You go before me … You follow behind me … and You walk beside me … Amen.
The Trail
Joan G. Paschal 11-2009
God walks the trail with me each day,
Where ere‘ I go, He leads the way.
Sometimes I stumble, sometimes I fall,
But He’s right there through it all.
He holds me up, when I can’t stand,
He lights my path and takes my hand.
When there is joy that fills my heart,
It’s through His love that it does start.
God walks the trail with me each day,
He is the potter, I am the clay.
From just a lump I first did start,
He molds me daily from within my heart.
All that I have, all that I am,
He has given, He shepherds His lamb.
Though certainly Satan tries his best,
I just give it to God, He does the rest.
God walks the trail with me each day,
He holds my hand, He leads the way.
Over mountain tops and valleys low,
His tender love does ever show.

Shalom … Shalom …
Joan

That means when we are tempted to take the shortcut … Jesus understands … When pride tries to push us ahead of God’s timing … Jesus understands … When fear tells us to turn around … Jesus understands … When weariness whispers that the narrow road is too difficult … Jesus understands … and He offers mercy … grace … strength … and guidance for the next step …

08/24/2026

08-24-26 … Footprints On My Heart …
“The God Of The Ahead … Finding Peace In Your Prepared Tomorrow”
Today I want to focus on Scripture from Ecclesiastes 3:11 "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."
Long before a short, despised chief tax collector named Zacchaeus realized he needed a vantage point to see Jesus … God had already solved his problem. Decades prior … a tiny seed took root in the dirt of Jericho. It grew quietly … spreading wide … sturdy branches low to the ground … perfect for climbing.
In the ancient Near East … a wealthy … elite man running and climbing a tree was an absolute loss of public dignity. Yet … Zacchaeus was desperate … culturally despised … and blocked by a hostile human wall. When his physical limitations and the crowd shut him out … the sycamore … fig tree was already waiting to lift him above the noise. God does not merely react to our emergencies … He builds rescue routes into our everyday landscapes long before our crisis arrives.
When you are in a difficult season … it is incredibly easy to feel completely forgotten or boxed in … If you are facing a challenge right now … consider these four truths from Zacchaeus's sycamore tree:
• Your rescue was prepared in your past: God did not start brainstorming a solution the moment your problem arrived … He has been positioning resources … people … and inner strength to lift you up when the crowd gets too thick.
• Roadblocks shift your perspective: Zacchaeus only climbed the tree because he was too short … Sometimes … the very limitations or obstacles you are fighting against are what force you to climb higher and seek a different vantage point.
• Silence is planting … not abandonment: A tree takes years of quiet … hidden growth in the dark soil before it can hold the weight of a man … If your prayers feel like they are echoing into nothingness … remember that silence is not death … God is building deep roots to sustain you.
• He calls you closely by name: When Jesus reached that specific tree … He didn't see an anonymous face in the branches … He stopped … broke social protocol … looked up … and called Zacchaeus by name … God sees your trial in vivid detail and invites Himself directly into your situation.
The Bible reminds us that the stressful middle section of your story is never your final destination … God operates on a master blueprint that requires our patient trust … [ Hidden Planting ] ───> [ Patient Waiting ] ───> [ The Refiner's Fire ] ───> [ Tangible Harvest ] …Putting it in practical words for your life … Roots ground you … Character matures … Faith is purified … Real transformation …
As we go forth … as need to the set calendar … "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens" … Ecclesiastes 3:1 … God does not improvise … He has mapped out the start … duration … and end of your current struggle … then we must patiently endure the active wait … "See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop..." … James 5:7 … Waiting is not passive avoidance … It is an active … steady posture of trust that stabilizes your heart while God works behind the scenes … the endurance doesn’t necessarily end there … sometimes we must endure the purposeful heat … present distress has a strict … God-imposed boundary line … 1 Peter 1:6-7 … “6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” … Fire does not destroy gold … it purifies it … God uses pressure to burn away insecurities and leave you unshakeable … We must have faith in the paced Promise … "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up"… Galatians 6:9 … The journey is often hardest right before the breakthrough … Your only job is to stay in the field … and hold firm in your faith.
Let’s close today in prayer … “Heavenly Father, thank You for going ahead of me. Forgive me for the times I default into self-preservation mode and build walls out of fear. Open my eyes to see the "sycamore trees" You have already planted in my life—the unexpected roadblocks that are actually pulling me out of the noise of the world. I choose to rest in advance today, knowing that You are not surprised by this season. I trust Your timing, I trust Your hidden preparation, and I rest in the truth that You know my name. In Jesus' name, Amen.”
Shalom … Shalom …
Joan 😊

08/18/2026

For this week's devotional I have taken one of my writings from the past and revised it (a quite a lot) ... it is pertaining to a topic that has been heavy on my heart as I think and pray for those who are going through troubled times ... May each of you feel the Love of Christ encompass you and bring you peace ...
08-18-26 … Footprints On My Heart … “AS THE WIND BLOWS”We’ve been relatively lucky this hurricaneseason … we’ve not gotten any hurricanes coming close to North Carolina … butwe’ve a few months to go yet … a few have whirled around in the gulf andAtlantic … but none have … as yet … come close … Oh … We’ve had our share ofgusty storms … tornado threats and the like … and I’m sure there are more onthe horizon … in our oceans and in our lives … We can even find Biblical wordsthat back this up … John 16:33b Jesus tells us 33“In this world you will have trouble.” which sounds a bit dishearteningstanding alone … But just like Jesus is surrounding you with His grace … thewords surrounding this verse turn the frown upside down … the complete versereads … “33 “I have told you these things, so thatin me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!I have overcome the world.”This brings my mind around to the words‘joy’ and happiness’. Both words are similar yet different … Together inmeaning … yet at times … at different points on the pendulum swing … synonymousyet antonymous … When you look up these words in the Webster dictionary ‘happy’ is defined as favored byluck or fortune, notably fitting, effective, or well adapted’ and ‘joy’ is defined as ‘a state ofhappiness or felicity’ … but when I think of them from a spiritual pointof view … I consider happiness to be something fleeting … a state of mindachieved at various points of our days and our lives … joy, however, is a giftfrom God. The Bible uses these words interchangeable … and for that matter s**o I … but when I’m trying to discern my feelings … I know at times I can feeljoyful without being happy … and this is because I always feel joyful …regardless of what emotions are showing up on my face … or in my words … or inmy actions …For instance … even when I have to labor inthe hot sun … I am joyful … not because I enjoy baking in 90+ degree weather,(because I don’t), but because I have been blessed with providing service to myfamily by mowing our lawn … or blowing the leaves off the driveway and off ofthe deck and pathways … because God blessed me with owning a home … and a yard… and a beautiful woodland area … and the tools to do the work needed … and ifyou were to approach me while I’m in that hot sweaty state … smiling from earto ear may not be what you see … but the joy is there … it’s just not seepingout of my mouth in smiles of happiness at that moment …And isn’t that so true of so many things wedo … the dishes that stack up in the sink … the clothes that seem to multiplyin the hamper when nobody is looking … the bills that arrive whether we invitethem or not … the errands that pull us from one end of town to the other … theydon’t always make us happy in the moment … but hidden beneath them is thetender fragrance of provision … water to wash the dishes … clothes to wear …money enough to pay what must be paid … transportation to get where we need togo … people to care for … and a God who keeps reminding us that even theordinary tasks of life can be holy ground if we notice His footprints there …It’s sort of like packing for a trip … oneof my tricks is to tuck dryer cloths into my cloths in my suitcase … as Iunpack my clothes piece by piece I leave the cloths in the suitcase … but therefreshing smell of them lingers on the clothes … by the end of the trip I havea stack of refreshing cloths tucked into my drawstring bag with my dirtylaundry … and the remaining unworn clothes stay fresh as if just launderedinstead of picking up the undesirable smell of the soiled clothes … (I alwaysoverpack … a habit I can’t seem to break) … The joy of the Lord in my heart islike the dryer sheets … it provides a sweet fragrance to whatever is going onin my life … and at the end of the day … even if I feel beat up … battered andbruised … I can smell the fragrance of the eternal joy as I pack up my day’swoes until tomorrow …And sometimes … if I’m honest … I carrythings around much longer than I should … old worries folded into the corners …disappointments tucked beneath the good shirts … frustrations zipped into theside pocket where I think no one can see them … but the joy God places in ushas a way of touching even those hidden places … not pretending the laundryisn’t dirty … not denying the trip has been long … but keeping the stale odorsfrom becoming the only thing we notice … His joy whispers … this is not the endof the journey … this is just one day’s packing … and tomorrow mercy will benew again …Or it’s like the rain storm you see on thehorizon … as you stand there in your parched yard … seeing how desperately itneeds some water you don’t necessarily welcome the devastating winds that seemto be accompanying it … but you can smile as the winds start to blow and thedrops start to fall because you know that whatever the outcome you will survive… a little stronger … a more lively …There have been seasons when the wind hasblown hard enough to make me wonder what would still be standing when theclouds moved on … times when the news was heavy … when prayers seemed to rideon gusts instead of wings … when the waiting room felt like a storm shelter …when the phone rang and my heart braced itself before I even said hello … buteven then … especially then … God was not somewhere beyond the weather watchingfrom a distance … He was in the storm with me … steadying what could not be seen… strengthening roots under the ground … washing dust from leaves I hadforgotten were still alive … and bringing rain to places in me that had growndry from trying to be strong too long …We must learn to “dance in the rain” … notjust stand around waiting on it … I have a saying on my wall in my bedroom … asaying which inspired this muse … “Life isn’t about waiting on the storm topass … it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” Perhaps that’s the lesson Goddesperately desires to teach us … the love … His love that pushes us to dance …even when it’s raining …Dancingin the rain doesn’t mean we deny the thunder … it doesn’t mean we call thelightning beautiful if it has frightened us … it doesn’t mean we smile becauseeverything is easy … It means we move because God is still good … we lift ourhands because He is still worthy … we take one more step because His Spirit isstill breathing courage into our lungs … We dance because the storm does notget the final word … We dance because Jesus has already spoken peace over thewind and waves … We dance because the One who overcame the world is walkingbeside us … and where He walks … even wet ground can become holy ground … Isaiah46:4 “4 Even to your old ageand gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made youand I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” … Just remember … His idea of ‘rescue’and your idea of ‘rescue’ may not look the same … As I close this week … I’ll leave you with a familiar song that playsin my head when I think of ‘dancing’ and rain’ … and I can’t help but smile …picture a rainy city street … a streetlight on a corner and one happy mandancing … “I'm singin' in the rain. Just singin' in the rain. What a gloriousfeeling, I'm happy again. I'm laughin' at clouds. So dark up above. The sun'sin my heart. And I'm ready for love, Let the stormy clouds chase everyone fromthe place. Come on with the rain. I've a smile on my face. I'll walk down thelane with a happy refrain. Just singin', Singin' in the rain, I’m singin' anddancin' in the rain. I'm dancin' and singin' in the rain”Until our next dance …Shalom … Shalom …Joan

08/13/2026

08-13-26 … FOOTPRINTS ON MY HEART …
“INEVITABLE ENDINGS … FOLLOWED BY NEW BEGINNINGS”
Where has the summer gone? I can hardly believe that soon we will usher in the fall season. In a few short weeks we will usher in September! In my mind … the Labor Day weekend is the official close of summer and the beginning of the autumn season … It’s the time when I begin to look forward to pumpkins … winter squash … color-changing leaves … and crisp … cool mornings.
Each new season brings unspeakable joy … as well as a bit of sadness as we wave good-bye to the present season and all its joys … I am a summer-time kind of person … I love hot days and working in the garden, although I can’t quite keep up with my old self anymore. Most days … I even love mowing the lawn! But as we have read and heard many times in our lives: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” … Ecclesiastes 3:1
Summer … in all its beauty and vibrant colors … is all about growth. It is about new life growing into maturity and basking in the warmth of the Son … But as we move toward autumn … we must be ready for some things to fall away to make room for new growth in the spring. We must start to tidy up our lives … just as we do our yards … getting things ready for a time of rest … a time of peace … and a time of new birth to come.
We have recently been experiencing a few unusually cool days for August—temperatures I would associate more with late September or October … but now we’re jumping back into the higher temperatures again … good ole NC weather … ya gotta love it! … With these cooler days and nights … we think of change. Things are beginning to change. What is it about a simple change in weather that can bring out the best in people? It is almost like each new season is a new beginning of sorts. It is the very representation of newness that stirs up changes in our souls. Autumn visions often bring to the front of our minds our favorite warm … cozy sweater … rich hot coco … and steaming hot apple cider to pull us through the day.
The Bible also refers to changes and beginnings in our lives as being seasons. Seasons are representative of God’s perfect timing in delivering us to and through all of the changes He is making in our lives. While changing can be a sad time … it can also be incredibly joyous. Certain seasons bring about the blessings we reap from being obedient in following Him through those changes … even if we did not fully understand or welcome them at the time.
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” — Galatians 6:9
Scripture tells us to never give up … No matter how long … strenuous … difficult … and painstaking the pathway is … there is always a new season … a season of new beginnings. Every day we are gifted with a new beginning … and it is your decision to make it so … We can adopt a positive mindset to overcome … conquer … and live triumphantly.
But we must enter into and accept that all beginnings must eventually come to an end so newer beginnings and newer seasons can commence. We need to take the opportunity that these new beginnings present and look ahead at what can be happening in our lives. Keep your focus on the "present" of His presence and the possibilities of the future. Let your view of the past fade far enough out of view that the impact of it does not control your life … Forget the what-might-have-beens.
We need to challenge ourselves to be better … live higher … and rise above our own self-appointed limitations. Live more positively … looking ahead to a new season of thinking … speaking … acting … and living more optimistically. Each subtle change we implement towards living a more positive life will eventually take root and manifest itself into our days … weeks … and months. And just as the seasons change … and fall is followed by winter … and winter by spring … and spring will surely come!
“1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.” — Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
So … as you wake in the mornings to come … embrace the coolness of the breeze. Take time to enjoy the bright colors as the life fades in the leaves … and look ahead to new beginnings … new joys … and new challenges that lie ahead. Forget your self-imposed limitations … your horizon is limitless!
And as God places a "hot spell" in our remaining days of summer … remember that nothing lasts forever … well … with the exception of life with our Father in heaven for those who repent and believe. The sun will come out in the morning … bringing with it a new day full of new beginnings just waiting for you to step into.
As I close this week … let me remind you to take advantage of the changes ahead … Step lightly and do not let your feet get stuck in the muck and mud of your past. Great new things await!
Shalom… Shalom…
Joan 😊

08/03/2026

08-03-26 … Footprints On My Heats …
“Blessed are the Pure of Heart”
During these summer days … we all get to enjoy the freshest fruits and vegetables … peaches … nectarines … grapes … blueberries … tomatoes … and we could go on … and on … and on … melons are one of my favorite fresh summer delights … I no longer try to grow them but try my best to pick out a nice ripe one when I’m at the grocers … I use the method taught me by my dear departed father … I thump it! Plunk … plunk … plunk … on all the melons within range until I detect the one that emits the hollow sound that I’m listening for … this time of year it’s fairly easy to get this right … however … early on in the year … when the farmers are rushing them to market … you often find that even though the melon looks beautiful on the outside … when you cut into it and taste the heart … and come away very disappointed … because the sweetness that you were hoping for isn’t there …
This makes me think of how God must feel when one does not accept Christ as Lord and Savior and strive to attain a pure heart … "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8 …The first thing we learn from this beatitude is that Jesus is concerned with our heart … it is not enough to clean up our act on the outside … Matthew 23:25-26 Jesus says … “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.” Jesus’ objective wasn’t to shine us up on the outside … but to change us from the inside out … for example … Jesus made His point in Matthew 5:27-28 “27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Your heart is the core of who you are … in the secrecy of your heart … where only you and God can see lies the within … You can be well mannered and bright and shiny on the outside … but if you harbor evil in your heart … you’re doomed … 1 Samuel 16:7 … “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” The affairs of the heart are a very serious matter … you can’t just dress up the outside and go about your business as usual … when we get to the end of our journey here … we do not want the exterior to pealed back only to find a rotten innermost heart … We MUST take God’s Words into out hearts and let them change us from the inside out … without changes from within (which Scripture refers to as “fruits”) … there really is no change … and God sees that …oh … others may think they see a change … but God sees our innermost heart and soul … and knows our every thought even though we have not spoken it … even before it enters our minds … and because He chose to gift us with ‘freewill’ we have to choose to accept what He offers us …it is a free gift … but that doesn’t mean that we can just take it and run back to where we came from … we must accept it wholeheartedly and earnestly … and accept that this will be a turning point in our lives … and welcome all that this wonderful miraculous gift has to offer … .. A saying by Lao Tzu (an ancient Chinese philosopher and writer) that I used to keep on my work desk was “Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.” … this saying kept it ever present on my mind that it’s what’s on inside that matters … What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart . . . “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a man” … Matthew 15:18–19 … “33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." ... Matthew 12:33-34 … So … what is in our hearts is what matters to Jesus … He didn’t come into the world because we had bad habits to clean up … He came to clean us from the inside out … for if your heart is pure … so will be your thoughts … your habits … and your actions … the central problem in our society and culture is that we attempt to solve human problems while neglecting the importance of God in the life of the soul …
We are so overrun by the human tragedies of poverty and crime … abuse and neglect … war and the many injustices of man to man … that we are tempted to agree with the world that it is useless to be concerned with whether the soul will ever see God … How can anyone achieve ‘purity of heart’? … How can anyone achieve the blessing of the Beatitude "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." …
Let’s look a little closer … “to see God” … of course … is to be admitted into His presence … it’s not an ‘I’ thing or a ‘us’ thing … it’s a God’ thing … and to achieve this we must repent of our old self and invite the Holy Spirit to dwell within our heart …God is holding out His mighty hand to us … all we need to do is accept … wholeheartedly … the gift of the Holy Spirit He offers into our own heart … Seeing God is the ultimate goal of obtaining a pure heart … Essentially … all of our spiritual sight in this life is provided to us through the Word of God or the work of God in His great wisdom … In this life … we see images and reflections of His glory … We hear echoes of His voice … But there will come a day when God Himself will dwell among us … His glory will no longer be understood from lightning and mountains … roaring seas and stars … Instead … our experience of Him will be direct … His glory will be the very light in which we move (Revelation 21:23) … the beauty of his holiness will be tasted directly like honey on our tongue … “23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.”
As well as basking in His glory … we will be surrounded by the comfort of His grace … So when Jesus promises the reward of ‘seeing God’ … we will not only be admitted into His presence … we will be awestruck by the experience of His glory … as well as being eternally instilled and comforted by His grace …
So … as I close for today … let me show you the answer to obtaining the ‘pure heart’ we’re speaking of … you find it in Matthew 22:37 "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart." … Purity of heart is to will one thing … namely … God’s truth and God’s principles in everything we do…
It is only by the Grace of God that I am inspired to write and share … for His Glory … for it is not of myself … but a gift from Him … to God be the Glory!
Shalom … Shalom …
Joan 😊

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