Leaving Eden, Pt. 3: What Is Your Heart?

Brandon Heath: What is your heart? What ar eyour desires? What are some things you always wanted to do, but you were afraid to do them?

My heart and desires definitely lie in sports and writing. I love both and both have provided me an avenue to share my faith and placed me in a position to be an influence. An opportunity to be blessing. We all have desires and talents and abilities that have been given to us by God. It's the stuff we have always wanted to do. Some people love music. Some people love business. Others have a passion to help people in the medical field. Whatever your desires are, don't be afraid to pursue them! God put them there for a reason. We just need to put it all in the proper perspective and remember that we are given these gifts and opportunities to bring glory to God.

Brandon mentions fear in the video and that is the biggest enemy of our heart and desires. Because it is fear that will prevent us from taking risks. It is fear that will rob us from capitalizing on the opportunities that have been set before us. It is fear that will keep us from reaching our maximum potential. And it is fear that will prevent us from taking that first step. We cannot let our hearts become paralyzed with fear that will keep us away from what God wants to bless us with. God called on Abraham to take a step of faith and leave his home in order to make him into a great nation, to bless him and to make him a blessing to others. Abraham just went. When God is telling our hearts something, we have to obey that.

We need to constantly guard our hearts, because they are vulnerable to outside influences and distractions. Our hearts can be easily deceived and can cause us real problems. How do we guard our hearts? By trusting in God, by submitting our heart to Him and maintaining a pure heart. Doing so will keep us strong in the face of temptation, give us the wisdom to say the right things, provide us with confidence to face trials and storms, and keep us humble as we walk in the steps and in the plan that God has for us.

When we sync our heart and the desires of our heart with God's plan, we receive peace, clarity and direction. I know I love sports and I know I love writing about sports and I have to make sure that what I'm doing is for His glory. How can my I utilize my passion for the kingdom? That is something we all should be continually asking. For me, I was encouraged by family and friends to pursue a career in sports journalism and that is what I am doing. And when I realize that I am doing it not just for myself but for God, it elevates it to a whole 'notha level!

--------------------------------------

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: Psalm 119:36, Psalm 28:7, Proverbs 4:23, Matthew 5:8, Proverbs 18:12, Genesis 12:1-4

Leaving Eden, Pt. 2: What Is Your Apple?

Brandon Heath: What is your apple? What is the thing that is stealing your innocence? What takes you out of Eden?... What's stealing Eden away from you?

This is an important question to answer for each one of us. We all have weaknesses; we all deal with areas of our lives that cause us to stumble, fall, and make mistakes that we regret. We have to acknowledge these areas in our lives we are going to let God transform our hearts and change us.

I would have to say my apple is the need to succeed. Since I was younger, I always used put a high emphasis on winning and accomplishments. Whether it was on the baseball field, the classroom, relationally, or in some other fashion, I used to link my happiness with my success. And I realized that this was a colossal mistake. Whenever I failed to reach or goal or something did not necessarily go my way, my pride and my ego got in the way. In many instances I would succumb to anger, lashing out at others and just being bitter. I felt that I could do it myself instead of trusting God to provide for me. And that only left me feeling broken, empty and bitter. 

Like Brandon says, there are a lot of things can cause us to lose our innocence. It could be an unhealthy relationship. A suffocating job. A short temper. A family member. 

Whatever it is, give it to God. Do not try and face it alone. He wants to meet you and me where we are so that we can live free of those struggles. When facing the temptations of our apples, remember that God has a better way and plan that is better than anything we can ever conceive. I have to tell myself not to let my apple, my idea of success and what it can do for me, keep me from experiencing all that God has prepared for me.  

Leaving Eden, Pt. 1: What Is Your Eden?

Brandon Heath is definitely one of my favorite artists of all time. His music is beautiful. His lyrics are genuine. And often times he makes you think about your faith. Recently he tweeted out three questions that were based off the title track of his latest album "Leaving Eden": What is your Eden? What is your apple? And what is your heart?

Today I'll be tackling the first question for myself and I would encourage you to watch his videos and answer them for yourselves! So here we go:

Brandon Heath: What is your Eden? It could be a place, a time or maybe even a person that reminds you of your innocence. It was a time before you knew there was anything wrong in the world... When did you feel most innocent? It was a time before you knew that anything was broken, anything was wrong. That there had ever been a fall. You probably didn't even know about sin. 

I had to really think back for this one. But I think one place that stood out for me would be when my dad and I would go out to the backyard and just play catch when I was a kid. I loved being around the game of baseball and whenever I would play catch with my dad, everything else would just disappear. I remember many times just going outside in the late afternoons with a beautiful sky overhead with blues, yellows, oranges and purples blending together, the sun beginning to drop over the western horizon, a cool refreshing breeze... and that wonderful smell of a leather glove and the rhythmic popping sound of the ball hitting my mitt and my dad's. Everything else just faded away. I was just a kid playing catch with my dad. Not a care in the world. 

I always felt safe in those moments. I always felt comfortable and in those few minutes on those afternoons as a kid, nothing else really mattered. It was almost as if my dad and I created our own sanctuary of sorts, safe from everything else.

God wants that for our lives. He wants us to feel safe in His arms and in His presence. A place that we can run to when we face the storms of life and when we feel like it is too much for us to bear. A place we can go to when we feel we are not good enough or we're filled with guilt or shame. It's crucial to find our Eden, as Brandon described in the video above, because that is where we need to go in those times. Jesus said that we should have a child-like faith. We were made to live in harmony with God before the fall in the garden. We need to get back to that place and reclaim our innocence. We have to get rid of the guilt and the shame that are attached with sin because we are free from it in Jesus Christ. It is D-O-N-E! 

We have a heavenly father who gave His one and only son so that we might have life. So that we can have a relationship with Him and that we would be restored in Him.

What's your place of restoration? What is your Eden?

Brandon Heath: I want to give you permission to go there. It's an important place to be, to rest and I promise you: God will meet you there.

 --------------------------------------

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: Psalm 9:9, Psalm 46:1, Psalm 91:2, Lamentations 5:21