Your Heart Is Deceitful
By Lisa U Maki
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly perverse and corrupt and severely, mortally sick! (Jer. 17:9)."
One thing you have to remember is that your heart attaches itself to what you value. And since it can't discern between good and bad, your emotions will follow wherever your heart sets itself. This being the case, the first step to consider in controlling the heart is to find out where your treasure is. What do you value? What do you hold dearly in your life? What makes you feel good? Is it... Recognition? Attention? Security? Protection?
All these are self-centered needs that draw to yourself. Yet, these are where our treasures lie most of the time.
Let me give you a clear example of how the process works.
Girl is craving for attention. Man comes along and pays attention to her. She gets carried away with all his nice words and flatteries. It makes her feel so good about herself. She feels floating. Because it feels good, she doesn't want to lose the feeling. She prolongs it by luring the man all the more. She does things that will make him pay more attention to her. She gives in to all his wishes because that draws him closer to her. She falls for him all the more. She becomes uncontrollable. She loses herself. She feels so in love. Motivated and driven by this good feeling, which she thinks is love, she finally gives every part of her. She falls into sin. She is separated from God. She gets hurt... so hurt. The struggle becomes more difficult this time.
If you crave for attention, you will treasure and value everything that will provide you with that attention that you are looking for. Then your heart attaches to it instantly. This is the reason why it is so important for you to know what your issues are.
Your issues are the root causes of your problems. They spring from needs that were unmet or distorted by the devil. The bigger your problems have been, the more deeply-rooted your issues are. The more deeply-rooted your issues are, the more reprogramming of the mind will be needed.
To control the heart, you have to control the mind first. How do you do that? How do you control the mind?
The process is simultaneous: deleting formerly programmed distorted messages; and installing new messages of truth. The only way you can do this is by reading and meditating on the Word of God. Compare what the Word says to what you thought was the truth. Delete the distorted thought, and replace it with the Truth.
The more you grow in God and His Word, the more your mind will be reprogrammed. However, it has to be a conscious effort on your part. You have to do the deleting and reprogramming and God will take care of the healing, deliverance, and restoration.
As you grow in intimacy with Jesus, your heart will be more drawn to Him. Then your emotions will follow.
Lisa Maki is the founder of God'z Gurlz, a Bible-based online magazine for women whose mission is to is to provide a place where women can learn to manage their emotions, experience healing, receive love and acceptance, be free to be who God made them to be, and be the best they can be in their homes, schools, professions, relationships, and calling, through sharing of insights and experiences, counseling, prayer, and devotionals, thereby learning from and supporting each other. For more of Lisa's articles, visit http://godzgurlz.com/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_U_Maki Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6753264