King of My Heart – Reaching Hurting Women Ministries

REACHING HURTING WOMEN MINISTRIES OFFERS FOUR TOPICS FOR CONTEMPLATION EVERY MONTH OF THE YEAR. EACH TOPIC IS A 12-MONTH STUDY SERIES ASSIGNED TO A SPECIFIC FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH. IN MONTHS WITH FIVE FRIDAYS WE’RE REVIEWING CHRISTIAN MEDIA.

On the fourth Friday of each month in 2022 we’re studying the RHW 2022 Theme: God’s Law, Grace & Freedom.

“Without God’s law and grace there is no opportunity for recovery from any addiction and therefore no true freedom!”

After King Solomon’s death in 931 BC the stressful relationships between the Hebrew tribes divided them into two kingdoms; with Israel being the northern kingdom and Judah the southern kingdom. The contrasting stories of the kings who reigned over the two kingdoms show us lives of those who chose to live according to God’s law vs those who decided to go their own way.

I promise that I will honor those who honor me, and those who despise me will be considered insignificant. ~ 1 Samuel 2:30

When we look at the history of the kings of Israel and Judah we can see that the kingdoms suffered under the kings who didn’t follow the Lord. However, God’s grace was shown to the kingdom and the people as long as the king obeyed and honored God’s laws.

A surprisingly low number of kings were faithful to God. Out of the 39 kings who reigned over Judah and Israel only eight from the southern kingdom of Judah were good. All 19 kings from the northern kingdom of Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord.

He will never forget His agreement or His promises, not in thousands of years. ~ Psalm 105:8

The good news is that God is not only a loving law giver, He is a gracious promise maker. And He keeps His promises to a thousand generations. Although the kings in the divided Hebrew kingdoms failed miserably to follow God’s laws, He graciously kept the promise he kept not only to Abraham, but to King David.

For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong… Your house and your kingdom will continue before me for all time, and your throne will be secure forever. ~ 2 Samuel 7:12; 16

The promise to David included the heir that would later become the Messiah, Jesus Christ The Righteous One Who brought the power of grace to free all humanity from evil and sin.

Praise God Jesus is the King of my heart. His love endures forever. His goodness and mercy lasts for eternity!

Be blessed by this wonderful worship song by Kutless.

The third Friday of each month in 2019 we are studying my favorite life verses: 2 Corinthians 4:15-18. This section of Scripture has proven a solid source of faith for me through many challenges over the past fifteen years. As we work our way through this passage of verses you’ll see it build on the previous phrases all the way to the end.

All this is for your benefit so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart.

Stretched Faith.

Sometimes life gets tough as we press into the destiny that God has called us to. Our faith gets stretched to limits we’ve never experienced. We may find ourselves questioning God’s plan and purpose. We may even begin to doubt that God is with us because He seems so distant.

Count trials as joy.

Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ~ James 1:2-3

Scripture encourages us to count our trials as joy before us as we follow in Christ steps of suffering. And we can count on God’s joy to strengthen us for our journey. Math is Jesus’ Kingdom is unlike that of the world:

When the world counts troubles: BAD + BAD = WORSE.

In Jesus’s Kingdom: BAD + BAD = JOY

The author of Hebrews calls us to keep our eyes on Jesus and to follow His example. As He endured the cross, He focused on the joy of the coming Kingdom rather than the suffering He was experiencing. So too, can we. As we keep our eyes on Christ and the joy before us in His Kingdom we will be less likely to lose heart during our trials and struggles.

We look away from the natural realm and we fasten our gaze onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection. His example is this: Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God! ~ Hebrews 12:2

Prayer guards our heart.

In Luke 18:1 Jesus tells we are always to pray and not lose heart. Meaning that prayer encourages steadfastness in our spirit and guards our soul against disheartedness while we are waiting on God to answer us.

Trust The King

There will always be opportunities to lose heart and be disappointed. People will let us down. We will even let ourselves down. But with Jesus the King of our heart we can’t lose! No matter how things look today we can trust that God will never let us down!