Daily Devotional

A Ministry of the Kerwin Baptist Church

April 7, 2018

by Pastor Hawtree

I AM PERSUADED THAT HE IS ABLE:

TO KEEP MY HEART FROM BEING TROUBLED (part1)

John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

A troubled heart!  There are very few things that affect our spirit more than a troubled heart does. So, that we make sure we are in context of the verse, let me explain. Jesus is describing the future of a believer. A person who has put their faith and trust in Christ does not need to be “troubled” about what happens after death. In the following verses, Jesus describes Heaven, what He is preparing for us in Heaven, and promises us that He will take us to Heaven. We do not have to be troubled about that.

However, I do want us to understand something. There is a difference between a troubled mind and a troubled heart. Many things trouble our minds:

1) Disappointment in people troubles our minds. People let us down, tear us down, and keep us down if we let them. Their mistreatment of us will obsess our minds, control our mood, and disrupt our spirit. We can see their face everywhere we go and hear their words in every thought. More than anything else, people can trouble our minds.

2) Disappointment in circumstances can trouble our minds. Because we usually cannot control circumstances, they trouble us. We can even be troubled by circumstances that God has ordained. We can be troubled by the very things that will help us. But because we cannot predict or control them, circumstances trouble us.

3) Disappointment in ourselves trouble our minds. I don’t know about you, but my own failures deeply trouble me. I wonder sometimes if I will ever get past some of them. They resonate in my mind on a constant basis. I was driving to Florida yesterday on a long trip and randomly, my mind reminded me of something I said from the pulpit when I was in my early twenties. It troubled my mind for about 20 miles. I remember on occasion some immature comment made or counsel given, and I feel so worthless inept. I recall things said in arrogance that I was convinced that I said in humility. Then just about the time I get beyond it, I make a brand new, big, bodacious boo boo and then I recall all those mistakes all over again.

We will cover more tomorrow, but before I let you go today, let me ask this. Is your mind so troubled that your heart is troubled also? Is your mind more troubled than you would like to admit? Then come back tomorrow.