– Today’s Community Scripture – 12/19/2024
Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts. Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth;
avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip. Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust.
Proverbs 4:23–27 (MSG)
– Reflection:
Learn It By Heart
One of our main responsibilities is to keep negative emotions and attitudes out of our hearts. It’s easy to avoid offenses, disappointments, hurts, jealousy, or anger from coming. It’s difficult to keep them from taking root in your heart. Will you let them take root, getting you down, contaminating your joy, taking your energy, and opening you up to sickness and defeat? No, I don’t think so. But you can’t deny their existence. Keep your soul healthy. The Scripture says to make sure “that no root of bitterness springs up and many become defiled.” So pull up the roots of unforgiveness, insecurity, guilt, and condemnation. Don’t let your soul become poisoned. And if your soul is bitter or your emotional well-being is contaminated, it will definitely affect your physical health.
– Where do we go from here?
Today, I’m asking you to look inside. Are you optimistic, hopeful, and grateful, or are you weighed down by stress, burdens, and worry? It’s time to get your soul healthy. Don’t just try to deal with the symptoms. Pull up the bitter roots. Start turning things over to God. Release the worry, the hurt, and what didn’t work out. Live from a place of trust and keep guarding your heart.
– Our Prayer for Today
Father, thank You for allowing me to guard our hearts and free them from all the negative emotions and attitudes that try to enter and take root. We declare that we will stay aware and pull up any roots before they can grow. We want a healthy soul and a healthy body. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Coach Arthur Poston Jr.
Focused Development Organization
Middle School Coach
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