When You Know Who You Are
Encouraging Words with Pastor Bruce & Suzi Elman
Excerpt from one of Pastor Bruce’s sermons:
We live in a world where biblical values are constantly under attack. We won’t change the world’s way of thinking any time soon.
But will the world change our way of thinking?
That’s the question that hangs in the balance.
IT finally comes down to one great principle:
When you know who you are, you can serve Messiah anywhere!!
And the reverse is also true: When you are unclear about who you really are, you will struggle to serve Messiah anywhere.
A man with a divided heart cannot grasp his true identity.
He will be pulled this way and that.
Under pressure, he almost certainly will cave in.
But the man with an undivided heart knows who he is.
Because he knows who he is, he doesn’t have to constantly make decisions.
Once you make up your mind, life becomes simpler (though not always easier).
And that brings us to Psalm 86:11
“Unite my heart to fear your name” and “Put me together, Lord.”
As Charles Spurgeon contemplated this verse, he offered this succinct summary:
“A man of divided heart is weak, the man of one object is the man.”
Sometimes in our conversation, we will say so-and-so, “He is the man.” We mean he is a man of one purpose, the man we admire and want to follow.
There is no prayer more appropriate and more needed in our day. Every honest man or woman must at times say, “My life is far from what I want it to be.”
We run low on love.
We find ourselves distracted, worried and easily confused.
We fall prey to little temptations that lead to bigger ones.
We marinate in hate.
We dawdle in our duties.
We make excuses for every failure.
We find ourselves both disagreeing and disagreeable.
We love the world more than we love God.
We live in unbelief instead of walking in faith.
We refuse to submit because our pride is at stake.
And so it goes, this struggle of the soul to find rest and peace.
No wonder we are frustrated.
When the heart is not united, nothing works right. Without God, we will be fragmented and torn and pulled and distracted.
We must do as David did. We must pray, “O Lord, take the scattered fragments of my heart and unite them so that I may praise you.”
Only God can do this, but God can do it if we will come to him in humility and sincerity.The hardest part is coming!!
So don’t give up, but instead, give in—to the One who made you and give Him your whole, undivided ️ heart!!
Love & Blessings,
Pastor Bruce and Suzi Elman
L’Chaim Messianic Congregation