Deuteronomy 11:18 (New International Version) 

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.”

According to the Hebrew Transliteration, fix is derived from the Hebrew word, suwm, which means to put, place, set, appoint, make, ordain, establish, found, constitute, make, determine, fix. 

According to Dictionary.com, the word fix means:

1. to repair;

2. to put in order or in good condition; adjust or arrange:

3. to make fast, firm, or stable.

4. to place definitely and more or less permanently:

5. to settle definitely; determine:

6. to direct (the eyes, the attention, etc.) steadily:

7. to attract and hold

8. to make set or rigid.

9. to put into permanent form.  

This week I want to conclude our study on a fixed heart by sharing some observations from personal struggles and from listening to many young men as they talk to me about their personal and very private spiritual journeys.

I’m not sure we completely understand just how important it is for man to have our hearts fixed upon Him and Him alone.  So much of what is good and bad in a man’s life can be traced back to what he chooses to fix his heart, eyes, ears and thoughts upon.

If you want a life built upon lies, then fix your heart, eyes, ears and thoughts upon anything but God.  It is so true and so easy for this to happen.  Sometimes, not always, one’s heart fix can correlate directly to their environment, the company they keep, the entertainment they partake and one’s feelings.  Don’t think for a minute our Enemy doesn’t realize this.  Not only does he realize it, he uses it to render man ineffective for Kingdom work! 

I use this next line over and over again working with young men.  See what you think:

What a man thinks he believes; what a man believes, he acts out.

Behavior is determined by what we, what I, allow my thoughts to be fixed or consumed by.   The problem with all this is the fact that we are men and women who desire to have our hearts fixed upon God, but we cannot completely do that if we do not know God.  Knowing God requires time.  Time to know and grow in our understanding of who He is as well as who He is not!  We’ve got to know Him inside and out.  The only way to do that is to spend time with Him in reading, worshiping and building that relationship that He desires with us.  For when we do our part, He will do His. 

Now that doesn’t mean we will always want to or feel like it.  But if we are determined and press on, we can bring our entire beings into a fixed relationship with Him.

At PureHeart we have all kinds of young men partner with us with all kinds of personal stories.  All are amazing young men.  It is a blessing to partner with them.  Regardless of the story, the past, the hurt or the addiction, we all have more in common than that which separates us.  We are all created by our Universal Creator who has a deep longing for us to come into a personal relationship with Him.  The barrier that prevents that deep level of relationship is whatever else we choose to fix our hearts, eyes, minds and thoughts upon.  We’ll have to get into this in deeper detail later.  But there is an amazingly common thread that binds man to man.  And that thread has a direct relationship to the God-given needs of the heart.  But when man attempts to fulfill those needs in the wrong way, that thread begins to fray. 

Oh, how I wish we had time to delve deeper!

In the meantime, please praise God for the following and lift up your prayers for the following:

1.      I praise God that we worship a living risen Savior!  The tomb is empty.

2.      I praise God that we serve a God that loves me beyond any human level of understanding.

3.      I praise God for each of you!

4.      Praise God for ministry opportunities.

5.      Pray for PureHeart’s upcoming 2009 Board meeting.

6.      Pray for our plans for an upcoming Ministry Open House.

7.      Pray for each of the young men we minister to presently and those who have partnered with us in the past. 

8.      Pray for Brad, Ryan and me.  Pray for our wives and children.

9.      Continue to pray for our nation. 

10. Pray for our pastors and our home churches.  

 Sharing from the Heart;

Steve 

Deuteronomy 11:18 (New International Version) “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.” 

I couldn’t but think of the 4-H Pledge as I read this passage.  Every meeting would open with us reciting the following: 

 I pledgeMy head to clearer thinking,

My heart to greater loyalty,

My hands to larger service, and

My health to better living,

For my club, my community, my country, and my world 

Pretty much covers the complete individual, doesn’t it? 

This week as we continue our series on the heart, I want draw our attention to what it means to have our hearts fixed upon God. 

Different translations read differently.  King James simply says, “ Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul,..” 

The fix is derived from the original word in which this phrase comes from, suwm. Hebrew Transliteration means to put, place, set, appoint, make, ordain, establish, found, appoint, constitute, make, determine, fix.

According to Dictionary.com, the words fix means:1.to repair; mend. 2. to put in order or in good condition; adjust or arrange: She fixed her hair in a bun.  3. to make fast, firm, or stable. 4. to place definitely and more or less permanently: 5. to settle definitely; determine: to fix a price.  6. to direct (the eyes, the attention, etc.) steadily: 7. to attract and hold 8. to make set or rigid. 9. to put into permanent form.

I like where this is is going, don’t you?  Just think where we would be as individuals, communities, churches and nations if we would obey this command.  If our hearts, minds, hands and foreheads were fixed upon God’s word?  Can you imagine? 

We serve a God of order, so I can not but think there is significance in the order in which these words appear. 

 Hearts

Minds

Hands

Foreheads 

At the center of man is his or her heart and soul.  If the Word is fixed in the heart the other areas mentioned--the mind, the hands and the forehead—will much more likely submit to God’s command.  However, recall with me our original learning from this study, that the heart is, above all, evil (Genesis 6:5).  It is difficult for onlookers to get a clear glimpse into the heart and soul of other men.  Wouldn’t you agree?  Man does a pretty good job of playing the part, saying the correct words and doing the right things in the presence of the right people.  However, scripture says that true Christ followers will be known by the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:21-23).  You and I would be prudent to pray and ask for a discerning spirit.  We do not want to be found guilty of being deceived by one whose heart is not fixed upon God and His commands. 

I have to admit, I know God’s order is correct.  However, I find it interesting He does not place the mind before the heart.  Heart is definitely at the center of everything.  I know that.  I also know the mind is very powerful for good and for evil.   At the end of the day, I have to come to the conclusion that God is God, He is the Creator of man and man’s heart, soul, mind…  If the heart is fixed upon Him the mind will follow.  Who am I to question God? 

So, we are to have God’s Word fixed in our Hearts and Minds.  However, the verse doesn’t end there.  It concludes with an instruction. 

Have you ever attempted to break a habit?  What gimmick did you try?  At one of our Open Houses, PureHeart tied a white ribbon to the wrist of every young man as a symbol of what God has done for them and as a reminder, when they were tempted, to never allow their hands to stray.  A symbol, tied around their wrists. 

As with any body part, the hand can be used for good and for evil.  However, it is much more difficult to allow our hands to be used for evil if they are governed, sanctified, fixed, firmly controlled by God’s commands.

Finally, this verse concludes with an instruction to bind the Word to your forehead.  Scripture memorization is the key in accomplishing this.

A fixed heart is very much a possibility.  It requires complete surrender and re-surrender.

Join me this week praising God and pray for the following:

1.      I praise God for you.  Your prayers were felt.  Our leadership day retreat was amazing.  The three of us felt the presence of God.  Thank you for praying for us. 

2.      I praise God for how He is working this ministry.  He is bringing young men to our door step in ways that only He could do.  It is amazing.  Thank you for your prayers. 

3.      Continue to pray for me, Ryan and Brad.  There was no “Ministry Instruction Manual” when we said ‘Yes” to God.  Pray for us as leaders that we do not lose heart or focus in our journey.

4.      Pray for the young men who partner with us. 

5.      Continue to pray for our home church bodies.  Pray for our pastors as they lead the body of Christ. 

6.      Pray for OWU.  Pray for God to open doors of opportunity to partner and minister in a new and exciting way. 

7.      Pray for our wives and families.    

Thank you so very much;

Sharing from the Heart;

Steve

Deuteronomy 10:16-17 (New International Version)

 “Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.”

Lexicon Results for the word circumcise is muwl and means to circumcise, let oneself be circumcised, cut, be cut off.  To completely understand this condition of the heart and apply it to our lives today, we need to study deeper the meaning of the word as it relates to the OT covenant in which the word circumcise has it’s meanings and roots.  

Genesis 17:10 says, “This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.”  This is the first mention of the word circumcise.  It is the exact same word used in Deuteronomy.  Same word, same exact meaning.  Reading on, we discover why God instructed Abraham as He did. 

Let us being in Genesis 17:11-14 NIV. 

“You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.  For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring.  Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant." 

Did you notice the separation of the Israelites, from others; the cutting off, the separation from the outside, from that which was considered unclean.   

According to Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary, a covenant is: 

a contract or agreement between two parties. In the Old Testament the Hebrew word _berith_ is always thus translated. _Berith_ is derived from a root which means "to cut," and hence a covenant is a "cutting," with reference to the cutting or dividing of animals into two parts, and the contracting parties passing between them, in making a covenant (Gen. 15; Jer. 34:18, 19). The corresponding word in the New Testament Greek is _diatheke_, which is, however, rendered "testament" generally in the Authorized Version. It ought to be rendered, just as the word _berith_ of the Old Testament, "covenant." This word is used (1) of a covenant or compact between man and man (Gen. 21:32), or between tribes or nations (1 Sam. 11:1; Josh. 9:6, 15). In entering into a convenant, Jehovah was solemnly called on to witness the transaction (Gen. 31:50), and hence it was called a "covenant of the Lord" (1 Sam. 20:8)…… The word is used with reference to God's revelation of himself in the way of promise or of favour to men. Thus God's promise to Noah after the Flood is called a covenant (Gen. 9; Jer. 33:20, "my covenant"). We have an account of God's covernant with Abraham (Gen. 17, comp. Lev. 26:42), of the covenant of the priesthood (Num. 25:12, 13; Deut. 33:9; Neh. 13:29), and of the covenant of Sinai (Ex. 34:27, 28; Lev. 26:15)…. 

 Here we are being instructed to; as the King James states it in this same verse, “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.”  As I understand this, to basically cut away all impurity and filth of the heart, mind, soul and life. 

Why is this important? 

I’m not 100 percent clear on this so I’m going to approach this question from a personal view point.  

I know from my personal experience that anything that I have “cut” off will not continue to grow and prosper on its own.  The more I feed it the more it grows and ultimately consumes my thoughts, beliefs and behavior. 

Cutting off in-tales severing the unhealthy thought, behavior or belief from the healthy part of my heart.  You are basically taking what’s ill and cauterizing it from the heart.  In order to allow that impurity portion to die, you have to disconnect the life giving flow that’s feeding it.  Cutting off involves the severing the impurity and allowing that severed piece of one’s heart to die.  Needless to say, this is a process, a long process.  A very painful process as you can imagine, anything that involves cutting will involve pain.  However, the pain is well worth the journey.

 Verse 

It would be wrong of me not to quickly touch upon the final piece of this scripture before concluding.  You know the portion I’m talking about, the part that says, “and be no more stiffnecked.” Stiff necked comes from the Lexicon Transliteration `oreph meaning, to give, turn back. 

I find it very interesting that the One who inspired the scriptures added these words.  Our universal creator knows His creation, doesn’t He.  God knows man’s tendency to turn back.  I know how easy it is to turn back to the impure way of thinking, believing and behaving.  

 I pray by this part in our “Heart Series” you too will have come to an understanding of the heart and how easily it is for us to turn back to the old if we have not completely circumcised it from our hearts.

Join me this week praising and praying for the following:

1.      I praise God for His unfailing love, mercy, and grace.

2.      I praise Him for His wonder ways He is working in PureHeart and in the lives of those who He has brought to us.

3.      I praise Him for each of you, who faithfully pray for PureHeart.

4.      Pray for Ryan, Brad and I.  We are finally having a day retreat to plan and prepare for PHM.  It will be this Friday, March 27.  We would greatly appreciate your prayers.

5.      Pray for the men we are ministering to.  Pray for the Spirits guiding and timing in our conversations.

6.      Pray for each other.  You are our watchmen and women for this ministry.  Without you, the Enemy’s attacks would not be blocked. 

Thank you so very much;

Sharing from the Heart;

Steve