Speaking From The Heart (Guest Post)

Today, my post is featured on One Word 365. Here's an excerpt and then a link to finish over at their page. So thankful to be sharing what God is teaching me in order that others may be edified and encouraged!
The words always come from Him and just flow through my fingertips. It's never something I'm able to do on my own!

In February, the image of a heart is frequently before our eyes as a symbol of love. When it comes to hearts, God is a multiplier. Whatever is in our heart, He will multiply for His use and His glory.

In Luke 6:45, Jesus said, “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (NIV)
A heart full of love will be multiplied, and love will abound. A heart full of hurt will be multiplied, and hurt will abound. The words we speak come directly from our hearts. What are we offering up to be multiplied and served to others?
When Jesus asked his disciples to collect food for the crowd of 5,000 men (plus women and children), Andrew said to him, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” (John 6:9 NIV)
Many of us have a small offering, but God is the multiplier of all and can feed many with what we have. If you are filled with joy, He will share that joy to people you never knew needed it. If you are filled with love, He will cause you to share love with those thought unlovable. If you are filled with negativity or bitterness, your bread is moldy and your fishes smell like fish—not fresh or life-giving. The multiplication of such brings sickness of heart, and is not to His glory whatsoever. Still, even Pharaoh who had hardness in his heart—God used his offering to display the hand of God in delivering His people out of an impossible situation.
Always, it is for God’s glory that our heart endures—that it is not of our own might or strength or power. Proverbs 4:23 gives us a warning “Above everything else guard your heart, because from it flow the springs of life.” (ISV)
Read the rest over here at OneWord365.com

~Tammy

When: Five Minute Friday

Today's Five Minute Friday prompt is "When".

When is always followed by a question mark for me.
"When?" (and often is led by a feeling of unhappiness or discontent or impatience)
When is also a conditional word.
When will that happen? It will happen when you... It will happen when this...

The disciples asked in Matthew 24 "When will these things happen?" Jesus then tells them many things and concludes with "Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it^[e] is near, right at the door. ³⁴ Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
³⁶ “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,^[f] but only the Father."

We want control, security, the ability to depend on our own timing.
That is not God's way, though.

We say When?
He says Wait.
We say When?
He says Trust.
We say When?
He says Not Now.

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13
This is the when we should pursue. All else will fall into place when God is our pursuit. We won't care about "when", because He's here right now. Surrounding us, embracing us, filling us, nothing else will matter. 
~Tammy

Keep: Five Minute Friday

Five Minute Friday. Find five minutes on Friday to focus, stop, breathe, type, and stop. I am so grateful to be in this group of friends, typing. Though, some weeks I am typing pro-actively on Thursday night, and some weeks I find myself Friday afternoon with the realization that it's Friday and I missed it.
But, I haven't missed it. I'm just not the first. Here's the link-up for this week.

Today's word is keep. It is Friday afternoon, and I've been challenged the last two days. The first thing that came to mind was "Thou wilt keep Him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee." I love the old Maranatha records I grew up listening to. Whether or not you appreciate the timelessness of the sleepy folksong music, the verses have forever remained in my mind.

I looked up the passage in parallel for a little less King James finesse and found even greater strength in this one.
"You will keep perfectly peaceful the one whose mind remains focused on you, because he remains in you." (International Standard Version)

"You will keep the mind that is dependent on You in perfect peace, for it is trusting in You. " (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

I want God to keep my mind at peace. It is so easy for the peace to leave as I look around at circumstances. God wants me to look over the tossing, crashing waves and up to Him, who is over all.

He is my keeper. If I am placing my thoughts and trust in Him, I will be more likely to see the current situation as passing. And He gives the peace that passes all understanding. Oh, yes, sweet Lord! Wash over me with your perfect peace!

~Tammy