Yeshua is always in the process of washing us. He uses the water of the Word in order to clean our minds up from the ‘stinkin-thinkin’ that plagues so many of us. Today, my goal is to be part of his end-times work to ‘wash the minds’ of as many people as possible.

Solomon said, ‘as a man thinks in his heart so is he’ (Prov. 23:7). Scripture reveals to us that our thinking begins in our heart. It begins with an area that can either remain soft and receptive or become hardened by the circumstances of life.

Messiah Yeshua said, that ‘it’s out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks (Matt. 12:34; Luke 6:45) and it’s the heart that determines how we live our lives towards one another (Prov. 4:23). Just as the physical heart influences our lives, so too does the spiritual heart. A broken heart leads to broken thinking and a broken life. Those who have had their hearts renewed by the transforming power of Yahweh experience a new lease on life.

Our western thinking keeps us locked into the cerebral. When Yahweh wants to change our ‘stinkin-thinkin’ He performs a ‘spiritual lobotomy’, which begins by peeling back the protective, spiritual rib cage and examining the heart. Men look on the outward appearance while Yahweh peers deeply into our hearts (1 Sam. 16:7). We make judgments based on appearance or here say, Yahweh focuses in on the heart and judges in righteousness (Isa. 11:3,4; John 7:24).

Because Yahweh is unoffendable His ‘heart’ never gets damaged. Every word that comes from His mouth is living, powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword (Heb. 4:12). His Words are life (John 6:68). His Words are pure (Psa. 12:6; Prov. 15:26). His Words and actions are always good fruit. His discernment is 100% accurate every time. He is the master of changing the stony heart and replacing it with a heart of flesh that keeps His Torah (Eze. 11:19; 36:25-27; Jer. 24:7; 31:31-34). His Words are what keep the heart soft.

Sin hardens the heart. Hiding His Word in our heart is what keeps our hearts sensitive to Him (Psa. 119:105). His Word is what strengthens us for the day ahead! We are supposed to keep His Word in our heart (Deut. 6:6) for His Words are our lives (Deut. 32:47).

The Words that Yahweh speaks to us are not incidental additions to our lives. They are more than ‘homeowner improvements’ to our standard of life. They are foundational words. Words to build our lives on. Those who build on His words are like the man who built his house on the Rock and when the storms of life hit (and they will) his house will stand (Matt. 7:24-27).

What begins in the heart eventually moves to the head and governs our every thought and action. Yahweh uses the natural to teach us the spiritual realities of life (1 Cor. 15:46). The human mind cannot function without the heart, but the human heart can function without the brain. When the heart is healthy then ‘stinkin-thinkin’ is no longer what controls the body. When the heart is free from arteriosclerosis the brain receives the proper nourishment and oxygen flow to govern the body the way it was designed by the Creator!

David asked Yahweh to create in Him a clean heart and renew a right Spirit within him. He asked Yahweh to search him and try him and see if there was any wickedness in him (Psa. 139:23,24). Yahweh knows the hurts and pains in our hearts. As silver and gold are refined in the furnace, Yahweh accurately searches our hearts (Prov. 17:3). He alone sees the hearts and rewards accordingly (Jer. 17:10).

Hence, He wants us to guard our hearts above all things (Prov. 4:23). Put away the forward mouth and perverse lips (Prov. 4:24). Keep our eyes fixed straight ahead on the goal of your calling (Prov. 4:25; Heb. 12:1,2). Consider the path that your feet are walking (Prov. 4:26). Don’t get distracted by the peripheral (Prov. 4:25). And if your ‘foot’ is in evil, pull it out quickly (Prov. 4:27).

Beginning in Matthew 5:21 Yeshua is going to teach us six heart categories that if not managed properly can lead to painful consequences.

Tomorrow, Yah-willing, we will let Him correct our ‘stinkin-thinkin’ by creating in us a clean heart and renewing a right Spirit within us.

Shalom,

Alan