Preparing Our Hearts for the Holidays II: Diligence

As I’ve asked the Lord to help me prepare my heart - not just for the holidays, but in daily service to Him - the word diligent came to mind. We don’t plan to host Thanksgiving, then walk into the dining room and it’s done. We have to prepare, and we have to be diligent in our preparation to actually birth it. So I asked the Lord to forgive me for my lack of diligence, my spiritual laziness at times when it comes to heart issues. Look again at our meditation verse from our previous post,

“Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying,

‘If you return to the LORD with all your hearts,

then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you,

and prepare your hearts for the LORD,

and serve Him only;

and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.’”

1 Samuel 7:3

We see the issue of repentance and humility; of giving the Lord our whole heart. Then some things need to go. (Like cleaning out a closet, some things need to stay and even move to the forefront, while other things need to be removed.) Then we see that as we prepare our hearts to serve Him, He protects us from the enemy who battles against us.

How much effort do we put into the things that truly matter? Let’s examine our heart and let the Lord know we want to be diligent in preparing our heart to seek and serve Him. Ask Him to help you get this show on the road, and to keep it on track. Meditate on the verse below, and ask the Lord what He wants you to hear and heed.

“Keep your heart with all diligence,

For out of it spring the issues of life.”

Proverbs 4:23