A Holy Discontent: One Last Challenge

Since many of you undertook to give an account of the Lord’s accomplishments in these blogs, having followed somewhat closely since this pilgrimage began, I believe it is reasonable for me to attempt an orderly account to you, most excellent Theophiles (Divinely Loved), to encourage you in the truth of the things the Lord revealed amongst us.

I’m writing on February 6, 2022, with a certain prophetic optimism, imagining that we are now on the last contemplative day of the off-season of “Heart and Mind Strong.” I’m not presuming to make a title change, but as there are “mature men” who can play with the toys of boyhood, I can’t resist playing with words. Paul does call us to be renewed in our minds.

Renewal of heart and mind is the purpose of HEARTStrong, and we have made choices to change our life habits toward it. Whatever the measure may be for each of us, we’ve done so because of a holy discontent within ourselves, knowing the Lord’s promises and His longing for us to be closer. And how He delights in each move, we make toward Him! And so, we can continue.

We know that the front line of battle is with our old self that must die. We also know of the little foxes, the wolves in sheep’s clothing, the vipers, the roaring lion, and demons that can even appear as angels of light. On our pilgrimage, we also encounter the Lord’s help from heaven, the household of the faith, and the strangers we’ve hosted, not knowing they were true angels of light; always, there is the fellowship of His Holy Spirit.

Also, we know that what makes a heart strong in the Lord is submission to discipleship. And we mustn’t forget that “We didn’t choose Him, He chose us. And as His chosen, we are set apart as the Godly unto Himself. And as Paul said to Timothy, “the Godly don’t get tangled up in the daily affairs of life.” HEARTstrong was prescribed as the remedy for my own life of limping along on two opinions and my weakness of mind toward eternal things.

I remember momentous wisdom from various teachers we have had over the year. The Lead Pastor spoke of “the position of our hearts” and refers to himself as “Chief Serving Officer.” Another repeatedly mentioned “conviction and accountability.” Someone else emphasized that “Jesus would not be domesticated .”Another teacher confronted us on the ability to handle confrontation. We were frequently urged to look at the scriptures “in context .”A blog expressed that “the fruit of our salvation is the righteous character produced in our life through Jesus .”Another teacher pointed out our need to be stretched. One of the many volunteer teachers taught me “not to justify my failings .”And will anyone ever forget the Pastor’s wife and Co-Pastor, as she read to us from her journal? It was her prayer that gave birth to the movement of HEARTstrong? It was as words spoken from the heart of the Old Testament prophets, with the remedy to “a holy discontent.”

As we conclude this HEARTstrong winter season, I have been converted to the Psalms. I have been rewarded with many saints who have been the blessing of great affection, especially those who shared the lead role: their wisdom to guide me through the pitfalls and snares. For what my leadership has been worth, and to the extent I have embraced the responsibility. It has been a path of greater intimacy with the Lord for anyone having done so.

One of the participants had recently spoken enthusiastically in anticipation of revival. I see the discipleship of HEARTstrong as “the falling of lines into pleasant places” for the fulfillment of such a hope. Good things are happening among men at the Life Centre and other local churches. As we see what the world is coming closer to, we need to see each other coming closer to Jesus. Finally, as the Apostle John writes at the end of the intro of his 1^st letter,  we also “have written this that our joy may be complete.”

As ever:

“With our God, we shall do valiantly.”

Tadeus

Are you excited for the start of the new HEARTstrong season? Tell us what you think in the comment box below. Thank you!