The difference between reading and knowing, to believing and
living it out, is through the heart.
Head knowledge is mostly facts I have taken in and can draw
from or recall. When that knowledge
roots itself in my heart it brings out a life change. It produces. I not only know it, I believe
it. It becomes a part of me; active and bearing something. There is something to show for what you
know. It is part of your belief and
being. It becomes part of your life.
There are many challenges, endless challenges that I am met
with in this faith-walk. The challenges
grow me. They often take my knowing into
believing. That kind of inspiration can
only be by the Spirit of the LORD.
The word inspiration in Latin, has a literal break down
meaning of “drawing air into the lungs.” Another recognizable word from the Latin
regarding breath is “respiration.” You
also see the portion of “spira” or spirit.
The word Spirit is related to breath.
In Hebrew the word Ruach also means Breath and Spirit.
To be inspired is like being given a Spiritual
Breath for Life.
Growing into stronger belief and faith is a provision of His
Spirit. He gives us opportunities to see
Him and know Him more and it is up to us if we take it from our head to our
heart, breathing it in and being inspired by it. I wrote and teach sessions on
the examples of this based on King Saul and King David. Both men were chosen by God, inspired by His
Spirit, but Saul only kept it in his head and didn’t live it out and David took
it to his heart and did live it out. God refers to David as “a man after My own heart.” Acts 13:22 After removing Saul, he made David their
king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man
after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ Notice
the portion included with him also doing. His belief became an active part of
him living it…doing it.
The differences in King Saul’s and David’s lives were vast
and it was based on what they took to heart or just to head. It was whether they believed or didn’t
believe. A subtle reference of the LORD
pointing to this in His Word in the physical description of Saul, that “Saul
stood a head above all the others.” 1
Samuel 10:23.
At the end of King
Saul’s life, after he had taken his own life, it reads that the enemy came
across his body and cut off his head and took his body and attached his body to
the wall of Bethshan. Beth means house and shan has meanings of quiet, tranquility, and dawn. When you know the story of King Saul, he was
not quieted or tranquil and his turmoil was all head thoughts. He did not live out his faith through his
heart. More in this is that his body
wasn’t even brought inside the walls of the House of tranquil-dawn, but
attached to the outside of the wall. 1 Samuel 31.
Where I find myself in believing and living it, or either just
having head knowledge, shows up often in me as just head knowledge as I have studied
the Word. I need inspiration to believe. Some would consider me strongly faith-filled,
but I have an endless stream of His Word that needs to be taken from my head to
my heart.
The LORD inspired me to one of them in particular last
week. It is a simple and widely known
group of verses, but how rarely do I find myself believing it to the point of living it and
growing in it. Worry is head turmoil and
not a heart of tranquil belief of a new dawn.
I was sitting at my
desk and working on my computer. The
weather had turned to heavy rain and strong wind.
As I was focusing on my work, I heard a long bang on our front
window. At first I thought it was a bird
and quickly dismissed it because I didn’t think there was any way a bird would
be flying in this kind of weather. I
figured it must have been a branch. We
have a big maple tree right out front.
As I continued responding to e-mail correspondence, I heard
the LORD say, “You have an animal to care for.”
It was not a thought I would have generated and I stood up thinking, “Don’t
tell me it was a bird.” I walked to the
door and opened it to look along side of the window. There on the ground was a wood
thrush. It lay with its chest in the
dirt, at an angle and it wasn’t moving.
I could see its eyes opening and closing.
I thought, “I don’t know how to ‘care’ for a bird like this!” Then I quickly went to what I knew I could do
in way of care, I started praying for it.
The bird’s eyes opened brighter and it began to move its head as I
prayed Jesus’ healing, relief from pain, restoration inside and out, and new
strength. The bird straightened and
stood up on its legs. It hopped under
the shelter of the overhang of the bay window.
I went back inside, closed the door and let it be. When the rain stopped I went to check on it
and it flew away.
A little girl growing up, I would hear the
verses over and over again from Matthew 10:29-31 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet
not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30And even the very hairs of your head are all
numbered. 31So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
I finally, really
believed it.
It went to my heart!
He had known about the fallen bird. He called my awareness to it too, in telling
me to care for it as I cared in the only way I could, by prayer! I watched Him care. I had not paid attention to the word “care”
in the scripture before until he used that very word with me that I had an animal to care for.
The peace of having that verse now firmly planted in my
heart of belief has lightened me to a degree I never have been before. By just
having it in my head, I wasn’t living it out.
The stresses I have since recently endured have not brought the worry as
they have in the past. I KNOW HE KNOWS
and He cares! As I care I pray and I
leave them to Him to bring about His goodness into those things.
Let the things that God is showing you inspire you! Let the breath of His Spirit bring what you know to a heart of
belief and into a life that lives it.
