Take Heart
God’s Heart
Open your heart to the verses we read together from God’s Word. Opening your heart to God’s Word is a beautiful, life-altering experience. His Word reveals the very heart and character of God to us. God’s Word is His heart. As we read it and reflect upon it, the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts and guides us according to His perfect will for our lives.
Jesus says, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Life is real! All too often we face circumstances that are out of our control. However, we must remember in such instances that we always have hope in Christ. He is steady and sure. He is the same yesterday and today and forever. He will never leave us or forsake us. Our worlds may crumble around us, but we have received an unshakeable Kingdom. The Kingdom of God cannot be shaken, and as followers of Christ, it is ours.
We truly can learn to “take heart” in the midst of our troubles. His Word holds the keys to the truths we need to sustain us in this world.
Hebrews 12:28-29:
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
Psalm 145:13:
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
We are part of the household of God - a household that is steady and sure, Christ Jesus Himself serving as its cornerstone - the stone that holds all things together.
Ephesians 2:19-21:
…You are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
All of the hope we have is in Him, and He is in us.
Colossians 1:27:
To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Although we live in this world, the hope of glory - Christ - lives in us. His Kingdom is part of who we are. We live under the Kingship of Jesus, and the way we live out our lives should reflect that. We should live daily in the hope and freedom of our citizenship in the Kingdom of God - as citizens of His household.
We may wonder if it is even possible to operate daily in the hope of His Kingdom, while simultaneously living life in this world, sorting through the slew of difficulties and distractions we encounter. There is no doubt that it takes intentionality, but by His grace and through the power of the Holy Spirit, it is more than possible! As Christ-followers, we are not meant to live the same way that everyone else does.
Jesus came to give us a different kind of life. Jesus came to overcome the world in order to give us new lives in Him, and once we learn to live this way - in the new life He freely gives us, above and beyond the problems of this world - everything changes.
John 10:10:
“…I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” - Jesus
The key to assuming this way of life is a mindset shift around His Kingdom. It is learning to adjust our individual perspectives to align with the promises of His Kingdom. This shift means posturing ourselves to live out our everyday lives in His Kingdom - to act and respond and even feel with the mindset of His Kingdom. It means setting out each day intent on living in the hope of glory we have in Him and the freedom that that hope affords. Once we are able to do that, we begin to live differently.
We begin to live lives of freedom in Christ on earth, as well as lives of expectancy - always looking forward to more - to living not only in Christ, but face to face with Him for all of eternity. Kingdom lives are distinguished by this expectancy and hope.
Revelation 21:3-4:
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Ultimately, Kingdom lives are lives lived in light of the expectation of all things being made new and perfect when Jesus returns, all the while, holding fast to the knowledge that we are, even now, seated with Christ in the heavenly places at the right hand of the Father.
Life on this earth is a tiny portion of the entirety of our experience of life. We are citizens of the unshakeable kingdom of God. We are His and He is ours. A glorious eternity in His presence awaits us. Forward-looking is to be our stance.
We must remember that Jesus sits on the throne of His Kingdom and empowers us to live in its victory and hope, even while we fight our way through these earthly lives. We take heart in who He is, what He has done for us, and who we are in Him.
Living life in His Kingdom is living life victorious. It’s living life with hope. It’s truly living life, alive!
This is our hope: the hope of glory, Christ in us.
Share Your Heart
Consider the following discussion starters as you share your hearts with one another:
Sometimes this world seems to be crumbling around us. Everywhere we turn, we face troubles. Yet, we take heart that Jesus Christ has overcome this world, and that as His followers, we belong to His unshakeable Kingdom. Does it comfort you to know that His Kingdom cannot be shaken as you face life’s turmoil?
How can you posture yourself to live life in His Kingdom, while still living life in this world?
What disciplines can you develop in your everyday life in order to enter His presence daily and to stay focused on the hope you have in Him?
The Cries of Your Heart
At Hearts Together Women, we believe that the Lord hears the cries of our hearts.
We also believe in prayer partnership because God’s Word teaches us that partnering with one another in prayer is powerful.
James 5:16 says, “Therefore…pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
And Jesus encourages us, “When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there” (Matthew 18:19-20, The Message).
What amazing promises!
Here is how prayer partnership works at a Hearts Together Gathering:
After we share in the Word and discussion, your facilitator will ask each woman for her prayer requests. All you need to do is share your own requests - the cries of your heart - because we all have them.
We encourage you to request prayer for 1) your own needs; 2) the needs of your family and loved ones; and 3) the needs you see around you - in the workplace, the school, the neighborhood or even the nation.
After the requests are shared, your gathering facilitator will lead in a prayer for the needs that were put forth.
In the following days, we encourage you to pray for the requests of the other women in your gathering. They will do the same for you. That’s what prayer partnership is all about!
As we unite in prayer, we trust the Lord will meet with us, dwell among us and answer us in accordance with His perfect will.
Your Heart to His
Maybe you felt the Holy Spirit stirring something in your heart during this gathering. It doesn’t have to end here. Take it home. In the followings days, continue to pursue Him. Spend some time alone and quiet, away from the noise of life - just you and Jesus.
Tell Him the cries of your heart. He is listening; He cares, and He does answer. Praying is kind of like having a conversation with your best friend. He created you, so He already knows everything about you. He just wants to be with you.
After you pray, reread the Scriptures and thoughts under God’s Heart. Reflect upon the verses and how they speak to you and your life.
Here are some things you might contemplate and pray about:
Consider that your life on this earth as a follower of Christ is a tiny portion of your entire experience of life. You were created for eternity and are a citizen of the unshakeable kingdom of God. You are His and He is yours. As His follower, you will spend eternity in His presence. As difficult as it may be to sort through the distractions, posture yourself today to live life in His Kingdom. Ask Him to help you to live out your daily life in His presence. Fix your eyes upon Him, the hope of glory.
This is just between you and Jesus - your heart to His. Make space in your busy days to spend some time with Him.
