Hit My Heart

written by Graham Monroe

God is doing something on a heart level. Feelings are great but they have a tendency to follow truth. Truth can be known in our head all our lives but truth is applied when it reaches our hearts. For example, I can tell you that there are millions of people being forced to be a slave and sell their bodies right now in this world, some even in your city and you are likely to do nothing about that without your heart grasping the gravity of that situation. The reality of scripture has been hitting me on this heart level and I believe it is doing the same for the rest of the Fellows. In my opinion the most powerful testimonies we have to offer are the most recent testimonies. My most recent experience of God making scripture alive in my heart happened two days ago - I give credit to God and the stirring hunger that the Fellows Program has created in me. What was revealed to me was what many have probably heard a million times, but it seems to be a theme the past week. It is the concept of fearing God versus fearing Man. I am simply going to copy and paste what I wrote from my journal two days ago:

THIS IS WHY THE GOSPEL IS IMPORTANT!!! I can either live according to works or live according to who you (God) say I am! If I live according to works, I fear man. Fearing man says that, “If I succeed I’ll be happy but if I fail I’ll want to go into a hole because my life is ruined.” So now my joy comes from the outcome of my circumstances. THATS DUMB because all of a sudden others value me according to my success. If I were on an island alone, but I was super successful it just wouldn’t matter because if I am living according to how successful I am, and no one sees my success then what is the point?! So my joy comes from my success at the things I enjoy doing….as long as others see that success…and tell me in some way how awesome I am for being so successful. Well good luck with that life! CHOICE NUMBER 2 is living according to who God says that I am. You (God) tell me that you saw me as a failure, a weakling and a sinner and that is what separated us from each other. You sent your Son to be the perfect person I couldn’t be and then die the death I should have so that I could be close to You again. WAIT HOLD UP this means that if I succeed it doesn’t really matter because I’ll still be loved by God! If I fail it clearly doesn’t matter like I thought it did because God really loves me anyways. This doesn’t say I don’t do my very best at all things, but now my joy comes from the fact that I am loved. How do I know I am loved? Value is determined by the cost of something. God, you must have thought I was worth something when you sent your most valuable piece of heaven to die the death that I deserved to die.

Who hasn’t heard this before? I think I have heard this message a thousand times in a thousand different ways…but it finally hit my heart and I could not be more thankful. Like I mentioned earlier, when truth hits your heart it leads to action. Now that this truth has seriously hit my heart I feel as though I am acting out of who I am, when for so long I have been acting out of who I am not. I am acting out of the fact that I am God's son, instead of someone who is successful with a failed past, letting what other people think or say having way too much power. I hope and pray that you who are still reading may have God hit your heart in the areas that it needs to be hit, for those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. GO and EAT!