A heart that beats for Jesus

This post is rather different from what I usually write about. I mostly share my rejoicing heart as God brings me through battles and I get to see His wonderful works. I love sharing testimony of His greatness and how Jesus fills my heart so amazingly. Yet there is a battle I will always be in, and one that I am willing to fight until the end of my days. That is the fight of bringing people to Jesus, to know of His love and to surrender their lives to the One who gave it all at the cross for you and me!

As I came to Christ and trying different ministries at my home church, I found my calling in prayer. I learned the importance of prayer as it is our way to communicate with God and have that amazing relationship with Him grow and be strengthen. I've learned that is not a way to get our needs met, but rather with prayer we get answers from Him and learn of His will for our lives. I get to talk to Him about anything, I get to sing to Him through worship, I get to share my heart's desires and I even get to cry out to Him. In return, Jesus hears me, He gives me counsel, He shows me His ways and in the troubled times, He holds me and He comforts me. I also get to confess to Him my sin and He forgives me, I get to praise Him and He smiles, and I get to mediate on His word and He speaks to me. But the most beautiful thing that happens in prayer is that I get to pray for others, I get to intercede for them in their needs, their hurts, their struggles but also rejoice in their victories through an answered prayer.

When I say this is the most beautiful part of prayer for me, I say this because I have found that as I intercede for others Jesus shows me many things. He shows me how He views others, how He loves them, how He can help them overcome, how He desires to help them, but what mostly touches me is when He shows me how much He hurts for them. When Jesus shares a piece of His heart and shows me what lies inside for all of us, thats when I know that I am willing to fight for Him for others. I see the greatness that can come from Him and what some people's lives can become if they would only turn to Him. I see Him hurting as many of us take it upon ourselves to find punishment and self condemnation for the sins He already paid for us IN FULL and the cross! 

He desires for all to come to know Him and He helps all of us who want to follow His commandment and make disciples of all nations. He shows us through prayer a piece of His heart. As I decided to follow Jesus, I gave Him my heart and through the relationship I have with Him, we are able to share many things. I do not however, know every detail, neither do I have answers to everything, much less fully understand His love and how He hurts, but the little that He shares with me, is enough to understand Him and what lies in someone else's heart.

See, it doesn't matter the struggle that you are in, the fact is more than likely you are hurting, and Jesus hurts too. He hurts when He sees what you can become and refuse to become. He hurts when He has the answer waiting for your struggles and He has to wait for you to want them, because you wont receive them from Him. He hurts when He sees others hurt you and cannot do anything about it because you are not interested in Him fighting for you. And through all of this, as those that pray in intercession for others, Jesus shares His heart. But this doesn't make us anything special, it only allows us to understand what you might be going through. Personally I am able to put myself in people's shoes and feel their pain without knowing details of their lives or what they might be going through. I am able to honestly say "I get it" and "I understand" and truly identify with the pain I once faced in my own struggles.

One of the hardest things I have encountered however in my time of intercession and trying to help others, is being pushed away from someone's life. I doesn't only mean a person pushing me out of their life but also loosing contact with a person for any given circumstance or seeing a progress and then a previous path gets taken, and everything that was worked for seems pointless. Time and time I've felt discouraged at this, yet I refuse to stop believing that things can change for everyone and that there is hope regardless of a situation or circumstance. God can bring us through the hardest most impossible battles, yet I must understand that this will be at His timing and not mine. Most importantly, I must accept that God can use me to plan seeds and share His love, but I am not always going to see those seeds grow, or see the final outcome of another person's struggle. Yet I can trust in Him and trust every situation and every person in His hands, knowing that sooner or later my prayers of intercession will be answered. 

For all that I've talked about in this post and as I have shared in giving my heart to Jesus and in return Him sharing a piece of His heart with me, I have titled this post. Today I hold a heart that beats for Jesus, and I pray that my heart not only continues to beat for Him but also works for Him and share with others of His love. 

I want to encourage all those prayer warriors out there, to not loose hope and to keep fighting along side all whom Christ has called in the front line. To be courageous and not step down from this battle of others knowing the love of Christ. To know that God uses every little bit of effort we put into sharing His love and uses every single prayer in great power. And for those people who know they are  being prayed for and/or have been shared the love of Christ, but have not accepted it... I ask when will you? What is stopping you? Don't be afraid! Jesus is waiting with open arms to receive you and care for you. He is waiting to change your heart and win those struggles for you. And He wants you to know that you are not alone, that there is a church full of people who you can call brothers and sisters who have, are facing and will face the same struggles. People whom Jesus shares His heart with and shows them not only how to help you and understand you but also how to love you. But most importantly, Jesus is anxiously waiting to share His heart with you and pour out His love for you! Will you allow Him to do that? I promise the rewards are endless...

I pray that we will all one day have a heart that beats for Jesus!