My heart;the pendulum swings for you!

The following analogy is an understanding that is bringing an integration of my heart and mind. I think I now understand the spiritual movements of the human heart in a far more profound way. The effectiveness to "take captive every thought" and subject it to Christ is greatly increased. The salvation of the soul is accomplished with the renewing of the mind through the washing of the word.**** I am compelled to share this with you perhaps it will help you guard your heart and mind to remain in Christ (Messiah)

I recently read 3 profound and excellent books ***  that renewed my heart and mind. Amazingly all where summed up in a picture that entered my mind during a time of prayer.

I see now the human heart/soul can be like a pendulum on a clock. It swings back and forth between sometimes polar issues. The feelings and reasoning culminate in decisions about what is true or real or what should be done about it. The net result of the swings is action or inaction; a choice is made as the pendulum swings.

And it swings between:

truth & lies,

life & death

faith & fear

love & hate,

conviction & condemnation,

light & dark,

good & bad,

mercy & judgment

generosity & greed

honesty & deceit

remorse & shame

humility & humiliation

grace & truth,

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Tick,Tock,Tick ,Tock,Tick,Tock ;  goes the rhythm of our heart the soul is our clock.

Yet as believers we have fixed our hearts on Jesus (Yeshua). He is the fastener of the Pendulum; the lynch pin.

My heart is hidden in Christ's. Out of his spirit flow my desires and intentions. But the decisions, behaviours  actions; my responses to the swings of my emotions and reason and the timing of my actions are my responsibility; my choice.

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Growing in him I now understand the the ark of the pendulum is reducing; My  excessive emotional or psychological reactions to the events or trouble that come into my life are diminishing. The exposure to extremes or the imbalanced state of being is diminishing as I grow in faith, hope and love. Yet also the depth of my passion and joy is growing.

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Our integrity requires a balanced perspective an integration of intention and action. A smooth transition from the negative into the positive poles of our being is important. Our behaviour is driven by where and when we choose to act during the swinging pendulum that is the motivations of our heart. Of course this is an imperfect analogy but it is helpful.

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We are required by the Spirit of truth and grace (that is Jesus/Yeshua) within us to find the balance in the swings and chose wisely our actions and the timing of them. Otherwise we experience conviction or loss. The spirit is the correcting mechanisms of the clock. His spirit sets the limits for it.  It seems life or death is the only choice set before me each day, each movement, each moment, each thought, I must chose which I will serve.

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"Today I set before you life or death, choose life" Deuteronomy 30:18-20 . The choice I make starts my emotional/psychological  swing back; toward  Life or further into death. When I act from life, I am acting "in him"  and I will see his glory.****

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If I act in faith, life, grace, truth and wisdom; from Christ in me- it brings rest; it brings life. Because as St. Paul (Shaul) warns us in Romans, "for what is not of faith is sin".  Romans 14:22-23   If I act from my own understanding, habits, schemes, plans or fears; whatever is not of faith=truth, grace, peace: brings death. No matter how good I might feel about my actions if it is not of Christ and His faith; it is death. If I don't wish to bring forth death I must choose the cross for my desires, actions or behaviours that our outside of faith or God's timing. Our choice is life or death;  a self-less life given up to Christ's Life resident in us or Crucifixion of our selfish life on His cross. In the mystery that is God we become our true self only when our life is hidden in His life, His timing, His will and His way. 

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Death to self is a messy, untidy, and painful process, but resurrection life always follows it for those who know Christ.  So Jesus is my savoir/ life giver or judge/executioner and my heart must swing between life or death; resurrection life or the cross of Christ.  Life or death, tick tock tick tock, tick tock goes my clock...

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Yet others experience my swings and it can be uncomfortable for them; causing them to react to me.

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When I bring forth the fruit of my process for examination before men and not Jesus alone people are prone to judge or try to fix it. They want to adjust my pendulum to conform to what they see as appropriate movement, behaviour or balance.  If we place people above the truth or reality of Christ revealed to us personally we make them Idols.

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If we fear peoples opinions more than the Lord we are worshipping them and not him. For one worships and serves what they fear.  We can also be judged for the very nails on our cross by our own brethren who forget every clock ticks and functions differently. Each time piece is made first to serve it’s maker and owner; secondly for those who observe it's action or movements.

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Rabbi Shaul (St. Pual) said "to me it is a very small thing if I am examined by you our or any human court...as a matter of fact I do not even examine my self...the one who examines me is the Lord ...so do not go on passing judgment but wait for the Lord"   1 Corinthians 4

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St. Paul did not let anyone not even himself tinker with the mechanism of his heart. He was about living and being in Christ, not introspection or self examination.  Now that is liberty and submission to God the master clock maker. That is letting him be about "guarding your heart...for from it flow the issue of life"

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I find now this required choice of life and death frequently. The Pendulum that is my heart/soul; my time is kept by the swings from life in Christ to death on the cross of Christ. The more fluid and accurate or succinctly the movement is the more integral, effective and accurate is my time kept with God's life; The more finely tuned a mechanism becomes the fewer and less frequent the adjustments are necessary.

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It behoves me to presume and communicate to others that I believe they are positive forces not negative ones. For that honours their good intentions even if they have missed God's timing or wisdom; the Lord's is real and present in them even if I do not appreciate our understand their efforts to balance my movements. Sometimes it is He himself moving and motivating their actions. In His perfect time he will make adjustments and use his servants to do so. He is synchronizing all our behaviours , coordinating our actions.  We should be as His word suggest "submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God "Ephesians 5:20-22 ; for that causes unity in the body of Christ/Messiah.

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Finally I see my  heart as the perpetual motion mechanism of my life. It is the engine of my behaviours and actions. For the net result of its fluctuation determines my integration with life or death; crucifixion or resurrection; for myself and others about me.

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My life and health and walking in truth and grace is summed up by the tick tock of my hearts clock and the workings of the great watchmaker. He plans this to be what keeps me in time with him eternally. It is he alone that knows how to adjust the mechanism to keep me synchronized with the most important clock in the universe; the heart and mind of Christ.  Yet we can remain confident and at peace for the time keeper, that very mechanism of grace and truth is actually resident in our own person by faith in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus the Christ)

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*Healing ADD by Dr. Amen

**"Emotionally Healthy Spirituality" by Scazzero

***The rest of the Gospel  (When the partial gospel has worn you out) by Dan Stone and David Gregory.

****;Ephesians 5:25-27; Hebrews 6:3-5;Acts 17:28

From Journal entry 1.17.2012; revised 1.18.2012;1.19; 10.20.2012 

william mark parry © 1/20/12, (#v132)