1 00:00:02,660 --> 00:00:15,140 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:10,780 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crosswalk Devotional. We are so glad to 3 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:18,299 Speaker 2: have you listening with us here today. Today's topic is 4 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 2: about letting God work in your heart. We will return 5 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:38,230 Speaker 2: after a brief message from our sponsor. Letting God Rake 6 00:00:38,270 --> 00:00:42,250 Speaker 2: Away What Is Covering Your Heart Written by Leah Gerard 7 00:00:42,630 --> 00:00:48,610 Speaker 2: Read by Rochelle Alberti Bible Reading I could ask the 8 00:00:48,650 --> 00:00:51,190 Speaker 2: darkness to hide me and the light around me to 9 00:00:51,229 --> 00:00:55,290 Speaker 2: become night. But even in darkness I cannot hide from you. 10 00:00:56,050 --> 00:00:59,570 Speaker 2: To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness 11 00:00:59,710 --> 00:01:02,670 Speaker 2: and light are the same to you. Psalm 139, 11-12 12 00:01:02,690 --> 00:01:10,380 Speaker 2: New Living Translation I love the way fallen leaves in 13 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 2: autumn cover landscapes across many parts of the world. It 14 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 2: feels like a song of sweet surrender, as vivid colors 15 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 2: float everywhere, then fade into nutrients for the soil. Carpets 16 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:25,899 Speaker 2: of fall foliage on lawns, parks, or fields always look 17 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:30,179 Speaker 2: so purposeful and romantic to me. But when we live 18 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:34,560 Speaker 2: in modern, manicured places, we often rake these leaves into piles, 19 00:01:34,860 --> 00:01:38,890 Speaker 2: either composting them for reuse or disposing of them. It's 20 00:01:38,930 --> 00:01:42,300 Speaker 2: a common seasonal sight, though I'm still not sure if 21 00:01:42,330 --> 00:01:44,560 Speaker 2: it's better to rake or not rake the leaves that 22 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:47,919 Speaker 2: grace our lives. It's always interesting to me that we 23 00:01:47,980 --> 00:01:52,220 Speaker 2: don't need to rake wild forests. They remain entirely in 24 00:01:52,260 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 2: God's hands. However, when it comes to my heart and yours, 25 00:01:57,660 --> 00:02:01,830 Speaker 2: let's consider that God may do some spiritual raking. Because 26 00:02:01,910 --> 00:02:05,990 Speaker 2: sometimes we want to hide ourselves, our feelings, our habits, 27 00:02:06,530 --> 00:02:10,620 Speaker 2: our lack of faith from God. That's why Psalm 139 28 00:02:10,620 --> 00:02:16,060 Speaker 2: lays out clearly that God sees everything anyway. In fact, 29 00:02:16,540 --> 00:02:21,889 Speaker 2: Psalm 139, 11-12 proclaims that even in darkness I cannot 30 00:02:21,950 --> 00:02:26,290 Speaker 2: hide from you. This entire psalm rejoices that you can 31 00:02:26,350 --> 00:02:29,109 Speaker 2: turn to God and ask Him to search you, bring 32 00:02:29,150 --> 00:02:31,780 Speaker 2: you into His light, and lead you on the path 33 00:02:31,900 --> 00:02:35,579 Speaker 2: of everlasting life. The freedom you gain when you let 34 00:02:35,620 --> 00:02:40,790 Speaker 2: God uncover you is also celebrated in 2 Corinthians 3.16 35 00:02:40,790 --> 00:02:44,160 Speaker 2: when Paul says, But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, 36 00:02:44,180 --> 00:02:47,859 Speaker 2: the veil is taken away. Paul is referring to how 37 00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:50,920 Speaker 2: Moses would cover his face with a veil because the 38 00:02:50,980 --> 00:02:53,519 Speaker 2: glory of God he reflected was too much for his 39 00:02:53,580 --> 00:02:57,810 Speaker 2: followers to receive. So in his New Testament letter, Paul 40 00:02:57,910 --> 00:03:00,290 Speaker 2: teaches that you and I have been reconciled to God 41 00:03:00,350 --> 00:03:04,070 Speaker 2: through Jesus. You can let God lift the veil, rake 42 00:03:04,130 --> 00:03:07,630 Speaker 2: away what you're hiding under, and fully receive the Holy 43 00:03:07,669 --> 00:03:11,510 Speaker 2: Spirit within you. There's no need to bury yourself in secrecy. 44 00:03:12,950 --> 00:03:15,590 Speaker 2: Not only will God rake away what's covering the heart, 45 00:03:16,110 --> 00:03:18,590 Speaker 2: He will also dig deeper to pull up stones and 46 00:03:18,650 --> 00:03:23,390 Speaker 2: plant new life. When Ezekiel 36, 26 tells us, And 47 00:03:23,590 --> 00:03:25,790 Speaker 2: I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh 48 00:03:26,230 --> 00:03:28,389 Speaker 2: and give you a new heart of flesh, it is 49 00:03:28,470 --> 00:03:33,830 Speaker 2: referring to God's miraculous power to completely transform a hardened 50 00:03:33,870 --> 00:03:39,660 Speaker 2: heart that has become cold, inflexible, are impenetrable. This hardening 51 00:03:40,020 --> 00:03:43,100 Speaker 2: could be the result of self-protection over many years of pain, 52 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 2: or it could be a heart turned away from reconciliation 53 00:03:46,380 --> 00:03:50,240 Speaker 2: by unforgiveness, or it could be a refusal to share 54 00:03:50,340 --> 00:03:55,090 Speaker 2: fears and feelings with God. Ezekiel 36 26 is God's 55 00:03:55,150 --> 00:04:00,090 Speaker 2: reminder to you and me that He sees our struggles anyway. 56 00:04:01,410 --> 00:04:03,590 Speaker 2: So even if you don't see a way to cultivate 57 00:04:03,650 --> 00:04:06,590 Speaker 2: peace in your own heart, or feel courageous enough to 58 00:04:06,630 --> 00:04:10,810 Speaker 2: be exposed, God's promise here is that He can do 59 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:15,180 Speaker 2: the work for you if you let Him. You and 60 00:04:15,300 --> 00:04:18,320 Speaker 2: I can bring our hurting, hiding, hardened hearts to God 61 00:04:18,940 --> 00:04:22,200 Speaker 2: and welcome His healing. He will break away what's weighing 62 00:04:22,220 --> 00:04:26,650 Speaker 2: you down, warming and softening your heart. So the next 63 00:04:26,710 --> 00:04:30,609 Speaker 2: time you're working in the yard or marveling at the leaves, remember, 64 00:04:31,330 --> 00:04:35,070 Speaker 2: John 15 says God is your gardener. Let Him break 65 00:04:35,500 --> 00:04:38,550 Speaker 2: prune and shape you so that you will bear much 66 00:04:38,620 --> 00:04:44,750 Speaker 2: fruit for His glory. Intersecting Faith and Life As you 67 00:04:44,790 --> 00:04:47,830 Speaker 2: consider the beauty of changing seasons or the work of 68 00:04:47,910 --> 00:04:52,659 Speaker 2: raking away anything that's covering something underneath, reflect on these thoughts. 69 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:56,800 Speaker 2: What can you ask God to reveal to you about 70 00:04:57,020 --> 00:05:01,400 Speaker 2: anything that may be weighing you down? Can you recall 71 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:04,190 Speaker 2: a time God pruned you and you were better off 72 00:05:04,290 --> 00:05:08,410 Speaker 2: for it? If your heart is hurting, how might you 73 00:05:08,450 --> 00:05:10,229 Speaker 2: pray for God to heal it? 74 00:05:11,870 --> 00:05:23,360 Speaker 3: Further reading Hebrews 4, 12-13 Psalm 33, 13-14 1 John 3. 75 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:29,700 Speaker 1: 20 Thanks for listening to today's devotional. If you liked 76 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:31,700 Speaker 1: what you heard today, we want to make sure you 77 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:35,480 Speaker 1: know about our sister podcast, Your Daily Prayer. When you 78 00:05:35,540 --> 00:05:39,160 Speaker 1: follow Your Daily Prayer in your favorite podcast app, you'll 79 00:05:39,180 --> 00:05:42,290 Speaker 1: get a brand new prayer and devotional each day, so 80 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:45,990 Speaker 1: your days begin in conversation with God. 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