Royalty Ministries International, Inc.
(404) 434-3332
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God commands us to love HIM with all our heart, soul, and mind and love our neighbor as ourselves; however, many of us struggle with identity, follow every fashion and fad and play the blame game. This tugs on us to be defined by the world’s standards versus being defined by who God says we are. The enemy’s strategy does not change. The enemy attacks us at our weakest points and in our most vulnerable areas such as the lust of eyes (lust to fill Adam’s stomach), lust of the flesh (enemy tempted Jesus), pride (wants us to worship ourselves), and the sin of presumption (the willingness to sin because God is forgiving and grants grace and mercy). As opposed to getting to the heart of the matter, we find coping mechanisms to include: toys, relationships, degrees, titles, accomplishments, income, etc. which can serve as anesthesia as we attempt to numb internal pain with external measures. The heart deceives us that we are okay when there is truly a 911 heart issue.
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9)
In this powerful book, Heart Attack, Pastor Michael Holmes uses the unction of the Holy Spirit to do heart surgery and walks us through the transformation process into becoming one after God’s own heart by pairing the spiritual and practical application of the Word. We have a pulse (i.e. vital signs), but many of us are still unconscious. When we do things our own way, we are causing our own heartache. Sometimes as humanity, we treat God like a natural doctor and do not go to Him when in crisis. We will self-medicate with sex, alcohol, porn, video games, gym, careers, and even church; having a form of godliness yet denying the power thereof. God loves us just as much as He did David. Plug in knowing that you, too, can be a man after God’s own heart.
Metaphorically speaking, all of our life's relationships are either "vertical" or "horizontal." We have but one true vertical relationship, and that's the one that reaches from us upward to God. Our horizontal relationships, however, are many. They connect us laterally to mankind (spouses, friends, parents, children, co-workers, constituents, other family members, etc.).
Think of the way the cross is structured. The vertical portion (representation of our connection to God) can stand alone. It doesn't need additional support from anything or anybody. In contrast, the horizontal piece (representation of our connections to other members of mankind) needs the support of the vertical piece. Without it, the horizontal portion will fall to the ground.
Such is the case with us. When our marriages are consistently rocky, friendships constantly failing, business connections regularly unstable, parent/child relationships always unraveling; the first thing we should ask ourselves is, is this relationship connected to Christ?
Cross-Fire: Igniting Passionate, Purposeful, and Powerful Relationships is a Spirit-infused daily devotional written by Michael Holmes (certified relationship coach) and Kendra Norman Holmes (8-time national bestselling author. This husband and wife team are ordained ministers and the lead pastors of Deliverance Revival Church. Through the divine leading of the Holy Spirit, they have come together to bring the world this "relationship bible" whose mission is to change the way the world views connections of the heart, and to show readers how to set all of their relationships aflame by basing them upon the Word of God.
