This episode focuses on the crucial theme of taking care of our hearts, as we explore the connection between our inner thoughts and the words we express. I emphasize that what is within us inevitably comes out in our speech, and during this season of Lent, it's an ideal time for introspection and cleaning up our hearts. We discuss how our outbursts often reflect deeper issues within, challenging the common excuse of not meaning what we say. Additionally, I share insights on how our choices in daily life, including the media we consume, shape our perspectives and attitudes. By intentionally focusing on positive influences and God's goodness, we can transform our hearts and, in turn, our words.

Takeaways:

1. In today's episode, we explore the importance of caring for our hearts and words.
2. We discuss how the things we say often reflect what is truly in our hearts.
3. Lent serves as an opportunity for introspection and spiritual housekeeping in our lives.
4. The words we speak can either uplift or hurt those around us, based on our inner state.
5. Surrounding ourselves with positivity influences our thoughts and our actions significantly.
6. Focusing on Jesus and His teachings helps us to reflect His love and grace in our lives.

Links referenced in this episode:

1. www.bible805.com
2. YouTube.com/CPCventura

Hi, welcome to the Hobo Soul podcast of road advice from the Bible and from me, Yvon Prehn, someone who's a little further down the road of life. I'll talk to you every weekday for about five to 10 minutes, with periodic longer talks on serious Saturdays.

Let's get started with our topic today, which is Episode 25, Take care of your heart.

Why did I just say that? Is a question I unfortunately often have to ask myself when I blurt out something I later regret.

In today's episode, we'll look at where those outbursts truly come from and what to do if we want to change them.

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer."

And our challenge from that is that what is in our hearts will come out of our mouths.

During this time of Lent, let's focus on cleaning up the unspoken thoughts in us, and what comes out of our mouth will be much more acceptable to the Lord.

Now, let's talk about this a little bit.

I was thinking about it and realized that one of the biggest lies we tell ourselves and others when we blurt out something that we later regret is, "Oh, I didn't mean that."

That is a lie, because we most likely did mean it.

Now I know for me, I may not be happy about when it came out, but that bad attitude or comment, gossip or inappropriate remark didn't simply appear and make its way into my spoken words like some magical ghost floating up. It bubbled up from the sometimes cesspool I call my heart. Bad stuff comes out of me because there's an abundance of bad stuff inside me.

Lent is a wonderful time to do some housekeeping, to look at what we normally want, to ignore what's inside us and to clean it up.

To help in that housekeeping, I want to share a quote from Pete Greig.

Now, I usually don't quote this long of quotes, but this is from his very helpful book, How to Pray, A simple guide for normal people.

I've been going back to it again and again the last few days, and then I thought, well, I should just share it with you. And here's what he says.

He's quoting a man named Austin Kleon who says "You are a mashup of what you choose to let into your life. If you mostly contemplate your phone, your neural pathways will begin to realign to reflect that reality.

If you fill your mind with pornographic imagery, you'll become more, not less, sexually frustrated and lustful.

Numerous scientific studies have shown that if you surround yourself with people who are kind and speak positively, you will become more encouraging and optimistic. Children naturally and subconsciously pick up the accent and mannerisms of their primary caretaker.

Also, when we meditate regularly on God's goodness and saturate our consciousness in his love, we become like Him. In the words of Paul, we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory.

We are being transformed into into his image with ever increasing glory. The more we gaze on God's face in prayer, as Moses did on the mountain, the more our lives will begin to reflect that very glory. In the valley below."

Isn't that good? When I hear that, it makes me so much want for my words to reflect Jesus.

And as a quote reminds us, the way to do that is to look at him, to focus on Him. When we look at him intently, closely and frequently, we will begin to reflect Him. But let's face it, and get very practical.

Like the warning said too in the quote, there's an abundance of chaos in our world that keeps us from looking at Jesus. It can at worst threaten to overwhelm us and at a minimum, distract us. And it's particularly ever present with our phones.

Though we want to be informed of what's happening, we can't let what's on our phones overtake our minds and thoughts.

That means we need to quit the excessive doom scrolling, constantly checking your phones for the latest outrage, disaster or gibberish of what's labeled news and updates. We know it's going to change in a few hours and we've just got to quit doing that.

Those of us who constantly check our phones, though, can exchange those habits and look at our phones in a totally different way. Because your phone can also be the source of continuous, uplifting, inspiring peace, producing discipleship, growing content.

Now let me share some of what might help. Now, I must of course encourage you to keep listening to the Hobo Soul podcast.

You may not have listened to all the episodes, but I've got 25 episodes produced and waiting for you to enjoy. They're all standalone. You can learn something from each of them. They're available on every source that you use to listen to.

Podcasts, Apple podcasts, Spotify. They're available also on my YouTube channel, YouTube.com/Bible805

And by the way, on the Bible 805 YouTube channel are hundreds of videos that you don't have to look at, you can just listen to them, or you can look at the PowerPoints whatever you would like, and the lessons there range from very short challenges to overviews of all the books in the Bible. I also have a series of videos where I answer what I call the big questions of life. Why are we here? Is there life after death? What about people who haven't heard of Jesus?

And there are also challenging topics like why the Trinity isn't nearly as hard to understand as you might think it is, and how history helps us trust the Bible. Now, these are not heavy duty theology lectures. People tell me I make hard stuff simple and easy to understand.

So please just check them out and see if they're useful to you.

Again, it's on YouTube.com/Bible 805 and if you get tired of listening to me and that'll probably happen pretty quickly, there are many great Bible teachers online that again, you can access through your phone. I do that all the time now and I've recently been learning from some really different people.

I thought, you know, I'm going to break out of my normal little mode and listen to some different folks.

Personally, I'm kind of a traditional uptight Presbyterian, but I've been listening to Charismatic, Anglican, Catholic and other speakers that I have learned so much lately. Also, I know many of you are incredibly blessed as I am with great teaching in your churches. Listen again to the Sunday sermons online. Most churches post them these days.

My church, if you want to listen, happens to be at YouTube.com/CPCventura and both our current and the previous pastor are wonderful, wonderful teachers and preachers and will really inspire you. And of course there's nothing better than simply listening to the words of the Bible read to you.

There are numerous Bible apps and with them we can never be without God's Word to listen to or to look at anytime. I use this a lot when I'm feeling kind of grumpy when I'm standing in line, I find I'm much kinder to the cashier.

When I get there, if I pull out my phone, click on a Bible app and read the verses for the day, then I take a breath and and I pray. And by the time I'm ready to check out, I'm focused on Jesus and hopefully can reflect Him.

Finally, when we take time to focus on Jesus and His Word, we have this wonderful picture of what will happen to us.

As the Apostle John tells us in John 7, "at the last day, the last day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted to the crowds, anyone who's thirsty may come to me. Anyone who believes in me may come and drink for the Scriptures declare rivers of living water will flow from his heart."

Think about that when you fill your heart with Jesus and His words instead of garbage spilling out of your mouth, because that's what's churning inside.

You'll be taking good care of your heart and the living water of Jesus life, His joy and peace will spill out of your heart instead of hurting those who hear you will be a refreshment and a blessing to all around you.

That's all for this podcast, for transcripts, links to related material, and much more to help you learn to know, trust, apply and teach the bible.

Go to www.bible805.com for now, let me end with this benediction and prayer.

May you walk each day surrounded by the gracious love of the Father, guided by the gentle wisdom of the Holy Spirit, and conscious of the astoundingly real presence of Jesus, who will walk with you until you're no more a hobo soul, no more a transient wandering heart, but at home in the kingdom prepared for you with your God forever. Amen.