WINNING WITH THE WORD
“Winning with the Word” is a weekly blog that will help you to be a winner in life by applying God’s principles for living the abundant life as found in the Bible, God’s manual for life.
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Have you ever wondered why some people are more successful in life than others? Is it a question of so-called “luck”? Or is there something more to this thing called success?
The answer, as always, is found in the Bible. In this best-selling book of all time, God has clearly outlined the principles of success. The problem is that, sad-to-say, most people don’t read the Bible.
Or they read it after the fact. After the problem has arisen and nearly devastated their lives.
Yet, the Bible contains the answer to every single situation you will ever face in life. In fact, the Bible is God’s Manual for Life. It is the book He gave us to navigate our time on this earth successfully. Isn’t it a tragedy that most of the world neglects it?
The Bible is all about winning. Not only winning in this life, but, far more importantly, about winning in the life after this one. The life that will last forever.
In the Bible, God has set in place certain principles, or laws, that govern success. If we live according to these principles, we will experience a wonderful, blessed life. But if we don’t, we won’t. It’s as simple as that.
So, what are these principles of success? And how can we apply them to our lives?
One of the fundamental principles is found in Proverbs 23: 7: This verse reads as follows: “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”
Let’s unpack this verse to discover what it means and how it can affect the entire course of our lives.
First of all, this verse clearly connects the way we think in our hearts with the way we are: “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” Note the phrase in his heart. The verse does not simply say as a man thinks, but as he thinks in his heart.
Well, what is meant by the heart?
The word heart as used here does not refer to the physical heart, the organ that pumps blood throughout our bodies. No, the word heart as used in this verse implies that intangible entity within us that we all recognize but cannot adequately define.
Yet, the Bible gives us a picture of what this intangible entity called the heart really is.
The heart is that part of us that connects our soul with our spirit. We are made in the image of God, and we have a spirit, a soul, and a body. Each of these three parts is also made up of three parts. The spirit is made up of the conscience, the intuition, and the imagination. The soul is comprised of the mind, the will, and the emotions. The body is made up of bone, fluid, and soft tissue.
The heart is the bridge between the spirit and the soul. In other words, the heart is connected simultaneously to the spirit and to the soul. On the one hand, the heart is connected to the conscience part of the spirit. On the other hand, the heart is connected to the emotions, the will, and the mind parts of the soul.
The Bible makes many references to the heart. Each of these references gives us a partial definition of the heart.
For example, in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 9, verse 4, we read this: “And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, ‘Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?’”
The act of thinking occurs in the mind. But in this verse, Jesus connected thinking with the heart as well. “Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?” (Underlining mine). So, from Jesus’ comment, we see, then, that the heart is also involved in our thinking process. In other words, the heart is connected to the mind.
In the Book of Acts, chapter 11, verse 23, we learn that the heart is also connected to the will: “Who, when he arrived and saw the grace of God, rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain with the Lord with purpose of heart.” To purpose means to decide. To decide is a function of the will. When we purpose to do something, we are willing to do something. So this verse shows that the heart is also connected to the will.
In the Gospel of John, chapter 16, verse 22, we read this: “Therefore you also now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you.” Rejoicing is a function of the emotions, so this verse reveals that the heart is also connected to the emotions.
Finally, two verses make clear that the heart is connected to the conscience, which is part of the spirit:
Hebrews, chapter 10, verse 22 says this: “Let us come forward to the Holy of Holies with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
1 John, chapter 3, verse 20, says this: – “For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.”
Condemnation is a function of the conscience. When we do wrong, our conscience condemns or convicts us. In saying that our heart condemns us, this verse makes it clear that our heart is connected to our conscience which is part of the spirit.
In light of all of the above, we see, then, that our heart is that part of us that is connected simultaneously to our mind, our will, our emotions, and our conscience. Our heart thinks; our heart decides; our heart feels; and our heart determines right from wrong.
Our heart is also the door to our entire being. Our heart is the portal whereby we allow God and people into our lives or we shut them out.
So, what does all of this have to do with our original verse: “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he?” On a very basic level, this verse means that what we allow into our hearts through our thoughts, our emotions, our will, or our conscience will affect the course of our lives. Indeed, there is another Scripture verse in the Book of Proverbs, chapter 4, verse 23, that warns us to guard our hearts with all diligence, for out of it come the issues of life. The Good News version translates this verse like this: “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.”
Bottomline, then, whether or not we win at life depends on how we think. If we think according to God’s way of thinking, as found in the Bible, then we will be successful. We will be thinking like a winner and we will win. But if we think contrary to God’s way of thinking as found in the Bible–in other words, if we think the way the world thinks–we will be thinking like a loser and we will lose.
God is the Supreme Winner. If we want to think like a winner and live like a winner, we must learn and put into practice the principles of winning that God has written down for us in His Holy Word.
In my next post and podcast, I will be talking about how we can control our thinking. There are certain measures we can take to make sure that our thoughts will always lead us to success. So, you won’t want to miss my next post and podcast.
But before I close, I want to tell you that the starting point of winning in life is to know Jesus Christ.
If you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, pray this simple prayer with me now:
Lord Jesus, I want to know You. I receive You now as my Savior and Lord. Forgive me of my sin. Cleanse me of all unrighteousness. Give me Your grace to follow you all the days of my life. Thank You for satisfying my need for You. I ask and receive in Your precious Name. Amen.
If you prayed this prayer sincerely, please write to me at drm@maryanndiorio.com. I would like to send you a free e-booklet that will help you get started in your walk with Christ. I also encourage you to get yourself a Bible and read it every single day. The Bible is God’s love letter to you, His manual for your life. In the Bible, God reveals Who He is, and He instructs you how to live.
Finally, ask the Lord to lead you to the church of His choice for you where you can learn about Him and have fellowship and encouragement with other Christ-Followers.
If you are not yet a subscriber to the Winning with the Word blog and podcast, I urge you to click on the link below to subscribe now so you won’t miss a single weekly episode. For those who are listening, the URL is
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Until next time, remember that God loves you just as you are and just where you are and that He will help you to keep on winning with the Word!
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Photo Source: Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay
Reference: https://blog.biblesforamerica.org/what-is-the-heart-in-the-bible/
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“Winning with the Word” is a weekly blog that helps you to deal with the daily problems of life by using the Bible as your guide to solving them. The Word of God will make you a success in life!
AN INVITATION TO YOU: To subscribe to Winning with the Word, click here.
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Hello and Happy Day! This is Dr. MaryAnn Diorio, Novelist and Life Coach, welcoming you to another episode of Winning with the Word. Today is Monday, June 8, 2020. Today’s Podcast is Episode #23 in Series 2020 and is titled “How to Conquer Anxiety Once and for All.”
