29 - The Rediscovered Treasure (Part 2)

The "Living with Heart" Podcast is brought to you by Chip Dodd Resources (www.chipdodd.com) and The Voice of the Heart Center (vothcenter.com). To consult or setup a session with Bryan, you can e-mail [email protected].   Episode Highlights   The focus of this episode is a recording of a men’s retreat that Chip did in Texas in 1993. The retreat  content was edited and put on CDs. The CDs were included with the first edition copies of The Voice of the Heart published in 2001.     You’ve got to get defeated to become rich in this “God world”.    God says that what He is after is our hearts. Our hearts that He made, that He created, that He  loves.    “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.    They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV)    What is feeding the roots of the tree? Its roots are planted in what feeds it, and it receives emotional and spiritual food.    God feeds our hearts with emotional and spiritual food.     God stamps our hearts with feelings, needs, desire, longings, and hope at birth. This is what God is after. This is what puts us into a relationship with the God of our forefathers.   Through our feelings, needs, desire, longings, and hope we end up growing into a strong person who others can love and trust.     Torment in our lives does not come from exposing the truth about our hearts; torment comes from the energy we take to keep our hearts hidden.    We are as sick as the secrets we keep within us, from the smallest manipulation to the largest  secret.    The difference between an unhealthy family and a healthy family is the willingness to seek forgiveness. Healthy families seek forgiveness.    Truths:  Pain of the heart is the teacher.  Love is the lesson.  Life is the result.  Sharing that is the practice.   God loves us so much that He will go to any length to get us back. There is nothing we can do to earn it. God doesn’t need anything we have.     God does not need us:   He craves us.  He wants us.  He wishes to be with us.    Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Luke 19:39-40 (NIV)    God doesn’t need us; We need Him. The price we pay for needing Him is having to go through the  excruciating and glorious pain of being loved, without being able to do anything to get it.    What we can do is live out our salvation. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He came to bring life  and life abundantly.     Click here to continue reading episode highlights.