Crooked-hearted people never recognize anything good, and those who distort the truth court disaster. Proverbs 17:20 (VOICE)
Many believers mistake their own limiting beliefs for God’s guidance. Whether it’s a misguided understanding of humility or a foreboding feeling that things won’t work out, they superimpose these beliefs on the future. This causes them to shrink back from opportunities—and they miss out on new seasons of growth, victory and purpose. That’s how powerful your heart is.
Think about it this way. Your eyes don’t technically “see” anything. They simply absorb light, which your brain interprets as images. Eyes are vessels of perception—and so is your heart. How you interpret what you see creates an experience, and your experience becomes your sense of reality.
Proverbs 17:20 says whoever has a “crooked heart” never recognizes anything good. Another word for crooked is deceitful. When your heart beliefs deceive you, your interpretation of the world and of yourself will be inaccurate. It’s your job to guard your heart, because out of it flows the boundaries of life (Proverbs 4:23). In other words, your heart sets the borders that you can’t get past without wrecking your relationships, feeling sick or destroying your mental health. But these boundaries are self-imposed. God did not place these limitations on you!
A “straight heart” believes the truth in God’s Word. It’s a heart that holds an accurate picture of who He created you to be: loved, favoured, victorious and more than a conqueror.
Make sure you get your sense of identity from God. Let Him change your perceptions—and your experiences will begin to follow suit!
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