“Peace I leave with you; My own peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled. ~ John 14:26-28

A “troubled heart” can be defined many different ways. The most notable is when a loved one has hurt us or perhaps when a loved one has departed from this world. But I want to talk about those hidden troubles that aren’t readily discerned. Those hidden troubles that we don’t want others to know. The lonely hearts, the confused hearts, the burdened hearts, the bitter hearts, the hateful hearts, and yes, the forgotten hearts. Another way of saying this is the downhearted, heartsick or heartbroken. Undoubtedly this affects your quality of life.

Let’s look at this from a design perspective. Let’s say your body is joined together by different rooms in the same way as your home.  The heart room is oftentimes decorated with constant mood swings or negative habitual patterns. We can also say the heart room is the hallway that pretty much links together all the rooms of your body of life because the issues of life flow from the heart. So it’s safe then to conclude that the other rooms of your body of life have a direct effect on how your heart room actually functions.  Just like the purpose behind a functional house renovation and design is to bring more comfort to your life, it is also safe to conclude that the rooms of your body of life can be comforted by a facelift, or renovation.

Constant moods swings or negative habitual patterns don’t have to have a grip on you. What would be your answer if I asked, “What drives and motivates you from day to day?” I can tell you this. The focus of your mind will paint the picture that remains in your heart.  I am not going to tell you that you must change your mindset. You hear that all the time from other coaches. Whew!

Let’s get real here. The only true way to change the décor of your heart room is by renovating the thought room, the vision room, the hearing room and the speaking room. Why? Because all of the issues of life make an entrance through the doors of these rooms first before they can even reach the heart room. Remember, the heart room is only the corridor to life.

I am sharing the following from my own personal experiences.

1. Identify the worn-out spaces.  Have you succumbed to thinking nothing good ever happens to you anyway so what’s the point in trying?  Do you feel that you’ve encountered so many disappointments that you begin to say this is your destiny in life? These thoughts and words are worn-out spaces in your thought and speaking rooms, and simply identifying and recognizing them will begin to chart your freedom.

     a.  Fight for your life in your thought room because your mind-set doesn’t automatically come into agreement with just thinking positively. It takes much effort and the blueprint for charting your course is God’s word. It’s the only power tool that breeds life into the rooms of the body of life.

     b. Begin to practice thinking then speaking only on things that are lovely, noble, honorable and lovely. Even positive thinkers run into difficult situations. But with God’s word as your blueprint, you can let things roll off your back no matter what happens. You will soon begin to think and say only what you desire to manifest in your life! Not always easy, but always doable.

 2. Monitor what you see and hear.  First examine yourself and honestly locate what has become your focus. Prioritize the issues in your life according to the truths in God’s Word. This takes a conscious decision on your part. It took a lifetime to harbor the décor you’ve created in the rooms of your body of life and it will take a conscious decision to correct the damage.

     a.  Don’t listen to the naysayer, doubters, worrywart or complainer. Don’t drown yourself into seeing the negative reports on the local news about the downturned economic conditions.  If you get laid-off, God has a better position for you.

     b.  Ask God to make you sensitive to His plans and purpose for your life. Meditate on the Word, so His promises can take root on the inside of you.

     c.  Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and make the choice to make God your priority. When you seek the things of God, eventually your thoughts and desires will align with His.

     d. Focus on the Father and His Kingdom. When He becomes the center of your life, you will have every good thing He promises you.

3.  Think about what is most important in your life. Don’t allow the things of this world to overshadow the God that designed you for His purpose. He already knows your heart, and when He begins to search your heart room, what will He find there? Will He be welcomed? What will He find sitting on the bed of your heart, which was intended for Him alone? Have you replaced Him with other things such as your personal image, material wealth, selfish ambitions or relationships with people?

     a.   You must forgive. Many thoughts and decisions are related to unforgiveness. One of the most important reasons why you are to forgive is because your unwillingness to forgive others limits your ability to receive forgiveness from God. Unforgiveness makes the heart sick and life dysfunctional.

     b.      The solution to unforgiveness is cultivating a thought décor and a heart style that says, “I set my will to forgive anyone, for anything, at any time” before the offense takes place. It is essentially a heart style that is willing to lay aside pride and bitterness simply because God commands it.

I’ve found that what works for me is saying only what God’s word says about me, my life and anything that concerns my destiny. I believe it will work for you as well as you renovate those trouble spaces in your heart by his blueprint.

 If this post speaks to you, download a complimentary ebook 3 Interior Living Principles and Strategies They Don’t Want You to Know and then please share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and any other social media sites or networks.

 I know that there’s someone out there needing more, so please pass this along. It’s time to help someone else renovate their life and experience the 360 interior living lifestyle!

 Thank You!

 Live by Design,

Copyright 2012, Dr. Deana Murphy. Dr. Deana works with women leaders who want to BOUNCE BACK, FAST-FORWARD their lives courageously, confidently, and conscientiously, leaving a positive footprint in the world.

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