My mother loved baseball. When I was a little girl my dad would take us to Houston, Texas to watch the Astros play just so my mom could enjoy live baseball games—those were the days.
When it comes to the game of baseball, most of us think first of a the batter hitting the ball then, running around the bases. But we ignore the fouls.
According to the Little League Baseball Official Regulations, Playing Rules, and Policies there are two foul territories located outside of the baseball diamond (1) between home plate and 3rd base and (2) between home plate and 1st base.
A foul ball is called when the batter hits the ball and the ball lands in the foul ball territory. For the most part a batter is allowed to continuously foul off pitches and there is no limit to the number they can foul off.
For some reason this baseball analogy reminds me of man’s heart. Now, I realize this isn't a topic we're willing to discuss or even want to admit, but here we go.
Sometimes our heart can be foul—out of bound, not in fair territory or outside of the intended field of play.
The heart is the seat of man’s emotions and the driving force of our personal desires and actions.
Jeremiah 17:10 says this,“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?”
So, how can we be sure that our heart plays fair? Truth is, in and of ourselves, we can’t. We need God’s help.
Psalms 51:10 reminds us of this, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Each of us must recognize the truth about our own heart. We must acknowledge that God has the power to change our desires and cause us to be aligned within His field of play.
When we ask for God’s forgiveness and surrender to His will, He can change our heart from foul to fair. Not that we will always be perfect, but equipt with the capacity to recognize our error and seek God’s help in adjusting our ways so that we live within the bounds He has established.
Don't allow your heart to continue in foul territory. Ask for God's help so that you can play fair.