A Healthy Heart 2016.11.02
When we don't feel well, we suck it up and muddle on. Some take the day off from work. But things get serious, we ask our doctors, "What is wrong & how can I get healthy?" We're not well and we need help. In order for our doctor to accurately treat our us, they need to determine what;s causing the unhealthy symptoms. It might be tests or scans, but the root of the problem must be revealed. And the same applies to our spiritual health as well.
Get To the Root
When we're sick, the symptoms tend to show up before the root is exposed. Our anger, anxiety, troubled marriage, lack of self esteem (you place your struggle here) are all symptoms. And similar to when we're suffering from physical ailments, we want peace and relief. But we need to know where this pain originates from.
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. | ||
Proverbs 4:23 |
If our spirit struggles with such things, we need to be very mindful because it can affect our hearts without us knowing. And God knows that our hearts will determine the path we walk in life. A sick heart will not produce a healthy life (and vice versa). And that's why God tells us to guard our hearts - It's THAT valuable. But why guard it?
Our Hearts Are Under Attack
As bacteria can attack our physical bodies, the Bible is clear that we have enemies.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. | ||
Ephesians 6:12 |
And sometimes, that enemy may be ourselves at times.
The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it? | ||
Jeremiah 17:9 |
We Have A Problem
Just like our physical health, our spiritual health needs constant work. It's something that requires daily & consistent care & exercise. We also need to reflect upon ourselves with an unbiased & analyzing eye.
14Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.
21For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23All these evils come from inside and defile a person. | ||
Mark 7:14-15, 21-23 |
Jesus tells us that our sin originates from our hearts. If we're not careful, we can make the mistake in addressing our thoughts, and not our hearts. We investigate how to address our lust, anger, or greed but forget to examine what's behind these things.
God alone is the greatest cardiologist for the soul. Only He has the ability & power to forgive our sins & heal our hearts. But He wants us to go to Him with, sharing our symptoms, and ask Him to reveal the root of our problems. When we confess our sin, God can then begin to heal.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sinsand purify us from all unrighteousness. | ||
1 John 1:9 |
The healthiest people are the ones who realize how sick they are. And being a "spiritual hypochondriac" is a good thing! They always call upon God, run to his office (the Bible). They explain what they feel because they want to get better.
Let's let God's Light shine upon our sick places so we can get better in His Name.
