Some months ago, after having a routine blood test, my doctor contacted me with concerns about my cholesterol levels. We had an important conversation about lifestyle and he recommended some dietary and exercise changes in order to protect my heart.
My follow up test is coming up soon and we’ll be able to see if the changes I have made improve my results.
All of us listening today know the importance of heart health. As we get older, we need to have our heart checked to evaluate our level of heart health. This is vital because the heart affects our entire health.
Doctors and nutritionists are constantly telling us to take good care of our hearts. Eat right and exercise regularly. Whether you follow those instructions or not, you understand what is at stake – without a healthy heart, nothing in your body can really be healthy.
The same is true in our spiritual lives. We need to have a spiritual heart check.
King Solomon writes to us in Proverbs chapter 4 and instructs us to guard our hearts. He was not talking about the organ that resides in our chest; he uses the word “heart” to describe the core of our being.
In Proverbs 4:23 the Bible says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
The condition of your heart determines the direction of your life. This is the consistent teaching of the Scriptures – as our hearts go, so do our actions. In Proverbs 17:19 we read – “As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.”
Jesus said it this way in the New Testament: “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (Luke 6:45)
The condition of your spiritual heart impacts every part of your life (walk with God, faith, emotional life, relationships, ministry, career, education).
Have you ever heard someone say, “Follow your heart?” Perhaps you’ve even given that advice to someone. Typically what people mean is, “follow whatever you desire or whatever your passion may be.”
Jeremiah 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
Knowing that our hearts can deceive us it’s critical that we pay attention to the spiritual condition of our hearts.
Today you can give yourself a heart check up. In your prayer time, these questions can help:
-Am I truly putting God first in my life?
-Am I seeking to honor God on a daily basis?
-Am I regularly pursing a closer relationship with God?
-What am I allowing myself to think about? Do I give in to angry thoughts, greedy thoughts, lustful thoughts, selfish thoughts, or bitter thoughts?
These are tough questions, but they help us evaluate the truth about where we are. This is an important part of guarding your heart.
Today’s Challenge: Pay close attention to your spiritual condition. It impacts every aspect of your life.
