Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23
The spiritual heart is an extraordinary spiritual organ and the engine of our souls. By spiritual organ, I do not mean something physical or visible as the organ that pumps blood throughout the human body. Rather, a vital member of our spiritual body that allows us to remain sensitized to the presence of God through His Holy Spirit and shapes our desires to please the Lord in every facet of life.
Sin corrupts the spiritual heart and causes us to become callous to the will of God. The right ventricle of our spiritual heart pumps the spiritual oxygen-poor blood to the lungs—which is the wisdom of God through His Holy Spirit—thus allowing us to hide the word of God in our hearts so we do not sin against God. The left atrium receives spiritual oxygen-rich blood from our spiritual lungs—which is the counsel of the Holy Spirit—and pumps it to the rest of our soul so we can remain hidden in God through Christ and bear fruits of righteousness.
When we fall out of fellowship with God our spiritual heart becomes blocked thus causing our carnal nature to overwhelm our spiritual hunger. To prevent our hearts from becoming blocked by the effects of sin, we must practice the spiritual exercises of prayer, daily devotions, and studying God’s holy word. We must also be careful how we feed our souls. The soul needs a specific diet that is holiness-based. Thus, “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—we must think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).
Because all thoughts and decisions are processed in the heart, believers must pray for wisdom and discernment so they can do what is pleasing to God. As we pray for God to order our steps, we must surrender all personal agendas and aspirations to the Lord so He can direct our steps and keep us from getting ensnared in the sinfulness of this world. When we find ourselves drawn to the sinfulness of the world, we must pray fervently and earnestly for God to “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).
When greed, lust, envy, jealousy, or bitterness start to percolate in our lives, it is a heart matter. Our indifference to the oppression, marginalization, and dehumanization of others who do not look like us is a heart matter. Our failure to feed the hungry and help meet the needs of the poor is a heart matter. The disinterest to praise and worship God with other brothers and sisters corporately on Sunday mornings is a heart matter. Our inability to resist the temptation to gossip about others is also a heart matter. When our souls stop longing after God, and our spiritual hunger for our heavenly Father starts to diminish, it is a serious heart matter that requires immediate spiritual attention.
These heart matters are indications that we need God to do a spiritual bypass in our hearts, so we do not experience a spiritual coronary. The believer should pray daily for God to “create in me a new heart oh God and renew the right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). Our spiritual hearts should be synchronized to the rhythm of God’s Holy Spirit so we can remain in a relationship of loving union with our heavenly Father.
Do you find yourself getting angry too easily? Are you struggling with unforgiveness? Is spending time with God in prayer and worship burdensome to you? Are you losing interest in doing kingdom work? Do you think of the poor and needy as lazy people who should pull themselves up by their own bootstraps? Are you harboring racist or sexist tendencies that are hindering your relationship with people who do not look like you? If so, you must pray for God’s immediate assistance to help you with your heart matter. The longer you wait, the more damage will do to your soul until you become an enemy of God.
Questions for Personal Reflection
Which heart matter are you struggling with?
Why is it important for you to get spiritual help from God for your heart matter?
Prayer- Most Holy and Everlasting God, I pray that you will search my heart and if you see anything that is not pleasing to you in it, please remove it. Please send your Holy Spirit to saturate my soul with your sweet presence so my heart can be pure. Help me to guard my heart against the wickedness of this world so I can be a credible witness for Jesus Christ.