Guard Your Hearts

Confession. I was a fan of Steve Irwin as the “Crocodile Hunter” for years. Actually, I think it was his adorable daughter, Bindi, with her tender heart, optimism and spunk that drew me in the most. Of course, I was cheering for her when she was on “Dancing with the Stars” and went on to win that season. In March, this year, Bindi married Chandler Powell.

Since I’ve caught you up with Bindi, I’ll get to the point of my blog. Her dad, though facing dangers daily with fierce animals, always made a point to be alert and guard his body from any surprise attacks by the animals he encountered. But, he didn’t guard his heart -- the one area that was most vulnerable. At just 44, Steve’s heart was pierced by the poisonous spine of a stingray. It was a tragic accident and loss for the world. The good news is his family carries on his work in Australia.

That story reminded me how important it is to guard our spiritual hearts. Proverbs 4:23 says: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” My blog, yesterday, referenced John 14:27 “Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." That sounds like a command that helps us guard our hearts. Guarding our hearts is essential because it impacts everything we do. Our spiritual heart is the core of our mind, our will and our emotions.

We’ve heard it said: "They have cold hearts!" That means their heart has been hardened to tenderness, compassion and even causes their eyes to close to those things that hamper our relationship with God. And, I know those who have such sensitive and tender hearts that even when they see a frightened kitten they can't help but be merciful to it. They are the ones who volunteer or support a charity because their warm-heart is drawn to removing suffering in our world.

That’s why guarding our heart is so important. A heart that is guarded walks away from negativity. They leave because they don’t want that "noise" in their heart. A guarded heart isn't egotistical, boastful, or hateful. Remember when God said to Samuel about the big brothers of David who were tall, strong, handsome (and probably debonair with the ladies – okay, that’s Donna’s interpretation)? “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 God had already chosen David, the little shepherd boy who had a heart for God, for his sheep, and his music.

I was drawn to talk about our hearts today because, quite frankly, our hearts have been challenged during these months of so much change to our lives. Maybe your heart has become cold. Maybe some negative relationships and situations have fostered coldness in your heart. The unkind talk you've been around and listened to has affected your talk and walk. Maybe you are watching television shows and movies that are causing your heart to be compromised. It has become callous to killing, stealing, adultery, profane language. You just haven’t thought about the impact on your heart that the enemy is intent on hardening. Maybe for some, it’s social media and browsing the internet that has desensitized your heart.

I’m confessing to you that I am examining my own heart that easily gets drawn into matters that affect my heart condition -– that causes my heart to be less tender, less compassionate, less feeling. I pray that this blog is like a probe on our hearts that reveals what is causing the insensitivity, the hard-heartedness and the callousness. I pray our hearts are cleansed and we guard them with 10 feet tall angels stationed around them. That we not allow our spiritual arteries to get clogged up so much that we have a spiritual heart attack and our spiritual life implodes. "Above all else – guard your heart. Because everything flows from it."

Is it a Heart Condition or a Condition of the Heart?

Sitting quietly, I noticed I could hear my heart beating. Thump, thump, thump – perfect rhythm, but loud and clear. I told my eye doctor and my family practitioner about it and both advised me to see a cardiologist – just to be sure there wasn’t something out of order. Now, mind you – I’m not prone to doctor visits, but I heeded their advice. Thankfully the two tests – a carotid doppler and an echo showed no concerns except a little plaque build-up. She advised me to eat less red meat, avoid saturated fats and get plenty of exercise. I’m taking her advice! And, as for hearing my heart beat ❤️❤️❤️ I’m taking it as a way to have better rhythm with this built-in metronome inside me. 😉

More serious to me than a physical heart condition, is the condition of my spirit aka my heart. You know, the heart that is pure and merry (like a good medicine) or we let down our guard and negative thoughts and attitudes show up that can cause a build-up of wrong thinking in our heart. No matter if everything is A-okay on my pumping heart, if the heart of my inner man is harboring grudges, fears, anxieties and concerns – then I have a condition of my heart that REALLY needs to be tended to.

It starts with a regular check-up. The cardiologist advised that I should come back in two years for a heart check-up to be sure all is well. As Christians, we need regular "heart" check-ups too. We can go through all the motions of being a devoted follower of Christ, but if our attitude-indicator (our heart) reveals "heart issues", then we’d best be doing something about it.

King Solomon in Proverbs 4:23 said it best: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it determines the course of your life.” Notice that it says, we need to guard our heart. Sounds like a full-time job because the wily enemy sneaks in when we least expect it with his evil tactics. But, never fear -- because the GREATER ONE partners with us with a shield of peace. And, peace is sure what we need to set us on the right course for our lives.

Philippians 4:7 says "And the PEACE of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." That is why we need regular check-ups. It may look like a friend, spouse, or children are giving us a hard time and the angst is building up on the inside of our heart – but in reality, it’s the tactics of the enemy who steals the peace in our hearts. But, when we apply the PEACE shield, our hearts are protected. Aw! Sweet peace that is like a the medical procedure that opens up blockages for better blood flow to the heart.

God always provide us with ways of succeeding in this life. His peace is a guard for us. "No peace. No God. Know God. Know peace." No question -- it can be a work out because we don't know when and what will come up to steal our peace. That's why partnering with the Holy Spirit will keep our heart right as we pray prayers like this: “Create in me a clean heart, oh Lord, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10.

Oh the rewards for having a pure heart! Matthew 5:8 says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” What is the condition of your heart? Maybe it's time for a Holy Spirit check-up! God knows our hearts, and most importantly, He has our hearts that are surrendered, pliable, and tender toward Him -- He Who gave His heart for us.

Ready for a Heart Transplant?

Because we were out-of-touch with the world last week while on our fishing trip, I missed two heart-breaking family notifications -- the passing of a dear cousin as well as the passing of the 18-year-old granddaughter of an aunt and uncle.

As I thought about our cousin, who lived a most beautiful long life of service to God and others, but suffered for many years from strokes, I rejoiced that he is where we all desire to be and know that our separation is just temporary. Heaven is where we’ll meet up with him again – sooner than later.

And, for our uncle, aunt and their children whose young 18-year-old daughter passed away, I could only think of heartbreak for a life lived for such a short period of time. I thought about heartbreak, heartache, broken heart and every other type of “heart” condition that needs mending, healing, restoring and I realized a heart transplant is what is needed. Psalm 34:18 says “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” I know that comfort so well because God gave me a heart transplant when my heart was broken. We’ve all had our heart broken in some way and I would say to anyone that God cares about you and whatever your heart “issues” are. In fact, it is in our pain that God is closest to us. He gives us a heart transplant when we seek Him with our heart “issues”. It’s His specialty.

For the heart that hurts from the passing of a loved one, He gives us a heart of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3). For a cold, stone heart, He gives us a soft, tender heart of flesh. For a heart that's guilty, He gives us a heart that’s forgiven. For the heart that’s troubled, He gives us a heart of peace. For the heart that’s anxious, He gives us a heart that’s confident. For the heart that’s lonely, He gives us a heart full of love. The heart that’s bitter and angry? He gives us a heart that’s forgiving and loving and generous instead.

So, today, if your spiritual heart is barely beating, I pray you to consider a heart transplant. I mean, go to God’s operating room where He heals the broken-hearted, sets the captive free, restores the years the locusts stole, breathes life back into your lungs, creates beauty where there were only ashes. I, too, knew pain, worry, heartbreak, concern, fear, and sadness. But, because I also knew the power of trusting in God and His great ability to heal and restore me, I reckoned with the lies of the enemy, and I opened my heart to the truth of God’s promises to me. I had a heart transplant.

There are voices in our lives that lie to us and they tell us we’ll never be healed, we’ll never get over the loss, we’ll never forget the past, we’ll never be restored, we’ll never love again. But we must come into agreement with God who makes us new again, restored and healed. We just need a heart transplant and be willing to live again because God makes all things NEW when He gives us a NEW heart and spirit. (Ezekiel 36:26)