The heart is central to Christianity! It is home to Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. It is the place where faith resides and where we are aware of the presence of the Lord. And it is the place from which God’s love flows out to others.
Take care of your heart
The Bible has much to say about our heart and tells us to watch over it:
- Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life (Proverbs 4:23).
- They always go astray in their heart (Hebrews 3:10).
- Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts (Hebrews 4:7).
- They had not gained any insight from the incident from the loaves, but their heart was hardened (Mark 6:52).
- Take care brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God (Hebrews 3:12).
After we’ve walked with the Lord for many years, we may forget to take care of our heart. Because of disappointments, failures, and unforgiveness, our heart may close and become hard like stone once again. So we lose touch with the life of God within us.
“Lord, search my heart”
Because I’ve been speaking about the heart on my radio program, I decided I better look at my own heart and check out its condition. One way I did this was to pay attention to the thoughts than ran through my mind all day and the words coming out of my mouth. I did not like what I saw!
For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart (Matthew 12:34).
I began to pray the ancient prayer of King David:
Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way [way of pain] in me, and lead me in the everlasting way (Psalm 139:23-24).
Soon God began to bring to my mind people I needed to forgive, some of them long dead.
Then at the rodeo last Friday, I watched Mary stop in front of an aging Korean vet and touch his cheek with her loving hand. Why could she be the good Samaritan, doing the works of Jesus that day? And why was I disgruntled when the vet arrived late and blocked my view of the bucking horse?
A few days later I pondered and prayed about these things as I sat drinking my morning coffee. Suddenly my heart opened and I found myself weeping from deep within over my failures to do the things Jesus said.
Later that day, I had the opportunity to hold someone in pain and poured the love of Jesus I’d received into her hurting heart. I came home rejoicing. Thank God He will open our hearts over and over when we see our condition and repent.
Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19).
Characteristics of a godly heart
A godly heart is one that is permeated with love, faith, and courage. It carries godly desires, plans, and living words from God. Free from guilt, anger, and fear, the godly heart is open and flowing with God’s power and compassion — able to be the good Samaritan in today’s world.
I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19).
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Thank you. This is really helpful. Such a good reminder to ask God to search my heart and reveal to me and bring his healing and compassion. I’m reminded of the passage which says “Out of the heart our mouth speaks.”
Thank you for sharing this. The prayer of David is one I believe we all need. I know I go,