#Our Hearts

"Above all else, guard your heart."
Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

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February is American Heart Month. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. The CDC, however, is also quick to point out that most heart disease is both preventable and controllable. The CDC's plan for prevention of heart disease includes the following recommendations:

  • Eat a healthy diet

  • Maintain a healthy weight

  • Limit alcohol

  • Exercise regularly

  • Don't smoke

  • Monitor your blood pressure

  • Get plenty of sleep

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The CDC goes a step further and advises people who desire to begin a journey toward better heart health to:

  • Don't become overwhelmed - take one step at a time.

  • Don't go it alone- the journey is more fun when you have company.

  • Don't get discouraged - Do what you can today.

What's true for our physical hearts is surely true for our spiritual hearts. All heart attacks are potentially life-threatening and can be fatal. What practical steps can we take to assess and monitor our spiritual heart health?

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  • Get a heart healthy check up. Ask God to search you and see if there is anything hurtful within you (Psalm 139:23-24) and have an accountability partner (Proverbs 27:17).

  • Identify "paper cuts to the soul," those small tears that can become big problems and permanently damage both our hearts and our relationships. These areas include pride (Proverbs 21:4), anger (Ephesians 4:31), bitterness (Hebrews 12:15), fear (Isaiah 35:4), worry (Matthew 6:25), and envy (James 3:14,16).

  • Recognize that we can't guard our hearts without guarding our minds. Our mind is the gateway to our heart so we need to evaluate what we watch, what we listen to, and what we read. A clean heart means a clear head.

  • Realize, as author Henry Brandt writes, "the heart of the problem is the problem of the heart." If we have a nasty root, we're guaranteed to produce nasty fruit. 

The CDC's advice for further steps toward healthy hearts is also good advice for spiritual heart health:

  • Don't become overwhelmed- take one step at a time and make sure the first step is confession and repentance.

  • Don't go it alone. The Holy Spirit and God’s Word are essential to cultivating a healthy heart.

  • Don't get discouraged. We're not looking for perfection, but we are looking for progress. Our heart healthy goal should be that when others look at our lives, they see Jesus instead of us!

"We are not determined by our name, circumstances, or relationships, but by our heart and its condition. There is no health apart from our heart." Author Paige Brown 

Wherever you are today, guard your heart!

 

Christian LivingDonna Evansheart, Proverbs