You May Need Heart Surgery?

I think we all know that the human heart is one of the most important organs in the entire human body. I read online that our hearts are a pump, composed of muscle which pumps blood throughout the body, beating approximately 72 times per minute of our lives. The heart pumps the blood, which carries all the vital materials which help our bodies function and removes the waste products that we do not need. If the heart ever ceases to pump blood the body begins to shut down and after a very short period of time will die.

We can take care of our hearts by maintaining a healthy body weight, having good eating habits, not smoking, exercise, and changing lifestyles that are overly stressful or unhealthy. If you are already experiencing chest pain or chest discomfort, palpitations, light headedness or dizziness, loss of consciousness, fatigue, lethargy, or shortness of breath you should really go get your heart checked out. These are warnings signs that your heart is in trouble.

Just like our body needs to have a healthy heart to function properly we need to have a healthy spiritual heart as well to live our Christian lives. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”(NIV) The New Kings James says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”

Here we are being warned to guard our hearts because it is where the real issues of our life are. The meaning of heart here is our motives, feelings, affections, and desires, but also our will, the aims, the principles, the thoughts, and the intellect of man. In fact, it embraces the whole inner man. This is the center of who we are. We are to diligently protect our hearts because if we allow them to be contaminated then we will begin to see the manifestations of a spiritual heart condition.

We should give ourselves spiritual checkups often, especially when we begin to detect some of the symptoms of a potential heart condition. The Holy Spirit will gladly help us to self-diagnosis our condition. Like many doctors examine the tongue to help diagnosis their patient’s condition, the Holy Spirit will help us evaluate our tongue and mouth. The reason why is because like Jesus said “Whatever is in your heart determines what you say”. (Matthew 12:34)

The symptoms of an unclean heart can be heard in the words that we speak and in the fruit that we are producing in our lives. If we are speaking or producing evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly then we must accept that the issue is deeper then what we are manifesting. The issue is in our heart. All these evils come from inside and make us unclean. We need healing. Thank God we have Jesus who is our Healer. (Mark 7:20-23)

I truly believe that the first part to healing our spiritual heart condition is acknowledging that there is a problem. If we refuse to admit that the issue is deeper than just what’s coming out of our mouth than we will most surely not be able to see change. Our hearts with remain full of the excess fleshly junk and will clog our spiritual arteries. There will only be destruction ahead for those who remain in denial.

Second I believe that we must know and believe with all of our heart that Jesus is more powerful than any problem in our lives. He can deliver and heal us from anything.

Now it is time to go boldly to the throne room of God to receive mercy and grace. We must pray, repent and ask God’s forgiveness for our words and actions.

We should ask the Holy Spirit to give us God’s MRI, a full body scan. Ask Him to reveal anything any where in us that is not pleasing to Him and that is defiling us. Whatever it is bitterness, anger, abandonment, betrayal, unforgiveness, pride, or jealousy the Lord is willing to have the Holy Spirit perform surgery on us. The Holy Spirit will circumcise our heart and cut away all the unnecessary junk that only serves to block the Holy Spirit from flowing through our hearts. (Romans 2:29)

After having a major surgery it is important to be sure to take better care of ourselves. We can be sure to maintain a good spiritual health by submitting our entire bodies and our lives as a living and holy sacrifice to our Lord. Hold nothing back. Then we will be sure to have a strong and healthy heart ready to be used of God to bring glory to His son’s name. (Romans 12:1)

Lord, please shine the Light of your Word on our hearts and reveal in us anything that would keep us from serving you with pure hearts. Let us not be in denial but help us to be willing to receive your diagnosis. We want to be healed. We receive your Word and submit our entire bodies, our will, emotions, thoughts, and heart to you. Thank you Lord for creating in us a clean heart! In Jesus name..Amen!

Let It Roll Off Your Back

" An angry person starts fights; a hot-tempered person commits all types of sins.” Proverbs 29:22

I used to be full of anger, easily offended, and constantly fighting. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the renewing of my mind with the Word of God over the years, I have conquered anger issues that used to control my moods and emotions. However, I find myself still getting bent out of shape over situations that I just can’t change or people who don’t change. Although I do not react the way I used to, I hate that I still get so angry.

Let me clarify, I don’t want you to get the wrong impression. I am not a time bomb waiting to go off. For the most part I am a pretty chill and easy going person. I’m the first to make excuses for others offenses, trying to see the best in them, and trying to see their point of view. I am also very long suffering and patient. I really don’t care if I am talked about or persecuted because I know that my Lord was too, so I don’t take it personal.

However, recently the enemy has attacked me where it hurts the most, with my family. I see my children facing situations that they don’t deserve. I see my loved ones being tempted and persecuted. My first reaction is anger. Then there is an internal battle between my old nature and my new nature. They war within me each wanting to resolve the situation in their own way. I wish I could say that all the time the new nature wins, but that would be a lie. Sometimes I quickly retort with words of anger, without even thinking.

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.” James 1:19-20

I have learned by experience that if I am lead by the emotion of anger I will only make matters worse. Instead of acting out foolishly I have learned and am still learning to give the situation to the Lord and I trust Him to have His way.

Through tears I pray for God’s mercy and grace. Then I sit back and I pray for those that hurt me or those I love. My prayer is always for God to have mercy on them, to help them, and draw them to Jesus. He gives me the power and the willingness to want to forgive them. Then I am full of peace as I trust Him to work it out for our good and for His glory. It is always so amazing to me that He turns my anger into sorrow and compassion for our offender. I KNOW that is a God thing for sure.

Anger is a natural emotion. We will get angry sometimes, but what matters is that when we are angry that we do not sin and that we do not go to bed with that anger still lurking inside of us.

“Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” Ephesians 4:26-27

Recently my pastor taught on anger. The two things that still stand out in my mind that he said are, “Don’t be angry about the things you can’t change. You’re angry for no reason. And don’t get angry about the things you CAN change.”

When I heard him say this I chuckled to myself because is just makes so much sense to me. It’s so simple and yet so profound. It was an on time Word that I needed to hear. I am determined to apply these words of wisdom to my own life and would encourage you to do the same. We will avoid so much unnecessary drama if we do not react in anger but instead we learn to let things roll right off our backs.

Harboring anger will only lead to malice, wrath, bitterness, clamor, slander, resentment, and unforgivness. It will have a huge snowball affect in our lives and will hinder our relationship with God and others. If we sit and really think about it, it’s silly and pointless to get angry about things that we can’t change because what’s done is done. You can’t change it and getting angry isn’t going to help the situation. Getting angry will usually make the situation worse. We may say things that we don’t mean or we may do something that can’t be undone. Dealing with our problems in anger most certainly will have regrettable repercussions.


However, in some situations we have the power to change the problem. Rather than getting angry and adding to the problem we can make a difference and seek change. Instead of anger being our guiding emotion let us be inspired by the Holy Spirit and full of determination to transform our problems.

Anger is pointless. Let it roll of your back and don’t allow anything to steal your joy and peace.

Complaining Attitude

When things don’t go our way we may have the tendency to complain or grumble. However, nothing good comes from a complaining and grumbling attitude. When we complain about our circumstances we are tearing ourselves down and anyone else that has to hear it. It takes more energy to grumble and complain than it does to just build your faith and trust in the Lord. Sometimes we are so busy talking negative about our situations that we never speak God’s Word over it. Then we wonder why our situations get worse. Go figure..

When we complain we are speaking idle and useless words. As believers we are called to set an example. People don’t need to hear us complaining and grumbling.

Philippians 2:14-15 Do all things without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining [against God] and questioning and doubting [among yourselves], That you may show yourselves to be blameless and guiltless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish (faultless, unrebukable) in the midst of a crooked and wicked generation [spiritually perverted and perverse], among whom you are seen as bright lights (stars or beacons shining out clearly) in the [dark] world,

We are to bless the Lord at all times. His praise should continually be on our lips. When we feel tempted to complain about out situations we need to think about the wonderful provisions that God has made in our lives. We need to think on all the good things that He has done for us. Why do we complain about having to do the laundry, clean the house, having to go to work, and pay the bills? We should thank God we have clothes wear and wash, a home to clean and care for, and a job to pay the bills that we created!

Our Lord delivered the children of Israel from their oppressors in Egypt, parted the Red Sea right before their eyes, provided food and water miraculously, led them by a pillar of cloud in the day and pillar of fire at night; and still these people complained and grumbled against the Lord. The Lord heard all of their complaining and was angry. As a result of their complaining they were forbidden to enter the Promised Land. Forty years the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness until that ungrateful and complaining generation died. If they would have just kept their mouths closed and trusted God they could have made that journey in 11 days. (Deuteronomy 1:2, Numbers 14:20-38)

If we choose to have a complaining and grumbling attitude we too will not be able to enter into the fullness of what God has for us. We don’t want to anger and offend The Source of Our Hope. We need to thank God at all times no matter what happens.

Lord, you are an Awesome God. We are sorry if we have had a complaining attitude. You are our Source and Hope. We leave all of our situations in your hands because you care for us. Today we choose to praise you because we love and trust you, but most of all because you are worthy of all our praise. Thank you for your Word which brings us freedom. In Jesus name..Amen


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What We Say Reveals What Is In Our Heart

I tell my kids, “If you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all!” Proverbs 18:21 says, “Our words have power to give life or destroy life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences”. We must learn to think before we speak. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us control our tongue because He is the only one who can help us tame it. (James 3:2,5)

The scriptures below confirm that it is best to listen more and speak little.

Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything. (Proverbs 13:3)

Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels; they are asking for a beating. The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips. (Proverbs 18:6-7)

A wise man holds his tongue. Only a fool blurts out everything he knows; that only leads to sorrow and trouble. (Proverbs 10:14)

Jesus said that what we say and how we talk to others is an indication of the condition of our hearts. Often times our mindset and our intentions are revealed through our words. Jesus goes on to add that one day we will give an account for every idle word we have spoken.

Matthew 12:34-36 (The Message)"You have minds like a snake pit! How do you suppose what you say is worth anything when you are so foul-minded? It's your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation."

Do our words lift people up or tear them down? Are our words constructive or critical? What are the motives behind them?

Lord please help us to evaluate our attitudes and intentions. Renew us from the inside out so that our words begin to reflect the love God. Help us speak words of edification and teach us when to keep a cover on our mouth. In Jesus name..Amen