Heart Trouble

“And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.”  2 Thessalonians 3:5

Directions are an important part of our lives, looking at some synonyms of this word express this fact.  Words like, instruction, information, guidelines and commands.  Our lives would be in disarray without direction, especially the direction of the Lord.

The Apostle writes that our hearts be directed.  It is from the heart our true desires come from, the things that guide our lives those things that are most important to us.  There is nothing better than to have a healthy heart one that has good rhythm and is strong.  At the same time a weak heart is not desirable and can cause a lot of difficulties in our lives. 

What we eat can have a great effect on the healthiness of our physical heart and so it is with the spiritual heart.  What we take in will have a great effect on us.  What we read, look at or listen to will make a big difference in how healthy our spiritual hearts are.  We can’t expect to have a healthy spiritual heart if we continually feed ourselves with the bad cholesterol of life.  

Maintaining a healthy heart takes discipline, it is our choice.  We have the ability to make good or bad decisions and believe me these choices are not always easy to make.  Whether it be the physical heart craving for something you know would not be good for you or the spiritual heart with the desires of the flesh trying to convince you to go ahead and indulge in something you know is not good for you.  The fact will always remain if we don’t have the self discipline to overcome these desires we will not be successful.  It is up to us! 

Exercise is also an important factor in maintaining a healthy heart.  Without it we become weak.  Oh no, here comes that word “discipline” again.  I know, I don’t like it any more than you do but that won’t change it.  Isn’t it strange when you think about exercising it is hard   to get started and once you get into it and keep it up it is actually enjoyable?  I would be a liar if I told you it is easy for me to pray and read my Bible.  Often times I have to force myself to do it.  Like physical exercise once I get started the enjoyment comes.  Getting into a habit of exercise may start slow but once you get into the rhythm of it, it becomes an enjoyable and healthy part of our lives. 

I hope that I haven’t left you thinking you can maintain the spiritual heart on your own.  We can do all the right things but without the Lord’s direction our hearts will never be completely healthy.  It is supernatural and God alone can give us a healthy heart.    

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”   Ezekiel 36:26