Hello again, Angela here! I suspect that you have been ministered to as you have read the weekly encouragements this month by some incredible women of faith and we pray you grow increasingly aware of opportunities for you to share your story of Jesus’ grace with those around you. We are wrapping up 7 months of posts and continue to pray that each week more women hear the love of Jesus through each of these daughters of the King and receive His Word as the powerful encouragement your heart craves.

We have experienced a summer like no other here at our house. We have had the joy of hosting families from both in the United States and abroad. We have laughed until we lost our voices, we have cried both happy and sad tears, we’ve played games, gone on adventures, watched movies and talked life, ministry, the Word of God and worshipped in such sweet unity. We’ve hugged and celebrated incredible answers to prayer and we’ve wept over the partings until the Lord graciously brings us back together again.

My heart overflows with a pleasing theme;

I address my verses to the king;

my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.

Psalm 45:1

Recently my dearest friend got to hear the heartbeat of her baby for the first time. I wept at just the mention of that event. Why? Because the heartbeat is the verification of life! It’s the God placed rhythm of heaven within a body. The heart is the source and core of vitality and our health and well being are directly effected by the strength of it’s beating. Conversely, when the heart grows weak and ultimately stops beating, life on earth ceases and eternity begins. Which leads me to talk about the heart today!

The word “heart, hearts, heart’s, hearted” is mentioned over 950 times in the Bible. That warrants our attention and validates the importance of this topic to God and hopefully to us.

Our good and wise Creator formed us in His image and gave us a heart to live for and love Him forever. Sin shattered our ability to do that and yet from eternity past, Jesus would be our heart donor. He would give us His heart that beat in perfect rhythm with God’s and allow us to experience the healed life and relationship that God purposed for us. Would we ever be able to reject such a lavish gift? Unfortunately millions do and millions more suffer from a terminally broken heart with no knowledge of Jesus’ offer.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart

and with all your soul and with all your might.

Deuteronomy 6:5 

Its impossible to overstate the importance of the heart in any relationship; whether we are talking about person to person or person with God. Everything proceeds from the heart. This is both encouraging and terrifying. InPsalm 45, the writer states that his heart is so full of joy he feels like he will burst. At other times anger, rage, jealousy and pride spring up and spill out of our mouths wounding others and causing chaos. “For out of the heart the mouth speaks.” Matthew 12:34

As I get older, I realize that I must take care of my heart by eating healthy foods, exercising and monitoring my blood pressure, blood sugar and other statistics that measure overall well-being. Clearly I am not the only one who senses this need. Gyms are full, diets are all over social media or magazine covers, and more and more restaurants are creating healthy choices on their menus. Everyone realizes that we must take care of our hearts, right?

 

Keep your heart with all vigilance,

for from it flow the springs of life.

Proverbs 4:23

And yet, sadly we spend far less time and attention to our spiritual hearts. So many are in spiritual cardiac arrest and are deeply in need of CPR and yet, they stumble on through life with a weak spiritual pulse and think it’s okay. Oh dear friends, this is an issue we cannot ignore any longer. There will come a day for every person on this globe when their physical heart will cease to beat and if there is no spiritual pulse that beats for God, that person will spend eternity away from the presence of God.

Today, as I type this out my heart is beating so quickly and I want to plead with you to sit down and take your spiritual pulse. Do not wait or put this off until later or think it’s insignificant or less important than whatever you “have to do”.

As it is said,

“Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

Hebrews 3:15

 

Now, once you have a spiritual pulse and discover it’s weak, you may wonder how you can promote spiritual heart health? Great question! I would say many are asking this same thing! Here are a few ways to exercise your spiritual heart muscle and experience a growing, healthy and vibrant heart relationship with Jesus and others.

1~Read the Bible…daily. Yes, I mean every single day!

 

But the word is very near you.

It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.

Deuteronomy 30:14

 

I have stored up your word in my heart,

that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:11

 

2~Spend time in prayer…daily. Both talking and listening!

 

Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Matthew 6:9-13

 

3~Spend time with other Christ lovers! (At least weekly)

 

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Hebrews 10:24-25

 

These are just the top three ways to promote a spiritually healthy heart. There are many more and we will be continually encouraging you to keep a close watch on the pulse of your relationship with the all loving, supremely good Lord of the universe!  May we all join the myriad of Jesus lovers at the end of our days proclaiming…

I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,

and I will glorify your name forever.

Psalm 86:12