Heart Health

Jer 17: 5 Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. 6 He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. 7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. 8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” 9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 10 “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Introduction:

• Our heart.
• Keeping our hearts turned towards the Lord.
• Though our heart is prone to want to trust in itself and in the arm of man.
• A breastplate of righteousness and a helmet of salvation.
• Protecting our two greatest physical assets.

1. God gives us a New Heart.

Ezekiel 11:19 (NKJV) Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh,

1.1. The heart.
1.1.1. The innermost part of a man, the soul,
1.1.2. The heart as the seat of thought, feeling, choice
1.1.3. the womb, the place where the new life is conceived and grow until it is birthed, new God desires are birthed and grow and nourished…
1.2. From our heart flows life.

John 7:38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

1.2.1. Keep your heart.
1.2.2. For out of the Heart
1.2.3. Keeping Jesus enthroned upon our heart.

2. King David’s fame was derived from him being a man after God’s heart.

Acts 13:22 (ESV) And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’

2.1. David’s heart pursuing God’s heart.
2.1.1. The desire of our heart pursuing God’s heart.
2.1.2. Pursuing God’s heart then produces a life doing His will.

2.2. How we respond when our heart health is attacked – heart health attack – spiritual heart attack.

2.2.1. Not referring to when blood flow to the heart is blocked, preventing oxygen and potentially causing damage if not treated quickly…

2.2.2. But similarly when conviction of the Holy Spirit is blocked by continual compromise

2.2.3. Or God’s voice is ignored preventing our obedience to God in doing the right thing

2.2.4. This also needs to be quickly treated to not cause permanent damage.

2.2.5. The heart creeper is always creeping that we would slip down a slippery path

2.3. This happened to King David with Bathsheba …
2.3.1. Not where he was suppose to be…
2.3.2. Looking at what he was not suppose to be looking at…
2.3.3. Acting on the temptations that creeped into his heart…
2.3.4. But how we respond once the Lord is faithful to reveal to us…

Psalm 51: 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

3.1. A Psalm of repentance.
3.1.1. A healthy heart is a repentant heart or at the ready to repent if and when revealed that it is necessary.
3.1.2. To get one’s heart health back in a right space.

3.2. Take not your Holy Spirit from me.
3.2.1. David was very familiar with the Presence of the Lord from an early age.
3.2.2. The Holy Spirit was poured out in his life and remained.

3.3. He was terrified that he was going to loose that intimacy with God.

4. Grasping God with our whole heart.

4.1. Augustine “Hear my prayer, oh Lord, let not my soul, faint under your discipline, nor let me faint and confessing unto you your mercies, whereby you have saved me from all my most wicked ways till you should become sweet to me beyond all the allurements that I used to follow. Let me come to love you holy, and grasp your hand with my whole heart that you may deliver me from every temptation, even until the last.” Augustine confessions (Book 1 chapter 15?).

4.2. Forgive me, my sin of delighting in those vanities.

Psalms 27:8 (ESV) You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.”

4.3. The heart of a man who can know.

Proverbs 20:5 The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.

4.4. The understanding first comes the knowing the waters one is in.

5. Keepers of our heart.

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Proverbs 4:23 (ESV) Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

5.1. To keep a heart from turning …
5.2. Like reining in a wild stallion at times…
5.3. Oh that the Lord and only the Lord can reel it back in 5.4. Guard our hearts through tragedy…

6. Set a Guard (of peace) Around Your Heart.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

6.1.You must know this one thing: The devil will try to kick you in the shins and get you down! I guarantee it!

6.2. Just try to believe God for anything and see if the devil just sits back and watches without giving you a run for your money!

6.3. Ela… He doesn’t want you to be healed, or move into any of God’s promises, but at the same time we do not give him more credit than due.

6.4. What will protect your mind and emotions from that kind of onslaught?

6.5. The peace of God. Paul explains in Philippians 4:7: “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

6.6. The word “keep” comes from the word tereo, and it means to keep, to guard, to protect, or to garrison. It is the picture of a band of Roman soldiers who are standing watch over something that needs protection.

6.7. By using this word, Paul tells us that the peace of God will keep and guard your heart and mind! God’s peace will surround your heart and mind just as a band of Roman soldiers surrounded important dignitaries and places of special importance. These soldiers kept dangerous nuisances from breaking into these special, private places.

6.8. In the same way, peace keeps fretfulness, anxiety, worry, and all the other wiles of the devil from breaking into your life. When this peace is active in your life, it surpasses all natural understanding. It protects, guards, keeps, and defends you.

Closing:

7. Pray that you do not loose heart.

Luke 18:1-8 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

7.1. This supernatural peace pulls the plug on the devil’s effectiveness.

7.2. If he can’t disturb your peace, then he can’t disturb you!

7.3. He may try, but that peace paralyzes his efforts. He has no power to successfully attack you in such cases because you are immersed in the peace of God.

7.4.As Isaiah 26:3 says, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace [i.e., ‘garrison him like a soldier; protect, guard, and defend him’] whose mind is stayed on thee.”