This month's blog is a little bit different as there are two separate things that the Lord put in my heart to write about.
I. The heart of the matter
A quick search on my Bible app yielded 927 results for “heart” while “mind” had 131 results and “free will” less than 30 results. Isn't it striking that the Bible mentions the heart more times than the mind and free will?
The first mention of heart in the Bible gives us an idea why God gave much emphasis on it. Genesis 6:5 says that God saw that “every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was continually only evil.” Simply put, our thoughts and imagination emanate from our hearts.
The second time heart is used points to God being “grieved in His heart” which shows that even God's heart is not immune to pain. The third and fourth instances used the phrase “said in his heart” and were followed by a decision and assumption, respectively.
Our very essence lies in our heart and Proverbs 4:23 states it precisely:
Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.
In the world, we have been told to use our minds and think things through, use reasoning, analyze, and weigh the pros and cons whenever we make life decisions. What has never been mentioned though is that what we do originate from what is in our hearts.
The Bible clearly states that the wellspring or the perennial source of our life is our heart. We are who we are because of what is in our hearts. The mind only envisions things based on the goodness and wickedness stored in the heart. We act on the imaginations of our hearts.
Take a look at these verses:
Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but a kind word makes it glad (Proverbs 12:25).
in whose heart is perverseness, who devises evil continually, who always sows discord (Proverbs 6:14)
But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies (Matthew 15:18-19).
Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? (Matthew 9:4).“
The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings out that which is evil, for out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks (Luke 6:45).
What truly drives us is what is in our hearts, which begs the question, “What is in your heart?“
The key to most of a person's life issues and life questions that remain unanswered can be found in the heart.
Doctors recommend that we have a health check at least once a year for our physical well-being. Shouldn't we also have a regular heart check for our spiritual, emotional, and mental well-being?
Doing a heart check is as simple as this. Open you heart to God and ask Him to search for things that need to be addressed. Let His love flow in the areas that you've consciously or unconsciously closed. Allow Him to touch those things that have been neglected through the years. Receive His healing where there may be hurt or trauma. Let His light shine where things have remained hidden.
As a final thought on this matter, let the verses below speak to you:
"For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:14-19).”
II. Pray for Ukraine
On February 24, Russian forces began its invasion of Ukraine. In the following days, social media was flooded by many requests for prayer and divine intervention in the war that could decimate Ukraine and spill over to the rest of Europe.
I recently came across a Facebook post from Volodya Ozeruga, a Ukrainian pastor from Obolon (locality within Kyiv, capital of Ukraine):
I want to inspire prayer warriors with the words of acquaintances soldiers and ordinary people from all ends of the war. Soldiers of Ukraine are testifying "We feel your prayerful support. Sometimes something really inexplicable happens, as if someone's invisible hand is actually taking bullets and shells away from us, and they fly past us. We come out as winners from very difficult situations, as if we are accompanied by someone. We become invisible to the enemy, we see ourselves even in complete darkness, and we know what to do and how to do it. This inspires and gives us strength. We believe that the Lord Jesus Himself is for Ukraine. Please continue to stop, support us and pray. We really need you"
Let's continue to pray for Ukraine that the Lord will continually strengthen the Ukrainians. Let more divine interventions happen so that the tide will turn and Russia will pull back from Ukraine. We thank You, God, for what You are doing. Let all the glory, honor, and praise be given to You alone, in Jesus' name we pray, amen.
#heartmatters #heartissues #heartnotmind #outofheart #whatsinyourheart #actfromtheheart #heartled #prayforUkraine #GodlovesUkraine #turnthetideinUkraine
Note: All scripture verses are from the World English Bible unless mentioned otherwise.