Unholy Heart Attack?
"I make it a rule of
Christian duty never to go to a place where there is not room for my Master as
well as myself."
John Newton 1725-1807
UNHOLY HEART ATTACK
Years ago for a conference I was ministering at, I made a gift of a bookmark to
give to everyone that was attending. It was not a really elegant bookmarker, but
it was beautiful to me simply because of the words on it. I had combined two
scriptures: Proverbs 4:23 & Matthew 5:8. It read:
Guard your heart above all things...for only the pure in heart shall see God.
About fourteen years ago, I was sitting next to a friend in church. I had opened
my Bible and my bookmark fell out. It said, “A man's ways seem innocent in his
eyes, but the Lord weighs the motives.” Another great verse in Proverbs.
She laughed at me saying it was such a “Michelle bookmark” but the truth is that
I have always sought out the scriptures in the Bible that are sometimes easier
to skim over. Think about it, when was the last time they had a run on bumper
stickers at the Christian bookstores that said, “If you do not forgive, neither
will you be forgiven” or “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” or
“Judge Not – That Means Me”? We prefer the “I can do all things through Christ
who strengthens me” rather than those that make us search our hearts before God.
All of the word of God is awesome, but we can't pick and choose the easily
digested words and leave out the real meat.
The truth is that if our words reflect our hearts, as the scripture says, then
the best indicator of what our hearts look like is about one inch under our
nose. One night I laughed as I thought to myself, “I just don’t know where this
problem came from” and the answer came to me immediately: The problem is right
under your nose! Literally.
Today we need to attack the problems that are holding us back from attaining a
holiness in God and becoming the person that He has called us to be. I want to
focus on three main areas of spiritual "heart disease". Check your own heart for
symptoms.
1. A Bitter Heart: This is a crucial disease that spreads through the infected
person like cancer. A person who has been hurt and did not recover correctly
eventually ends up here. Injuries can come in a lot of different forms:
rejection, criticism, divorce, death, violence, injustice, and so on. Some are
avoidable and some are not. But regardless of the way that the injury came to
your soul, how you handle it will determine your spiritual health down the road.
Jesus said that unless we forgive, we cannot be forgiven. That means when
someone falsely accuses you of something, you forgive. If your spouse or someone
close to you hurts you, you forgive. If you were the victim of violence, you
forgive. (note: this doesn't mean if you are currently a victim of
violence/abuse that you should remain in that place and simply forgive. If you
or someone else is being abused, please seek help or write me.) However, if
years ago something happened and you are out of the situation but not free from
it, you must forgive the person(s) who caused the injury.
Forgiveness is balm to the soul. It works like novacaine. It begins to take the
sting and pain out of the injury. Eventually, you can recall the problem and not
feel the pain.
Forgiveness is the only door to freedom for any offense in your life. Unless you
run through this door, you will never know true freedom.
Forgiveness is all about you. It has nothing to do with what happened. It
doesn't require that you wait until someone asks for forgiveness. Jesus modeled
this throughout His life. Even at the end he showed everyone watching the
crucifixion what they needed to pray with Him: Father, forgive them, for they
know not what they do." Releasing through forgiveness is the only completely
selfish thing we do as Christians. It is all about us. It is to make us free and
whole again. It keeps all bitterness and resentment and anger far away. Without
it, you are doomed to live so short of the glory of God. If you forgive, even if
no one ever repents, you will be free. Freedom is better than slavery. Anger
binds; forgiveness releases.
2. A Jealous Heart: The Bible says that godliness with contentment is great
gain. But in today's society, thousands see what they don't have rather than
what they do have. You see someone with a better house than yours and want one
like it. What you don't notice are the houses that are in poorer condition than
yours. When you see someone with better clothes or a better car, you want it
also, but do you ever notice the woman who has only one pair of pants and a
t-shirt that works at your neighborhood Wal-Mart? This woman who takes a bus
daily to work cannot imagine how awesome it would be to have what you do have.
Or maybe you see a cuddly couple at a restaurant and wish your marriage was like
theirs, but forget that everyday thousands of couples leave their spouses and
file for divorce. Your spouse may not be the most "cuddly", but at least they
are there.
The remedy to jealousy is cultivating a grateful heart. Start to look around at
what you do have rather than what you feel that you don't have. Begin to thank
God that you have food to eat, enough money to survive on, and even if you don't
have a car, you probably know someone who does. There are countless things to be
thankful for. If we would start seeing all that we do have, we would all be
happier.
"In all things, give thanks..." doesn't mean to thank God for a disease, but
rather to thank God that in any situation you find yourself facing today, you
never face it alone. You have God, friends, family, and others God has placed
around you so that you would never have to face anything alone. In all things,
give thanks means not to focus on the bad, but give thanks for what you do have.
3. An Anxious Heart: This one, like the others, can tear you out of fellowship
with God. "Be anxious for nothing, but make your requests known unto God..."
There is nothing that you are facing today that if you would get alone and find
the face of God you couldn't overcome.
I live in Baton Rouge and there is a serial killer in our midst. No one knows
who he is and fear has literally gripped this community. There is a run on
Pepper Spray and guns. Self defense classes are on the local network every night
showing women how to get free from an attacker. As much as many people are
surrounded by this shroud of fear, I have altered nothing in my life. I am not
afraid. I could walk past this man or encounter this man as anyone else could,
but I am not letting this "thought" control me. I have found my God in this and
I know that He is with me everywhere I am.
In the same way, some are facing layoffs, divorce, bankruptcy, wayward children,
stress at work or home or any number of other things. But if you can find God in
the midst of it, you will find peace. The Bible says, "If you seek me you will
find me, when you search for me with ALL of your heart." Sometimes to find Him,
you have to be willing to go aside and press into heaven until heaven shows up.
But if you will press harder and not be denied access, you will find that all of
heaven will open to you.
Anxiety causes you to run from God and seek a way out of what you are afraid of.
Instead, run to God, and leave your fears and anxieties at His feet. Remember,
He is the one that delivered Israel numerous times and in worse situations than
many of us will ever face. He delivered Daniel from lions. He delivered many
from being destroyed. He is the Almighty God and there is no god that can stand
before Him. That puts me in good company! Stay close to God "in all things" and
He will bring you through.
So, how does your heart hold up to this scrutiny? Are there things that you need
to release and forgive? Are there people that you have hurt that you need to
repent to? Are you unthankful for the things you don't have and rarely see the
blessings that you do have? Are you full of anxiety and fear, feeling smothered
in the cares of this world?
This can be a new day for you. If you will take action quickly, as a surgeon
would if he found heart disease, then you could be breathing easier by this
evening.
Living for the Call,
Michelle Molina