A Healthy Heart: Part 3

In order to have a healthy heart in this new year, we need to ask ourselves a couple of questions: 1) Do I see any warning signs of an unhealthy heart? For example: pride,anger,bitterness,selfishness,sin,distracted with the things of the world, greed, a spiritual deadness, jealousy, desire to please the flesh--these are all "flesh woman" characteristics. 2) Am I ready to change my "heart condition"?

Part 2 shared the diet changes that are required for a healthy heart. Today, I will share the importance of exercise & stress reduction. This is as crucial for physical heart changes as spiritual heart changes. I Timothy 4:7b-8 says, "...train yourselves to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding the promise for both the present life and the life to come." We need to train ourselves to be godly--this is a discipline. Here are some inner exercises (or disciplines) that will begin our journey of a healthy heart:

1) Sabbath Keeping~ it is important that we take the Sabbath seriously. God instilled a day that we worship Him and not do any work...it is a day of rest. Rest is good for the soul! We are a culture that does not rest well.

2) Obedience~ Obey God's Word! Read Psalm 119 and hear the love of the law that the psalmist writes about. God has your best in mind. "His boundaries lie in pleasant places." (Ps. 16:6)

3) Confession~ Examine your conscience daily. Invite God to move upon your heart and show any areas that need His forgiveness and healing (there are 2 main categories of sin: sins of the heart and sins of the flesh)
*Sins of the heart--pride, arrogance, fear, anger, bitterness, etc.
*Sins of the flesh--laziness, overeating, adultery, overspending, etc.
Confession brings relief, freedom, joy and peace!

4) Meditating on the Word~ This is a time of reflection on a portion of scripture; maybe just one verse. Chew on the Word!

5) Worship~ A focused time on Jesus; to adore Him; to pour your love over Him. Develop a habit of worship...in the car, while your doing chores around the house, when kids are napping...Jesus will fill you to overflowing and pour His love over you as you minister to Him!

6) Prayer~ "To pray is to change. Prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform us," (David Foster). Prayer is a conversation, which means there is talking and LISTENING. We do much too much talking. Spend some time with a "prayer journal" & listen to what God is saying to you. Worship first, so your mind is clear of the clutter of the world. Then be still and hear what God is saying to you. Train your ear to hear His quiet voice.


Six disciplines or inner exercises that will transform your soul, which will bring health to your heart. Keep diligent in these matters and a desire will follow. What you feed on, you will crave. So begin feeding on the disciplines of the heart and you will begin to crave them. God's Word is alive and active and will transform you from the inside out. You will be amazed at the healthy heart that the Lord will develop in you~ what is on the inside of us, eventually is produced on the outside. Others will see the change in you too! What a great year it will be as you apply the diet changes, and exercise to reduce stress inwardly~ to have a healthy spiritual heart~ refreshed & renewed in 2009!