WordCosmos

Your heart is the hidden centre of your spirituality and morality. It is the deepest part of your being which reflects the eternal nature of God by which we have been created. it is the Lords place of abode (Ephesians 3:17) “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” It is only by opening our hearts to God that we can truly become one with Him; 1 Corinthians 6:17 “for he who is joined to the lord is one spirit with Him,” and John 4:24 reads “God is spirit, those who worship Him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” This signifies that your relationship with the Lord must start from your heart (Romans 10:9-10), because your heart communicates the sincerity of your actions.

Now, let’s look at the functions of the heart

• It is the abode of love (Mathew 22:27) “you shall love the lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might,”
• The heart has the ability to control the affairs of your life (proverbs 4:23) “Guide your heart out of it flows out the issues of life”
• It reveals who you are, it exposes what you are made of (Luke 6:45) “a good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings forth evil things, out of the evil stored up in his heart, for out of the heart, a man speaks.”
• It serves a place where godly wisdom abides
• It serves as the template where the word of God is written (Deuteronomy 11.18) “imprint these words of mine in your hearts and mind, bind them as signs on your hands and like symbols on your forehead.”
• It is the soil of your being on which the seed of the spirit is planted, and faith grows in response; this is illustrated in the parable of the sower in Mathew 13:8 “some seeds fell on good soil and germinated crops.”
• It is with our hearts that we trust the Lord (Proverbs 3:5) “trust in the lord with all your hearts and lean not upon your own understanding.
• It is with our heart that we believe (Romans 10.9) “if you believe with your heart and confess with your mouth that Christ is Lord, you shall be saved.”

The significance of the heart can’t be overstated, it is very crucial in your daily walk with the Lord, as well as how you interpret the world around you. The things you let it into your heart could either bring you closer to God or farther away from Him, or make you live the life of a victor or that of a victim. For this reason, it is of importance that you nurture your heart. You might wonder how to go on about it? Here are vital ways;

Firstly, feed your heart daily with Gods word and meditate on it. why? Because Gods word is a very powerful tool capable of breaking down every stronghold and building up every broken wall. The Lord says in Jeremiah 23:29 “is not my word like fire? saith the Lord; and like hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” from the scripture, it is evident that the word of God is able to purify your heart from every filthiness, as well as break every stronghold of sin from your life. The scriptures says that the word of God is power, so when you speak the word, take charge and exercise your God given authority in Christ; 2 Corinth 10:5 shows how you exercise your authority and set your thoughts free from bondage “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thoughts to the obedience of Christ.”

A second way to nurture your heart, is to Pray to the Lord and ask for help in the areas of your stumbling’s and forgiveness of sins. 1 John 5:14-15 says “and this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, he hearth us: And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that wee desired of Him.” Remember when David sinned against the Lord, in that he killed Uriah and took his wife Bathsheba, laid with her and made her his wife; his heart became corrupted and the presence of God left him. David knew the only way to renew his heart was to ask the lord for forgiveness and help. He writes in psalm 51:10 “create in me a clean heart oh Lord and renew a right spirit within me.”

A third way, is to stay away from things that pollute your spirit, be selective of the type of information you let into your heart, be watchful of the company you keep as friends; Ask yourself questions like- do they build me up in faith? Does it please God? Am I able to sow the seed of the gospel into them? If not, you might want to start hanging out with the right crowd. Remember the scriptural saying in Mathew 5: 8 “blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” So, I encourage you today to be of good courage, Rid yourself of anything that would prevent you from making heaven, stay obedient to your Lord in Love, hold on fast to your faith in the Lord and Set your eyes on Jesus the hope of your salvation. And as you do this, I pray that the good Lord who has begun His marvellous works in your Life will continue to lead and uphold you, May He keep your feet from stumbling, and where you do stumble; May He give you the strength to rise up again. In Jesus Holy name, Amen!!