A healthy heart

What constitutes a healthy heart? Is it our exercise regiment, or the foods we consume? Both of those are equally important to a healthy heart, but what about the emotional and spiritual health of your heart? What consumes your thoughts, drives your actions, and fuels your passions? What worries you, scares you, and defeats you? Is there any escape from these feelings? Yes. I promise you there is.

In the gospel of John chapter fourteen verse twenty-seven, Christ gives a promise, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you: not as the world gives, give I to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. God gives ultimate peace and joy and promises in Philippians chapter four verse seven that God's peace passes all understanding and will keep or guard your heart.

So how does this make for a healthy heart? I am a baby Christian, and relearning to live life through Christ and not in my own strength is the most difficult challenge I have ever encountered. The first step towards a healthy heart is becoming a child of God. The second step is a daily dying to self. Galations chapter two verse twenty states, I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. It's no longer my life when I become a child of God, but I still have the old sin nature living inside of me waring with the Spirit. How can your heart be at peace when there is an internal war taking place? It can't.

The concept of dying to self daily is presented on a regular basis, but if you really sit down and think about it how can we successfully take on the full day at one time? That's equivalent, in my mind, to consuming a 12 oz. steak in one bite! Recently I was presented with the concept of living each minute through the power of God. Instead of focusing on trying to live the whole day through Christ, focus the next 60 seconds on dying to your selfish nature, worries, fears, struggles, and even your passions and plans. God's ways are not our ways, neither his thoughts our thoughts-they're much better.

I have personally seen this in my life. I was really struggling with a particular trial in my life a few months back and the only thing I could rely on was God. He was all I had. I knew He was there for me and that I was finally His child, but I was still fighting Him on things that I wanted and plans I had made. It wasn't until the idea of submitting the things I wanted and my plans to Him that I experienced true and lasting peace. Submission is equal to that of dying to self. Do I still struggle? Absolutely. But when I step back, take a look at my situation, and analyze it, I can objectively ask myself the question, am I submitting to God or living my life through myself?

How does all this lead to a healthy heart? A peaceful heart is a peaceful life. A peaceful life leads to a life filled in the joy of the Lord. Will there be ups and downs? Always. Does God promise He will lead us through it? Definitely. Psalm chapter eighteen verse two states that the Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.