By Jackson Drumgoole. June 18, 2023.
Wherefore seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily besets us, and let us run the race that that is set before us.
Hebrews 12:1
The condition of my heart… determines the direction of my life.
As men, we often face numerous battles in our lives. Battles on the job, our careers, our families, our physical well-being, our mental well-being, but the greatest battle we will ever face is the battle for our hearts.
This is vital to understand because in this next season God is asking us to do things that require us to be healthy and whole; whole mentally, whole physically, whole spiritually, and emotionally.
Fully invested, Fully Engaged, and Fully Alive.
However what we’re doing right now is asking permission from our past failures to inform our future and allowing our brokenness to dictate our destiny.
Pastors note: we can only rise to our level of humility
We will only serve to the level of our healing
They’re certain things that we won’t do…because of what we’ve been through.
Guard your Heart
According to Psychology Today, the brain releases hormones telling the body what to do, receptor cells in your blood vessels pick up messages with nerve endings that travel from the brain to the walls of the heart.
These messages come as shots fired in the form of media (commercials and our social media feed telling us Who we are not, what we don’t have, persuading us to compete and compare.)
These messages come in the form of our own inadequacies, and shortcomings, and we all got ’em. You know those unrealistic expectations placed on us by society. Other people projecting their pain on us. Those mother wounds, those father wounds, those deep oozing cuts that never seem to heal.
So what that says to me the casual observer is that:
The heart doesn’t know what it wants, it wants what it’s fed.
So how do we take Action to Guard our Heart?
My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
Proverbs 4:20-27 NIV
I call this a purposeful reprogramming.
By changing your DIET.
- D- Discipline. Anytime there is a lifestyle change it requires discipline. It takes Discipline to watch what comes out of our mouths, goes into your ear and eyes gate.
Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
This is not memorization is about mediation leading to demonstration.
- I – Invite God into your pain. Beloved He can never heal what you’re unwilling to reveal. He wants you better not broken
1 Peter 5:7 Amp
“Casting all your cares all your anxieties all your worries and all your concerns once and for all…He cares about you with deepest affection and watches over you very carefully.”
This sounds like somebody you can trust with your heart.
- E – Effort
Psalms 119:36-40 NKJV
Incline my heart to Your testimonies, And not to covetousness. Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way. Establish Your word to Your servant, Who is devoted to fearing You.
This is a part of the purposeful repositioning. To incline means to be willing to favorably dispose towards. Many of us walk around reclined which led to our decline.
T- Time. Spend Time with a band of brothers or supportive sisters. Individuals that can and will hold you accountable in the battle for our hearts. You are not designed to do this alone. We are better together.
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Proverbs 4:23
The battle for our hearts is ongoing, but with God’s help and our intentional effort, we can overcome. May we commit ourselves to diligently guarding our hearts, recognizing the importance of our hearts, identifying the threats, and taking action to protect them. By doing so, we can live lives that honor God, positively impact others, living fully engaged and fully alive and experiencing the abundant life Christ has promised.
This next season God is asking us to do things that require us to be healthy and whole; whole mentally, whole physically, whole spiritually, and emotionally.
Fully invested, Fully Engaged, and Fully Alive.
Family, there is so much beauty beyond your brokeness.
