Spiritual
Heart Disease

BACKGROUND AND RATIONAL

 

For many years, the author worked as a specialist nurse in Cardiology and cared for patients who had physical heart disease in an acute hospital setting.  The last 15 years of the author's career was community based, and the focus of the role was to practically help, support and rehabilitate patients and their families, not only physically but psychologically and emotionally, following a diagnosis of heart disease or following cardiac surgery.  

 

It can be a devastating and difficult time for patients and their families, coming to terms with having a 'heart problem'.  The adjustments to their lives and lifestyle that are needed, to 'protect their hearts' and to lead a full and active life need education and practical application.

 

Having worked with physical heart disease for many years, spiritual heart disease and it's effect on our lives held a particular interest. It was striking to the author how the same process that is used to diagnose and treat physical heart disease can be used to diagnose and treat spiritual heart disease, hence this assignment is a simple practical guide for both non believers and believers who are 'falling away' from their faith.

 

INTRODUCTION

 

The heart is around the size of a closed fist and its function is to pump life giving blood around the body, approx 100,000 litres every 24 hours, 7days a week.  The reality is our physical hearts become disease and in the Western world, this disease process starts as young as 20 years old, predominantly because of the way we live our lives.  

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Coronary heart disease is when the arteries that feed the heart muscle with the blood it needs to keep it pumping become narrowed.  This process is called atherosclerosis - furring of the arteries.  

Generally, this condition is largely preventable in a large percentage of the population, and our risk of developing this increases significantly with each risk factor that we have.  

These are:

• Smoking. 

• Unhealthy diet that's high in sugar and saturated fat.

• Not taking exercise.

• Stress.

These are known as modifiable risk factors, the things we can do something about.

 

There are other risk factors which often need medical intervention to help control them and these are:

• High Cholesterol

• High blood pressure

• Diabetes

 

Then there are non modifiable risk factors which are:

• Family History of heart disease 

• Age

• Gender, men more susceptible than women

We generally cannot do anything about or change these non modifiable risk factors but, what we can do,  is try to lead a healthy lifestyle, by focusing on the modifiable risk factors, to reduce our overall risk of developing heart disease.  

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WHAT IS THE SPIRITUAL HEART?

 

Just as our physical hearts can diagnose our physical condition, our spiritual hearts can diagnosis our spiritual health.  Before we can look at an unhealthy spiritual heart, we need to understand what the heart looks like in Biblical terms. As we see from these scriptures, the biblical heart carries a multifaceted meaning.  

The Spiritual heart is the core and control centre for one's whole being and life:

• Proverbs 15:13 describes it as the centre of emotions which includes love, joy and sorrow.  

• In Proverbs 4:22-23 the heart is viewed as the place where thoughts and intentions originate. 

• Deuteronomy 6:5 says that the heart is associated with the will and decisions indicating moral choices and commitments.  

• Whereas in Jeremiah 17:9 the heart reflects a person's moral and spiritual condition.  

• Romans 10:10 informs us that the heart is crucial in our relationship with God.  

Spiritual heart disease is a serious matter, as well as one that can plague us all.  An easy way to learn about having a healthy spiritual heart is to first determine what a diseased and unhealthy one looks like. 

 

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF SPIRITUAL HEART DISEASE

 

1. Attendance in weekly worship has become irregular and optional. We can be easily swayed not to attend to worship our LORD. God designed us to be worshippers. He loves the atmosphere of praise and of true worship from His people. An atmosphere filled with celebration, praise and worship.   He sought us and turned our heart from idols to worship Him, the true living God.

2. A shallow prayer life.  Like shortness of breath in physical heart disease,  irregular prayer does not breathe in the oxygen of God's grace in continual awareness of Him and dependence on Him. When we are only praying periodically, it doesn't fill our lungs with the oxygen we need,  when our lungs are struggling for air, this can lead to hyperventilating, panic, anxiety and worry.  

3. Gospel indifference. The diseased spiritual heart is no longer invigorated by the gospel. Every follower of Christ will go through seasons of spiritual indifference.  It's almost impossible to keep the excitement we initially felt when we first came to Jesus.  We all plateau....we all get distracted ....we all lose our spiritual zeal....for a while! But we cannot and should not accept that spiritual indifference, is anything more than a short season of apathy. We have so much to be thankful and grateful for, the amazing love of Jesus and the sacrifice he made for us on the cross.

4. Poor appetite and inadequate diet. God has given us full nutrition of truth in his word, all the nourishment and healthy food that we need for our growth in grace. But we content ourselves, with snacking on a few nuggets every now and again and not savouring and digesting God's word. 

5. Lack of exercise. Taking exercise makes our physical hearts stronger.  We are encouraged to do, as a minimum 30 minutes of exercise at least 5 days a week. Not only to strengthen our hearts but when we exercise it makes us feel better! A spiritual heart not strengthened through the exercise of serving God and others, becomes weakened.  It does not look to serve but be served, unlike Jesus whose heart was in perfect health. 

6. Spiritual listlessness also known as spiritual lethargy is a state of indifference or lack of energy towards our spiritual life.  It can feel like being disconnected and far away from God and can include isolating ourselves from fellow believers and others. A. W. Tozer described this as: "There is little communion and little joy in the LORD".

The problem is, unlike physical heart disease, most people with spiritual heart disease, do not feel sick or ill,  but we cannot ignore these symptoms, because once that happens, we find our hearts no longer beat passionately for Jesus.  

Instead we substitute empty rituals and going through the motions, and slowly over a period of time, our spiritual arteries like our physical arteries will clog up and our hearts will harden because we are depriving them of access to their life source!  

We must accept that the heart, which make up our innermost being, is very fragile. Many people walk around spiritually naked, with an unprotected mind, heart and soul and that makes us vulnerable to attacks from the enemy.  Ultimately, it's our choice, if we decide to safeguard our hearts or leave them uncovered, just like physical heart disease.  The farther our hearts are from God, the more we experience spiritual decline.  

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HOW CAN WE RESTORE OUR SPIRITUAL HEARTS?

 

Firstly, the foundation is knowing how much God loves us and being reminded of His love daily.

John 3:16 says: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

 

This is true love! It encompasses the highest level of unconditional love, a love we cannot get from anyone or anything else! Jesus died for us because He loves us and accepts us as we are.  He loves us, even when we have nothing left to give, there are no 'ifs' or 'then' conditions or boundaries, there is no price tag on His love.  

Jesus had a choice to die for us, but he did it because of His unconditional love for us. Perfect love does exist - Agape.  

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Just as we need to get regular check ups on our physical heart health, we need to check out our spiritual heart health.

• Proverbs 27:19 says: "As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects a person."  

• Jeremiah 17:9 informs us: "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? "I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.'

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We can hide our heart's condition from each other, but not from God. He can see our hearts. 

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SO HOW HEALTHY IS YOUR HEART?

 

As we prayerfully consider this, know that it's God's desire for our hearts to be strong and healthy.  He has big plans for us and wants to guide the course of our lives.  When we are one with God, we are at our optimal best but when God does not dwell in our hearts, we will struggle to achieve spiritual maturity.  

Like our physical hearts, having a spiritually healthy heart requires more than knowledge, it requires a spiritual heart transplant.  God has to create a new heart within us, something that he is more than willing to do, we just have to ask him.

 

We can call on God to search our hearts as David did in Psalm 139: 23-24:

"Search me, God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

 

To do this, we need God's strength and peace to be open and honest with ourselves. 

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A NEW HEART

 

Ezekiel 36:26

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."

 

The selection process on who gets a new physical heart is similar to who gets a 'new heart' from God. In both cases, it's because it is needed.  

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In Ezekiel 36:26, the Israelites needed a new heart, as we do today.  We all need a heart transplant because of our family history which takes us right back to 'the fall' (Genesis 3), when Adam and Eve brought sin and death into the world which separated us from God.  

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We can ask God to give us a 'new heart' by repenting of our sins and committing ourselves to Him. God takes our hearts, hardened by the hurt, sin and evil in the world and gives us hearts of flesh.  He gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit and cloths us in righteousness and teaches us through His word.

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Once God has given us a new heart,  we need to be the gatekeeper of it, no one else can protect it for us.  

So as an example of this,  a person who has undergone open heart surgery, whether that's a heart transplant, coronary artery bypass graft or less invasive treatment such as stents, are all advised on leading a healthy lifestyle, as part of their ongoing care and rehabilitation.  If they ignore that advice, and continue to smoke, eat junk food, don't exercise and stop taking the tablets, their hearts will gradually become diseased again over a period of time. It is their responsibility to protect their new arteries and hearts, once the surgeons have done their job. 

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Similarly, once God has given us a new heart, we have a responsibility to protect it.  

 

GUARD YOUR HEART

 

Proverbs 4:23 instruct us to do something critical, yet beneficial.

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'Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.' 

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The Hebrew word for guard is 'Shamar' which means to watch over and preserve.

Guarding our hearts is more than about feeding our souls, it requires us to take action to guard our minds, that is to be aware of what our eyes see, our ears hear and our minds dwell on, because they will have enormous implications to our hearts.  When our hearts are strong, we are able to resist temptations that can cause us to stumble.  

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Not only should we shield our hearts, but there is a path to follow in order to succeed in doing so, as we see in Proverbs 4, where Solomon is outlining a description of the two paths of life, wisdom and wickedness.  

He opens this chapter with his personal testimony and the description of the choice between two paths of life. Solomon instructs ' to put away from you a deceitful mouth and put devious speech far from you.' ( Verse 24).    

 

Our hearts are the source of everything we do, King Solomon says it is the 'wellspring of life'. Speech creates thoughts and speech that is deceitful, clogs the pathway for the wellspring to flow.

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Proverbs 4 identifies some things to avoid, but it also contains instructions to pursue wisdom, grace, discipline and life.  Solomon 's closing remarks, are an attempt to persuade us, that in light of his presented evidence, to choose the way of wisdom.  He is calling for diligence:

'Give attention to my words', 'incline your ear to my sayings'.  

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In other words lean into these teachings, don't miss them, don't let them pass you by. This is too important! 

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HOW DO WE GUARD OUR HEARTS?

 

The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:10-11 say:

"Finally be strong in the LORD and in his mighty power, put on the full armour of God so that you can stand against the devil's schemes'.  

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Paul compares the armour of God with military gear, each part represents a part of God's strength that He extends to us, when we become His children.

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Ephesians 6:12 talks about how our fight as Christians, is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of darkness. Spiritual warfare goes on in our hearts and minds as the enemy tries to turn us away from God.  

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This kind of warfare requires supernatural armour that enables us to stand against the enemy's schemes.

 

BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

Paul goes on to say in verse 14:

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place'.

The breastplate of righteousness is the second piece of armour that Paul talks about in this passage. Without the belt of truth buckled around us first, the breastplate of righteousness cannot be securely put on to stay in place. We need the truth of Jesus and His righteousness living in us and over us, in order to stand strong. 

Paul talks about the breastplate of righteousness but what is it and what is its purpose? 

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To protect our physical heart and lungs we have our ribcage in place, which not only help us to stand upright but protects and safeguards our heart from injury.  Certain occupations, such  aa a soldier or police officer need extra protection,  body armour to protect the heart and internal organs, the same need for protecting our spiritual hearts is required.  

 

The breastplate of righteousness refers to the righteousness purchased for us by Jesus at the cross. (2 Corinthians 5:21). 

'For our sake he made him to be sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.'

 

Jesus's righteousness comes from his 'active obedience'; He kept the law perfectly. Righteousness is a beautiful gift from God through Jesus' act of love on the cross. He bore all sins of humanity for us. As a result, everyone who believes in Him is made righteous with God.   

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WHAT DOES RIGHTEOUSNESS MEAN?

 

Righteousness means pursuing the character of God.  It simply means 'one who is right'. It means learning God's standards and mirroring it with all our might. Righteousness is the only standard that is acceptable to God and it has less to do with our behaviour and more to do with our hearts. It has less to do with being better than others and more to do with being better to others. It is the understanding that living life God's way brings Him glory.  

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Righteousness means that our hearts and actions align with how God has instructed us to live our lives.  So when we deviate from that, we are convicted to immediately return to what we know is right and best and when we commit fully, God is glorified. 

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At our salvation, a breastplate is issued to us. It is designed by God to protect our hearts, minds and soul from evil and deception and attack from the enemy. In the bible, the heart is where Christ-like character is formed.  The breastplate of righteousness creates a changed heart and it protects the heart that is changed.

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Being clearly identified with Jesus is essential. Jesus said we cannot serve two masters, we are either with Him wholeheartedly or not at all. If we are half hearted, we will be vulnerable spiritually from the enemy. 

A mythical legend tells us of a mighty warrior called Achilles. He was supposedly completely protected from all arrows and spears, except at the heel of his foot. When his enemies found this out, they concentrated their attack at that spot and brought him down.  

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Samson in the Bible had a similar vulnerability, for him it was cutting his hair, when his enemy discovered this, they attacked that place and brought him down.  

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When we know and obey God's word and use it to guide our decisions and simply walk in His ways, He will fight for us, not only will He fight for us but He will be our heart's safety net, covering and protector.

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CONCLUSION

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Our breastplate of righteousness will be impenetrable armour for us, provided it is formed from the inside out, with the abiding relationship with Jesus that creates a new heart. Then this new heart must make a clear and absolute identification with Jesus, by our faith in His words, His power, His presence and His protection.  When we do this, the most vulnerable area in our lives, the heart, is completely protected and this allows God to form the mighty warriors that He is raising up for the times we live in today.  

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When our breastplate of righteousness is firmly in place, we are protected for a reason, we will be strong enough to help others.  We are brothers and sisters in Christ, standing together for our King.   King Jesus. 

 

REFERENCES

 

Tozer, A. W. The Dangers of a Shallow Faith: Awakening from Spiritual Lethargy

 

Holy Bible. (2011) New International Version. Hodder and Stoughton