Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. & 23:26 My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
When I say “heart” the first thing that comes to mind is the muscle in the chest. It’s the size of a fist and has the difficult job of pumping blood to the body. That’s the human heart. This is talking about the scriptural heart. What do these verses mean? David asked the Lord to “create in me a clean heart”. This heart is you, the real you. Hebrews 4:12 tells us the heart thinks. Mark 2:6-8 says it reasons. Matthew 13:15 says it understands. Romans 10:9-11 says it believes. This heart determines your will and is the seat of the conscious. When God does not have your heart, Satan does. The devil influences the understanding and will of the heart. That’s why we see the things happening in the world today as they are. Satan is controlling and influencing people. That’s why God says for us to give our heart to him. I want to talk about four kinds of hearts in the message today.
A Merry Heart. Proverbs 15:13-15 and 17:22 give reference to a merry heart. It speaks of cheerfulness. It’s better to be happy than sad. What we feed our minds is more important than what we feed our bodies. The books we read, the music we listen to, the tv shows we watch, and the people we associate with feed our mind. You can’t put garbage in and not get garbage out. I’m not saying that the Christian life is all seriousness. I enjoy life. I’m going to joke around with you. There is a time for weeping and mourning; otherwise let’s have a merry heart. There are some things that bring a temporary merriness to the heart. The key to a permanent merry heart is being at peace with God. Have a merry heart.
A Thankful Heart. Being thankful is not an option for the believer. We are commanded to be thankful. We have to teach our children to say “thank you.” Doing that doesn’t come naturally. I’m thankful for my friends and family as well as my church family. I’m thankful for my health. It may not be what it used to be but I can be thankful for what it is. We are to be thankful in all things. Have a thankful heart.
A Changed Heart. I’m so thankful for the change that took place when I got saved. Everything about Saul changed, including his name, after he met the Lord on the road to Damascus. We got a brand new spiritual heart. We have royal blood going through our veins. We have a new nature to combat the old sinful nature we had. We have a new Father. No longer a child of the devil, God is our Father. Our address changes with a changed heart. I was bound for hell; now I’m going to heaven! I’m thankful I have a changed heart.
A Hardened Heart. Down in Egypt, Pharaoh is the best example of a hardened heart. Plague after plague and yet he hardened his heart and refused to let Israel go. The danger of waiting until tomorrow to get saved is that tomorrow may not come for you. AND your heart will get harder. Pharaoh’s time ran out. Don’t put trusting God off. I believe in “11th hour” conversions, but there’s a danger of waiting one day too long. Today is the day to be saved. You may die at 10:30 not even making it to the 11th hour. A car wreck, a heart attack, or a stroke could take you out immediately with no opportunity to pray. Don’t harden your heart to the Lord’s call.
What kind of heart do you have?
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 