The Founation for a Healthy Heart
The foundation for having a healthy heart means having the kind of faith that Jesus was talking about here in the Mark 4 story about Jesus calming the storm.
This is the starting place to a healthy spiritual heart. Jesus was trying to teach the disciples in this story that faith means losing control. Following Jesus means giving up control. Faith in Jesus that will help us start off with a healthy heart means giving up control of our lives. Our lives are like the disciples’ situation on this boat. Our circumstances can overwhelm us far beyond our capacity to control them, even to the point of despair.
Maybe that’s you. Are you confused, discouraged – does the Christian life seem to work for others but not for you? If that’s you – there’s good news for you. Following Jesus and believing in him means that we need to surrender our attempts to control what we can’t control and ask God’s intervention. He’smore than capable to handle anything that comes our way.
The Disciples Needed Some Heart Help Too
We’re not the first ones to struggle with spiritual heart disease. The early followers of Christ did too.
In The Gospel of Mark 4:35-41, there’s a story that showed that the heart condition of the disciples. At this point in the ministry of Jesus, his followers were still getting used to him. He had been healing people and helping people in the area of Galilee which was in the north part of ancient Palestine. They had come to the sea of Galilee and they were crossing over to the other side to connect with more people. Winds coming off of the eastern desert combined with the low elevation of the Sea of Galilee can often lead to violent, sudden storms. This is a good sized body of water.
Picture yourself in this scene. In the early evening, while Jesus slept peacefully in the rear of the boat, some dark clouds suddenly appeared above them – lightning and thunder began to happen all around them. The wind was rattling the small boat – waves splashing all around – water pouring in over the sides … The disciples were grabbing Jesus by the shoulders – waking him up — said, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” They wanted him to help them bail out some of the water that was coming in. As Jesus began to get up, he did something that no ordinary sailor could ever do. He stood up in the rocking boat and spread his hands out – with a clear, strong voice – and he commanded the storm to stop. Instantly – the storm ceased and everything was calm again.
The disciples were stunned. They were scared. “Storms we understand. But, Jesus – we don’t understand.” He doesn’t fit in any of our nice little spiritual boxes. They may have been thinking – “Who is this guy?” Jesus blew up their idea of who they thought he was.
He challenged their lack of faith. The disciples just wanted someone to help bail out some of the water in the boat and work alongside of them. They had no idea that Jesus would do something beyond their wildest dreams like calming the storm. He actually took care of the whole situation in a much bigger way than just bailing out the boat with them. But, Jesus has a way of taking control of every life situation that he is invited into.
What is Spiritual Heart Disease?
The Bible uses the word “heart” to describe the core of your inner being. It’s your desires, your hopes, your longings, your dreams, your ambitions, your affections, the things you care about, the things you love to do. All these are composed in what the Bible refers to as your spiritual heart.
The real question then is what’s the condition of your spiritual heart? Your spiritual heart is what makes you, you! Your heart determines three things: why I say the things I do, why I feel the way I do and why I act the way I do. If my heart determines the way I think, the way I feel, and the way I act, then my spiritual heart is the internal life support system that God has placed in me — and also in you.
Spiritual heart disease is what happens when we live life our way and not God’s way. Spiritual heart disease is when we trust ourselves more that we trust God. How your spiritual heart this morning? What’s your heart condition?
Our Heart Condition
Did you know that heart disease is the #1 killer of people in America today? But more than 910,000 Americans still die of heart disease annually, according to the American Heart Association. And more than 70 million Americans live every day with some form of heart disease, which can include high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, angina (chest pain), heart attack and congenital heart defects. But, I still think there’s something even more deadly than physical heart disease. Spiritual heart disease can even deadlier.
How do we destroy strongholds?
How do we destroy strongholds that are keeping us in bondage? How do we destroy these negative thinking patterns that may have us feeling so defeated?
1. Start with faith-prayer.
The two go hand-in-hand. Faith is the reliance that God wants to be personally active in my life. Prayer is the request for that activity to start happening. Faith is the expectation that God will do it.
2 Corinthians 5 [7] For we walk by faith, not by sight.
The Apostle Paul wrote those words to some friends of his 2,000 years ago. What he meant was – what we can see with our eyes will only take us so far. There is another dimension to life, a spiritual dimension. It’s filled with values and morals, and the Spirit of God. If we live based on what we can see only with our physical eyes, we’ll live a very shallow existence. But if we will live based on faith – based on what we believe, our values, convictions, and the power of God, then we’ll experience a much fuller life.
Hebrews 11 [6] Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him.
Ephesians 6 [18] With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit.
2. Choose to think the truth.
Philippians 4 [8] Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
God gives us promises or truths to help us deal with strongholds. Here are just a few:
Why should I fear when the Bible says that God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline? 2 Timothy 1:7
Why should I let the powers of darkness have supremacy over my life when the Bible says that the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world? 1 John 4:4
Why should I worry and be anxious when I can give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you? 1 Peter 5:7
