Matters of the Heart: Part One

“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.” Jeremiah 17:9-10 New International Version (NIV) The heart is a central organ in each of us which basically controls our life. We will die if we don't have one beating and channeling blood to every other part of our body. This is its biological function. However, according to Scripture, our hearts also have the ability to deceive us. We can exercise and eat right and practice all sorts of good habits to assist in keeping our hearts healthy, but some of the things we harbor in our hearts will kill us too. Therefore, our Creator searches them for more than sickness or disease. He wants our hearts pure, clean and free from evil. Many often hear and even use the phrase "God knows my heart." Yes, He does. And He doesn't need medical equipment to examine them or justification from us for what He finds there. What is in our hearts eventually comes out — good and bad. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit comes to indwell our hearts. We require His help to keep them clean. Don't be deceived into thinking that this can be accomplished without Him. Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin”? Proverbs 20:9 NIV And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.” Mark 7:20-22 NLT