Heart Check-Up
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. (Psalm 139:23-24).
February Is National Heart Health Month
What’s the condition of your heart? I mean the heart you have given to God. How are you doing in your life of following Jesus? How are you really doing? Be brutally honest with yourself. Can you take a long hard look in the mirror? Can you allow God to search your heart and life?
Over time, we can convince ourselves that we are doing much better than we really are. We can easily deceive ourselves into thinking we are okay when our spiritual lives have stagnated.
All kinds of unholy stuff can be welling up in your life and you think you are doing fine. The Psalmist was well aware of this tendency and our need to be willing to change. That’s why he prayed the above prayer.
Spiritual Heart Health
When we follow Jesus, we must be willing to undergo divine scrutiny! Just as in our physical body, it is always better to know if something is wrong than to continue in unhealthy ignorance, the same is true with our spiritual lives. It is essential for our Spiritual health for our hearts to be examined.
Prepare for the examination. Here are ten things you need to do to conduct a spiritual heart check-up.
- Be transparent. Don’t assume you are okay. It’s better to assume that God will find something in His search of your heart and life. Be willing to have your failings laid out before you.
- Be uncomfortable. A heart searched is often an uncomfortable heart. It’s okay to be a little uncomfortable with this process. You can be sure that the examination will soon be over.
- Be confident. The purpose of a searched heart is to correct and heal! This is not for condemnation or guilt or judgment. This is to make you a better follower of Jesus.
- Don’t be deceived. The devil will take advantage of your vulnerability. When he brings up past and forgiven sins, you know that it is not God’s word to you!
- Pray. The scripture you read above is a prayer. Pray it to God. Allow him to respond. He will.
- Wait. Listen and hear what he has to say about your heart.
- Refresh. Renew your desire to be a clean-hearted follower of Jesus. When we truly desire to be like Jesus, it is refreshing to have errors pointed out and corrected.
- Repent. To repent is to have a change of mind. When God points things out to us that need to be changed, we must immediately repent, and change our mind about that thing. We must give it up and give it over to Him.
- Worship. Thank God for His forgiving and empowering presence in your life. Tell Jesus you love Him and will follow Him always!
- Refocus. Gain a positive new perspective about your healthy heart and do all ‘you’ can to keep it healthy!
Keep in mind, just as the physical test comes from others, so may the Spiritual test. Persevering the test, keeps us ‘moving forward’ and helps us follow better. This also results in us hearing God better and makes us much stronger!
Physical Heart Health
Changes in our physical health can affect our Spiritual health. Let’s be mindful of our physical health.
The following changes can help to improve our ‘physical’ heart health:
- Stop smoking. Smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease, especially atherosclerosis.
- Control your blood pressure. Optimal blood pressure is less than 120 systolic and 80 diastolic, as measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).
- Check your cholesterol. Most people should aim for a low-density lipoprotein (LDL) level below 130 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), or 3.4 millimoles per liter (mmol/L).
- Keep diabetes under control. If you have diabetes, tight blood sugar control can help reduce the risk of heart disease.
- Exercise. Physical activity helps you achieve and maintain a healthy weight and control diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure — all risk factors for heart disease. With your doctor's OK, aim for 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity most days of the week.
- Eat healthy foods. A heart-healthy diet based on fruits, vegetables and whole grains — and low in saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and added sugar — can help you control your weight, blood pressure and cholesterol.
- Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight increases your risk of heart disease.
- Manage stress. Reduce stress as much as possible. Practice techniques for managing stress, such as muscle relaxation and deep breathing.
- Get treatment for depression. Being depressed can increase your risk of heart disease significantly. Talk to your doctor if you feel hopeless or uninterested in your life.
- Practice good hygiene. Regularly wash your hands and brush and floss your teeth to keep yourself well.
Early detection and treatment can set the stage for a lifetime of better heart health.
Your physical health is vitally important to your quality of life, but your spiritual health is even more important. Get a heart check-up today!