The Spiritual and Physiological Effects of the Heart Part I of III: The Foundation
A Biblical Examination of the Forces That Subtly Alter, Distort, and Negatively Impact Our Lives and Identity.
Some of the battles we experience in our adult lives did not begin with what happened around us, but with what we have allowed to take root within us. “Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life” (Proverbs 4:23 CSB).
The heart is the main physical organ in the cardiovascular system and is vital for life sustainability. Our hearts are meant to move blood throughout the entire body carrying oxygen (the breath of life [Genesis 2:7 NIV]) and nutrients (the bread of life [John 6:35 NLT]).
The blood transports carbon dioxide and metabolic waste while other systems of the body are responsible for their removal. (Washing us thoroughly from iniquities and cleansing us [Psalms 51:2 ESV]). From a biblical perspective, these physiological functions provide a meaningful metaphor for understanding the condition of the inner heart through the lens of scripture.
The heart is also associated with the center of human emotions; cultivating our desires, intentions, feelings, and morality.
What takes root within the heart shapes the trajectory of our lives. Just as the physical heart circulates essential substances throughout the body, the body's systems work to eliminate waste, and the condition of the inner heart influences what we perceive, retain, and cultivate.
And, over time, the sentiments we nurture within ourselves will take root, becoming normalized patterns that influence how we respond, interpret, and show up in the world.
What happens when the heart begins to harbor these destructive forces:
Guilt, covetousness, shame
Lust, greed, deceitfulness
Self-centeredness, gluttony, vanity
Fear, rejection, revenge
Offense, hatred, fits of rage
Envy, strife, jealousy
Arrogance, pride, betrayal
Abandonment, grief, resentment
A broken heart that is never healed… that subtly alters, distorts, and negatively impact our identities?
And perhaps the most uncomfortable question:
How did these forces become normalized within one’s heart, contradicting the character of Jesus Christ and became an acceptable way for us to live as a Christian citizen?
What We Allow to Take Root
Not everything that enters the heart is intentionally invited. Some things enter through experiences and unavoidable circumstances. Other things enter through decisions, desires, and behaviors.
Rejection is an experience; however, rejection does not have to be an identity.
Grief enters through a poignant distress caused by the agonizing suffering of a loss, but grief does not have to become hopelessness.
Betrayal violates a person’s trust, but it does not have to become a foundation for distrusting everyone.
A setback does not necessarily signify failure; sometimes the timing is not right, circumstances shift, or a better opportunity awaits. Not every disappointment results from failure. And failure does NOT define who we are or determine who we become.
This is where the condition of the heart becomes significant.
Jesus said, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34, CSB). What resides within eventually reveals itself. The heart is not simply a place where emotions are stored; biblically, it represents the inner person.
What is cultivated internally will eventually become visible externally.
A wound can become resentment.
Resentment can become bitterness.
Bitterness can influence how we interpret people, relationships, and circumstances.
A repeated desire can become an obsession.
An obsession can become a behavior.
A behavior practiced long enough becomes a habit.
A habit repeated long enough becomes normalized.
And what becomes normalized eventually feels natural.
This is why guarding the heart requires more than recognizing what has entered it. It requires examining what we have permitted to remain in it. Part 1 of 3
Reference
Proverbs 4:23 CSB
Genesis 2:7 NIV
John 6:35 NLT
Psalms 51:2 ESV
Matthew 12:34 CSB
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