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Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.- Proverbs 4:23
Proverbs 4:23 tells us springs of life flow from the heart. That sounds beautiful if the springs of life are fresh, cool, and contaminate free. But, what happens when the springs in our inner pool are stagnated and diseased? The health of our heart determines the cleanliness of what flows from us. If you’ve been tracking with this week’s Daily Devotionals, we’ve been giving you strategies for tending to your heart. The importance of learning to feed, cleanse, and guard your heart cannot be overstated because what’s in us always leaks out.
What’s in us will get out even if we try to hide it. Studies show we communicate our inner lives even without words (Amy Cuddy). It affects our own demeanor and it effects everyone around us. Body language significantly affects others perception of us as well as perception of ourselves. Remembering you’re a child of God who is redeemed, clean, empowered, and loved isn’t just a task that bears fruit in your inner self. Your body is affected by that knowledge and others see you differently. The opposite is true when you feel fear or condemnation.
So, how can we really know how our heart is doing? Since the spring of our life flows from the heart, there’s no way to shut off the valve of that spring. One way to evaluate how our inner lives are doing it to evaluate what’s leaking out of us. An outburst of anger may be a sign you’re afraid of losing control. Anxiety is also a warning sign that something deeper is wrong in your heart. Cynical remarks may bubble out of us when our hearts are tired and in need of attention. Anger, anxiety, and cynicism are all measuring tools that reveal the health of your inner self. If you’re feeling these things recently, take those feelings to the Lord in prayer and then determine to feed, cleanse, and guard your heart today.[/vc_column_text][us_separator height=”25px” size=”custom”][vc_column_text 0=””]
By Aaron Bjorklund
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