“The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 17:9-10).
We will never know the innermost thoughts of another person. Only God knows the innermost thoughts and motives of us all. God is never surprised by the things that surprise us about others. We often find ourselves saying things like “I knew I was right about him or her” or “I knew they were no good for me.”
We say these things sometimes after God has given us spiritual guidance about the person and we have ignored them. We then find ourselves hurt and feeling betrayed because we trust the deceitful person.
The other side of the heart or mind is that we need to be in tune with our innermost thoughts. We need to take inventory of our rooted motivations and reasonings behind why we behave and act the way we do. If this is not done on a regular basis with God we can find ourselves self-sabotaging and causes negative impacts to our lives and the people around us. This happens when our motives are impure.
This has to be mastered in our lives and it takes moments of isolation and spending time with God to get the root of why we behave the way we do. Some of these heart issues started in childhood.
Someone may have groomed us to behave the way we do and we need to heal and change the issues rooted in our hearts. Matters of the heart will not resolve themselves easily. It takes time and patience.
“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
The embedded roots from our childhood and our early adulthood can affect us for a lifetime. It is our responsibility to do the heart searching about why we keep making the same mistakes. Resolving the matters of the heart also takes a lot of healing. Sometimes the more you uncover your innermost heart issues, the deeper you realize the roots go.
In this scripture guarding your heart is about dealing with embedded roots like bitterness, unforgiveness, jealousy, selfishness, strife, envy etc. When we have these issues, they spring up in our lives because you can’t ignore them. They are there and will remain until you confront them spiritually.
The heart or mind which can be used interchangeably. Our heart is full of our feelings, emotions, thoughts, perspectives, and our memories. They house what we think, what we want, and how we feel. Understanding these things is very complicated and it is a daily struggle to manage them all. The truth is no one has arrived at mastering them.
Another thing to take note of with matters of the heart is the way in which the people in our lives on a daily basis influence these issues. In other words, do they make them better or worse.
Matters of the heart will not magically go away. Even when you identify them there is more work to be done. Therapy is a great way to deal with matters of the heart. Also support groups and a healthy church family. Isolation will work for a season, but you still will lone for community. You can’t deal with matters of the heart alone.
Every day is a chance to deal with matters of the heart and heal from your past. Take it one day at a time and one step at a time.
Resilient Inspired Spiritual Excellence R.I.S.E. 