Bill Johnson - Is Your Heart Healthy?
The point is that the heart is significant; it is the seat of emotion, the place of affection, and the foundation of our values. Our lives are determined by what comes from the human heart. I believe that the command to pray without ceasing is key to heart health. How important is that? Jesus addressed the heart in many ways, stating that adulteries, jealousies, and other issues arise from it, bringing correction. He also says, «Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.» He addresses both aspects of the heart’s nature.
Proverbs 4:23 says to watch over your heart with all diligence because from it flow the issues of life. All the issues of life arise from the heart. You have a family, a job, personal health, and countless responsibilities. We all juggle many things, and managing this one aspect is crucial. It’s like monitoring a single gauge on your dashboard; if it’s functioning well, everything else will too. This underscores the significance of the command in Proverbs 4:23 to guard your heart diligently.
I’ve mentioned before that our approach to raising our children involved focusing on heart attitudes. By correcting attitudes early on, we could prevent negative behaviors. This is true for us as well. I’ve often told my wife, «Honey, all I want to do is please Jesus. If you notice I’m careless with my speech or my attitude, I’m not just giving you permission; I’m inviting you to point it out. I’m determined to recognize these issues because I don’t want them in my life.»
Watch over your heart with all diligence; put in extra effort. Why? Because it affects every area of your life. Here is what I believe to be the command of the Lord that keeps us strong regarding our hearts. Do we want the adulteries, envies, and jealousies that come from our hearts, or do we want to be pure in heart and see God? Obviously, we desire the latter. He implores us to pray without ceasing. In other words, view prayer as your ongoing primary occupation.
If you’re an evangelist, you can only evangelize so much during the day. If you pray for the sick, you can only do so much. If you’re a schoolteacher, you’re only in the classroom for a limited time; pray without ceasing. I’ve found that when I cultivate a rhythm of prayer throughout my day, I often wake up praying at night. It’s important for us to recognize that we don’t fully understand what we’re doing with prayer. Many would agree with me. That’s why the Bible states that we don’t know how to pray as we ought. It’s best to align ourselves with Scripture, which reminds us we’re not fully aware of our limitations.
But here’s the incredible fact: in Romans 8, it says the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and just a few verses later, it says Jesus intercedes for us. My uncle pointed this out to me years ago; the Holy Spirit intercedes for me, and Jesus is pleading my case before the Father. Although I may not know what I’m doing, the Holy Spirit who lives in me knows exactly what he’s doing. Many people pray just enough to ease their conscience but not enough to change their circumstances. Prayer is the full-time responsibility of the believer.
It’s not just that time in the morning when you kneel and open your Bible; those moments are wonderful, but it is more than that. As I drive down the road, a car passes by that reminds me of someone I went to school with. I take that as a prompt to pray for them. It becomes an automatic reminder. A challenging conversation might come to mind while driving, and as soon as it does, I may say, «I lay down my right to be offended, ” and pray for my friend, asking God to touch their life.
The point is, prayer is our full-time engagement with God. Now here’s the deal: I want to paint a picture of the heart, as I believe it reflects the heart of the Father. I believe God desires the earth to be filled with the fruitfulness that answers to our prayers produce. You were designed to meet with the Creator, the giver of life, to make petitions, requests, and proclamations, altering the course of history with God’s responses.
I don’t think we’ve fully grasped how much God desires fruitfulness and increase. The parable of the talents illustrates this; the landowner expects us to use what we’ve been given to yield more for his kingdom. God’s insights for prayer are not meant to increase our knowledge but to make us fruitful. He won’t give us insights so we can write a book about prayer but to serve as vessels of answers to prayer. This situation appeared impossible, yet Jesus changed it. This family, once broken, received God’s mercy and healing. This business, once failing, was resurrected. Why? Because someone who loves the Father was willing to pray until they understood how to pray.
I believe the fruitfulness God wants for us through prayer lies on the other side of laying down our offenses for the myriad of unanswered prayers. Prayer is engaging with a person, and through that engagement, we are transformed. If I spend an hour praying without a change within me, I’ve merely been complaining.
Prayer is an interaction with a person because I am learning to think like Him. You can pray the same prayer a thousand times, seeing no change, but praying just once more can yield a breakthrough. Sometimes, it’s the act of doing something one last time, under the Lord’s command, with His hand guiding yours, that makes your actions effective and powerful.
That is the invitation of God—coming into a space where we make a difference in history through prayer. So here it is: rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything, give thanks. Emotional and mental health, heart health, and the pure in heart will see God.