While reading a book called “Deadly Emotions”, by Dr. Don Colbert, I found much out about the heart. Colbert is a medical doctor and a Christian and his book was written to address what is behind most of his patients physical problems, that of deadly emotions. In describing the physical heart he relays that its electromagnetic force is stronger than that of your brain, which illustrates not only the physical strength of your heart, but its ability to director of your life. Your physical heart and your spiritual heart (Biblical seat of emotion and will) are inexorably tied together. The Bible declares in proverbs 23:7 that as a man thinks in his heart so he is. Some would say that this refers to the mind, but as Dr. Colbert discovered not only does the heart regulate healthy or unhealthy emotional, physical and spiritual life it actually does it by thinking. When we encounter traumas, or patterns of destructive emotions, beyond what our brains can process, our physical/spiritual heart in nano seconds process the physiological feeling and in many cases becomes the genesis of our thinking. When this happens the heart pulls brain into reacting. Jesus spoke to this when dealing with what defiles a man, which interestingly does not come from the brain.
Mark 7:20-23 (NKJV) 20 And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”
We don’t have to think long or hard to see personal and corporate implications. In looking at this from an individual perspective we must ask what “electromagnetic force” is regulating our life? Is it the heart of Christ or another heart? Just because we have confessed Jesus with our mouths and believed that God raised Him from the dead does not mean we automatically are in line with Him in a practical everyday sense. We must consider a few negative factors that still want to draw us into their field. The world the flesh and the devil have a very strong gravitational pull for any human, and it is indicative we practice psalm 139:22-23 to maintain union with Christ. I want to address one area we all need to be careful to regard, that of self talk when the chips are down. Being that we live in a success driven culture, failure is around every corner and if you experience enough of it, your heart will define you by the voices of failure you have heard in the past. Paul’s advice from Philippians 3:13…”forgetting those things which are behind and reaching for those things which are ahead” is key. If not careful our heart will define us by how much others are disappointed in us (whether we were or not) or how disappointed or failure prone we find ourselves to be. Jesus wants to define us as His own and what He thinks about us is all important. As the scripture declares, as long as we abide in Him, we are His beloved, His brethren, His Children and His own whom he will never leave or forsake. True as this previous statement is, many believers I have had the privilege of meeting are not living their life in light of His “electromagnetic force” of love and Truth. Which brings us to the corporate or body implications.
In I Corinthians 12:26 we find… “if one member (of the body) suffers we all suffer, if one member is honored, all members rejoice with it”. Often we miss how connected to one another we are spiritually. In a physical body, cells and systems are tied to the head. The head is directly connected to every cell through every cell’s connection to one another. When one system is weakened through illness all are affected. Again this is similar to what happens in the body of Christ. Take for instance what is written in Deuteronomy 17, 19 and 21 concerning sinners such as idolaters, the sexually immoral and even rebellious children, where it says that person should be put to death, in order to remove the evil from you. Some would consider this harsh, but it was to illustrate the dangerous nature of sin. Our New Testament faith calls for similar practice albeit without putting the offender to death.
1 Corinthians 5:12-13 (NKJV) 12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”
This is not brought up to institute talk of discipline in the body of Christ, but to illustrate why we need to be in rhythm with Jesus. In God’s economy, allowing egregious sin in His Church, is to risk another rhythm, a negative one, influencing what He purchased with Jesus’ blood. Herein lies a great admonition. The unity of the body of Christ can be diminished or hindered by a fellowship full of people who are filled with negative emotions from hearts that are un-surrendered to Christ, hearts that are sinning and yes hearts that are defined by their past. Revival begins when a few come into line with Christ’s great heart, a heart with an electromagnetic force that set the universe in order and will reset it when He makes all things new. Let me encourage you to find unity and rhythm with Jesus’ heart and if you are in a hurting fellowship of people don’t despair. Though the world may try to convince you it is impossible, though your past would say failure is inevitable and though it may seem the devil has got your number, remember every great revival began with a small group of seeking hearts. What were they seeking? They sought to come into union with the Great Heart of God. If there are two or three saints alone, find His rhythm together. Remember people filled with deadly emotions find only shallow unity in their pain. A small number of believers who find Christ’s heart are more powerful than a legion of devils or people who are defined by their past and their deadly emotions. Just look what 120 believers accomplished as God’s heart and force moved through them. The world has never been the same.
Hey Dad we learned about billy sunday in school isn't it cool how he gave up a game that you and I both love, so that he could minister. Almost like you