Heart Awareness Month reminds us to pay attention to what keeps our physical hearts beating strong. Scripture tells us to look at our spiritual hearts–the inner place where our thoughts and faith take root, where we make a choice about what we believe and who we follow.

Jeremiah was constantly opposed. His words were sobering and not well received. Judah didn’t want to hear how they had hardened their hearts to God. They  wanted to continue to live in whatever manner they thought fit, enjoy their wealth, and not concern themselves with the rules from a Holy God. Don’t we see the same arguements today? We’re told to follow our hearts and do what makes us happy. That is never a commmand from the Lord.

We see this problem repeatedly in the Bible after Eve listened to the prompting of the serpent to want more than the perfect garden of Eden. Our hearts lead us astray. If we find our happiness through things that take us away from God’s path, we will constantly be searching for the next things to fill us up.

When we are still living in sin, we are not able to diagnose our hurt hearts and fix them in our own power. The Great Physician alone is able to take our hearts of stone and give us a heart of flesh with his law written on it. Spiritual heart health starts with humility and a fear of God. Invite God to renew your heart and mind so that it longs after things of holiness. Determine to “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deut 6:5) God wants us to choose him. God wants us to seek his will for our lives. And God wants us to stay faithful, following his commandments.