Stronghold: A Heart Condition
One of my all-time favorite TV shows was House, the one about the crazy, genius doctor who could solve cases no one else could. There was one episode in particular that came to mind when I was thinking about this particular subject. Dr. House was in love with a woman who worked in the hospital as the staff lawyer and she was very confused about her feelings as the two had history together and I guess they never got over each other.
At the end of one episode in particular, House is standing out on his office balcony and she comes out to join him and in her hand is a prescription he wrote for her and she laughed as she read it back to him, “For your heart condition…” It was cheesy and romantic, if you remove the part about her being married to another man and all the other drama added to that.
But I was thinking about that scene in particular when thinking about heart condition of my own. You see, sometimes we have heart conditions and don’t even realize it. That can be of the literal since. Like my grandfather who has always been in tip-top physical shape, always eats the right things, goes into the doctor’s office for a routine physical. No one had any idea that there was anything wrong with his heart, not even the doctor. But somehow, out of chance, the doctor asks him to walk on a treadmill and hooked him up check up his heart and what they found was blockage that needed immediate open-heart surgery. It took us all by surprise, even my grandpa who never felt any symptoms that there was anything wrong.
That must’ve been how the rich young ruler felt. One day, Jesus was approached by this young ruler and he asks Him, “What can I do to inherit eternal life?” and Jesus says to him essentially, “You know about keeping the commandments: You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.” And the young ruler answers, “Yes, I have done these things since I was a boy.”
Now, if we can back up a minute and look at the Ten Commandments, we can split them in half and say that the first five involve your relationship with God. Essentially, don’t worship other gods, don’t take God’s name in vain, keeping the Sabbath Holy and the like. The second half involve your relationship with man. Don’t kill. Don’t steal. Don’t covet. Jesus wrapped all of the commandments up into one statement when he said, “The most important commandment is this: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength and the second is you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:30-31)
If you now look back at what Jesus told the rich young ruler, He’s missing a few pieces. The only commandments He doesn’t mention are the ones that involve God. He has the ones involving his relationship with man down good. He’s kept those since he was a boy. But what about His relationship with God. In fact, why did this young ruler come to Jesus in the first place asking about eternal life?
We can speculate all day. Maybe he saw a new venture, something he can bottle up and sell to the public to increase his wealth. We really don’t know, but the answer Jesus gives Him shows us that maybe the rich young ruler had a heart condition. Jesus tells him, “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
We know the rest. The rich young ruler went away sorrowful because he had many possessions. But Jesus isn’t telling us here the way to salvation is by selling all of our possessions and giving them to the poor. He does mention later that it is hard for a rich man to enter into Heaven. Why? Because of what we place in our hearts before God. Our heart condition. Literal barriers that keep us from seeking God the way we should.
When I wanted to do ministry again, I thought I was ready. I thought my heart was ready. I stepped up, ready to go. I was working on bettering myself. I was reading my bible, going to church, I love people and serving. But I was stopped and pulled aside and told, “you’re not ready yet.” I didn’t quite understand it. Here I am, ready to charge forward and serve and do all I could, so how could I not be ready?
Truth is, I had a heart condition and did not even realize it. There were some issues I had not worked out with God beforehand, things I sort of set aside or maybe tucked away so I wouldn’t have to deal with them. They were literal barriers that stood between me and God and I erected these walls and the fruit I was producing was a direct result of that.
I said I was ready, but what was I really doing? Holding onto many years of anger and resentment. After many years of abuse and losing my father, have I really dealt with those things head on or where they still in my heart, a blockage of sorts. There were a few times I was ready to walk away from God sorrowful. Not because I had much of anything, but because of emotions I had inside I didn’t know how to deal with.
Jesus said that not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” shall enter the kingdom of Heaven. Many will come to Him and say, “Lord, did we not do all these wonderful works in Your name? Did we not cast out demons and prophesy and work many miracles?” And He will look them in eye and say, “Depart from me, I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:22-23)
We can spend our whole lives doing this “Christian” thing, thinking we’re doing a good work. The rich young ruler certainly thought he had it all in the bag. As did I. Sometimes it takes a good friend to pull you aside and say, “Wait a minute. You’re not ready. Your heart isn’t where it’s supposed to be.” I encourage each one of you to look deep within yourself. Really look.
There are many signs that you may have a heart condition. Jesus said, “”You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?” (Matthew 7:16). The sign of someone with a good, healthy heart display the wonderful fruit of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
I claimed to be ready to jump in with my whole heart, but one of the closest people in my life saw I was trying to pick grapes from thorn bushes. It doesn’t work that way. My fruit was in the anger I was displaying in my writing, the way I was acting towards others, bitterness towards God after losing my father. All of those things were keeping me away from God and going in the right direction.
Hopefully as the next weeks and months pass, that blockage gets cleared out, the thorns and thistles fall and nothing remains but the good fruit of the Spirit that show a clean bill of health in the heart department. For me personally, I know it will take time and it may be a painful journey sweeping out the closets and ridding myself of all my demons, but it will all be worth it. My God loves me and is the ultimate healer and redeemer of us all. So don’t hold onto those things and allow them to choke the good fruit that wishes to grow in your life.
One of my all-time favorite TV shows was House, the one about the crazy, genius doctor who could solve cases no one else could. There was one episode in particular that came to mind when I was thinking about this particular subject. Dr. House was in love with a woman who worked in the hospital as the staff lawyer and she was very confused about her feelings as the two had history together and I guess they never got over each other.
At the end of one episode in particular, House is standing out on his office balcony and she comes out to join him and in her hand is a prescription he wrote for her and she laughed as she read it back to him, “For your heart condition…” It was cheesy and romantic, if you remove the part about her being married to another man and all the other drama added to that.
But I was thinking about that scene in particular when thinking about heart condition of my own. You see, sometimes we have heart conditions and don’t even realize it. That can be of the literal since. Like my grandfather who has always been in tip-top physical shape, always eats the right things, goes into the doctor’s office for a routine physical. No one had any idea that there was anything wrong with his heart, not even the doctor. But somehow, out of chance, the doctor asks him to walk on a treadmill and hooked him up check up his heart and what they found was blockage that needed immediate open-heart surgery. It took us all by surprise, even my grandpa who never felt any symptoms that there was anything wrong.
That must’ve been how the rich young ruler felt. One day, Jesus was approached by this young ruler and he asks Him, “What can I do to inherit eternal life?” and Jesus says to him essentially, “You know about keeping the commandments: You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.” And the young ruler answers, “Yes, I have done these things since I was a boy.”
Now, if we can back up a minute and look at the Ten Commandments, we can split them in half and say that the first five involve your relationship with God. Essentially, don’t worship other gods, don’t take God’s name in vain, keeping the Sabbath Holy and the like. The second half involve your relationship with man. Don’t kill. Don’t steal. Don’t covet. Jesus wrapped all of the commandments up into one statement when he said, “The most important commandment is this: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength and the second is you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:30-31)
If you now look back at what Jesus told the rich young ruler, He’s missing a few pieces. The only commandments He doesn’t mention are the ones that involve God. He has the ones involving his relationship with man down good. He’s kept those since he was a boy. But what about His relationship with God. In fact, why did this young ruler come to Jesus in the first place asking about eternal life?
We can speculate all day. Maybe he saw a new venture, something he can bottle up and sell to the public to increase his wealth. We really don’t know, but the answer Jesus gives Him shows us that maybe the rich young ruler had a heart condition. Jesus tells him, “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
We know the rest. The rich young ruler went away sorrowful because he had many possessions. But Jesus isn’t telling us here the way to salvation is by selling all of our possessions and giving them to the poor. He does mention later that it is hard for a rich man to enter into Heaven. Why? Because of what we place in our hearts before God. Our heart condition. Literal barriers that keep us from seeking God the way we should.
When I wanted to do ministry again, I thought I was ready. I thought my heart was ready. I stepped up, ready to go. I was working on bettering myself. I was reading my bible, going to church, I love people and serving. But I was stopped and pulled aside and told, “you’re not ready yet.” I didn’t quite understand it. Here I am, ready to charge forward and serve and do all I could, so how could I not be ready?
Truth is, I had a heart condition and did not even realize it. There were some issues I had not worked out with God beforehand, things I sort of set aside or maybe tucked away so I wouldn’t have to deal with them. They were literal barriers that stood between me and God and I erected these walls and the fruit I was producing was a direct result of that.
I said I was ready, but what was I really doing? Holding onto many years of anger and resentment. After many years of abuse and losing my father, have I really dealt with those things head on or where they still in my heart, a blockage of sorts. There were a few times I was ready to walk away from God sorrowful. Not because I had much of anything, but because of emotions I had inside I didn’t know how to deal with.
Jesus said that not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” shall enter the kingdom of Heaven. Many will come to Him and say, “Lord, did we not do all these wonderful works in Your name? Did we not cast out demons and prophesy and work many miracles?” And He will look them in eye and say, “Depart from me, I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:22-23)
We can spend our whole lives doing this “Christian” thing, thinking we’re doing a good work. The rich young ruler certainly thought he had it all in the bag. As did I. Sometimes it takes a good friend to pull you aside and say, “Wait a minute. You’re not ready. Your heart isn’t where it’s supposed to be.” I encourage each one of you to look deep within yourself. Really look.
There are many signs that you may have a heart condition. Jesus said, “”You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?” (Matthew 7:16). The sign of someone with a good, healthy heart display the wonderful fruit of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
I claimed to be ready to jump in with my whole heart, but one of the closest people in my life saw I was trying to pick grapes from thorn bushes. It doesn’t work that way. My fruit was in the anger I was displaying in my writing, the way I was acting towards others, bitterness towards God after losing my father. All of those things were keeping me away from God and going in the right direction.
Hopefully as the next weeks and months pass, that blockage gets cleared out, the thorns and thistles fall and nothing remains but the good fruit of the Spirit that show a clean bill of health in the heart department. For me personally, I know it will take time and it may be a painful journey sweeping out the closets and ridding myself of all my demons, but it will all be worth it. My God loves me and is the ultimate healer and redeemer of us all. So don’t hold onto those things and allow them to choke the good fruit that wishes to grow in your life.
