The Heart - Bible Study Guide #1

Our usual way of living life has been turned upside down in recent days.  Thankfully we serve a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  His Word is truth amidst a flood of news in which it is increasingly hard to discern the truth. 

According to I Peter 5:8 our enemy, the devil, is always on the prowl seeking whom he can destroy.  That is why we must be alert and put on the armor of God that is described in Ephesians 6:10-18. In a battle the enemy goes for the heart because if he can mortally wound the heart, life will slip away.  Now more then ever we need to understand our spiritual hearts and be prepared for the battle ahead. So grab your Bible and a cup of coffee and sit down and join me for a "heart to heart" study.

Study Guide #1

The human heart is a muscle that beats an average of 70 times per minute.  That is 100,000 times a day, 36 million times a year, and 3 billion times in a lifetime.  It's primary job is to keep our blood pumping and distribute oxygen and nutrients throughout our bodies.  When the human heart does not work properly, life is threatened.

Our daughter, Avarie, has a heart condition called supraventricular tachycardia.  Her heart decides life is too slow, and it will race at nearly 200 beats per minute.  When this happens her heart is working, but it is not working properly.  The result is she becomes fatigued and light-headed.  Her lips will turn bluish in color and her chest hurts.  Sometimes these SVT episodes occur and her heart does not resume a normal rhythm on its own, and medical intervention is required.

The spiritual heart is as essential to life as our physical heart.  The big difference between the two is that our physical hearts our temporal, but our spiritual hearts live on forever.  It would seem then that taking some spiritual "healthy heart" measures would be beneficial. We do not want our spiritual hearts to become unhealthy and get locked into patterns that eventually will destroy us.  The Great Physician's intervention is required.

What is our spiritual heart?

1.  It is the seat of our emotions, attitudes, and character.

Look up the following Scriptures and identify the emotions, attitudes and character traits associated with the heart.  (I used the NIV version.)

• Psalm 13:2 
• Psalm 19:8
• Psalm 28:7
• Psalm 112:7-8
• Proverbs 3:5
• Proverbs 12:20
• Proverbs 14:30
• Proverbs 23:17
• John 14:27
• Romans 9:2
• Philippians 4:7
• James 3:14

2.  It is the location of our thoughts and decisions.

• Psalm 19:14
• Luke 2:19
• 2 Corinthians 9:7

3.  It is the soil where the desire to know, love, and serve God is nurtured.

• Deuteronomy 4:29
• Deuteronomy 6:5
• Deuteronomy 11:13
• Romans 10:9,10

4.  It is the dwelling place of Christ and His love.

• Romans 5:5
• Ephesians 3:16-19

Based on the Scriptures you have read today draw a picture or diagram of your spiritual heart.  Contemplate an area where your heart may not be healthy and need some attention from the Great Physician.  Ask God to create in you a willingness to let him do his work on your heart.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."  Psalm 139:23,24 NLT

If you missed the introduction to this lesson series, you can find it by clicking here...The Heart.