The 29th September marks World Heart Day which is designed to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease and to stress the importance of living a healthy lifestyle whilst taking care of your heart.
According to the World Heart Federation, (CVD) is the world’s number one killer, “Combined, conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels – such as heart attack, stroke and heart failure – kill more than 20.5 million every year. Most of these deaths happen in low- and middle-income countries.”
It is also evident in the Bible that the heart plays an important role in one’s spiritual journey and in this article, we share 10 Scriptures that speak about the heart that one can meditate on and live by.
- Proverbs 4:23 – “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.’
- Proverbs 14: 30 – “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”
- Proverbs 15:13 – “A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.”
- Proverbs 17:22 – “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”
- Matthew 9: 22– “Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that moment.’
- Matthew 22:37 – “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’”
- Luke 21:34 – “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life.”
- Ephesians 1:18 – “I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.”
- John 7:38 – “Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”
- Hebrews 10:22 – “Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.”
In the above Scriptures we see that God is concerned about us guarding our heart, keeping it pure and full of trust in Him. It is important that in all we do as Christians we continue to guard our hearts.
This could include improving our prayer life and connecting with God all the time, reading the Word and living by it daily. There are so many treasures in the Bible that help us face the daily battles we find ourselves in. In guarding our hearts, we also need to ensure that we are gatekeepers of what comes in. Anything toxic will not allow one to grow is not worth the damage it brings to the heart. It is also important to live a healthy lifestyle including eating properly, regular check ups with the doctor and exercising so that we can live longer.