The stress of modern living is increasing the risk of heart trouble, but heart trouble has always been a risk for a disciple of Jesus Christ. My heart is my citadel and I must keep it strong if I hope to triumph.
I must not “err in [my] heart” (cf. Psalm 95:10). It is bad enough to err in my ways or in my mind, but if I err in my heart I will begin to sow the seeds of ultimate defeat. To err in the heart is to be unpersuaded, unconvinced by God’s Word (Hebrews 3:8–10). It means that God speaks in vain and His words carry no weight; He might as well have remained silent. If I ignore God’s message, before long I will become a firm unbeliever, which in turn will lead to hardness of heart (Hebrews 4:7).
Peter erred in his ways; once repentant, he found restoration with his Lord. But Judas erred in his heart; he ignored the teachings of Jesus and developed a resistance to the forgiveness Jesus offered.
I cannot presume that because I am saved I am in no danger of developing heart trouble. The many New Testament warnings were not uttered for the empty air but to make me a disciple with a clean heart, to keep me from regarding God’s words as trivia, and to make me realize every message from God is of the highest worth.
The most restless, discontented people are not the poor or the overworked; they are the hard of heart. To be strong in heart I must let God convince me, and keep convincing me as long as life flows on. The man convinced by God carries the flowers of eternity in his heart. Hezekiah once said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord … is good” (Isaiah 39:8, NIV). Whenever we ascribe goodness to God’s Word, it is a sign that God has convinced us and therefore our hearts are tender and pliant in His hand.
“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises! Awake, my glory; awake, harp and lyre I will awaken the dawn!” (Psalm 57:7–8).
Daily with the King 