RootedinHisWord

Before we go any further in this series, I want to lay a foundation—one that requires honesty, vulnerability, and willingness. The heart is not something God treats lightly, and neither should we. In order to experience total healing and true deliverance, there must be a deeper work done within us—what I call spiritual open-heart surgery.

As we begin, I want you to pause and reflect on three important questions:

• Where is your heart?
• What is in your heart?
• What does your heart treasure?

Scripture reminds us that it is possible to appear close to God outwardly while being far from Him inwardly.

“These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me.”
— Isaiah 29:13

God is not after surface-level devotion. He desires our hearts—fully, sincerely, and completely.

The prophet Jeremiah gives us a sobering warning:

“Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord.”
— Jeremiah 17:5

And just a few verses later, Scripture reveals why we must depend on God to examine us:

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?
I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”
— Jeremiah 17:9–10

So the question becomes—are you ready for your heart to be exposed before the Lord?
The Heart Surgeon awaits.

The New American Standard Bible defines the heart as the mind or seat of emotions. That definition helps us understand why God places such importance on the heart—it governs how we think, feel, decide, and live.

To help illustrate this spiritual truth, consider what happens before a person undergoes open-heart surgery in the natural. Before surgery, patients are often required to see a dentist. Why? Because untreated dental infections can travel through the bloodstream and infect the heart, leading to serious complications such as endocarditis. In other words, what seems unrelated can still affect the heart.

The same is true spiritually. Unaddressed issues—unforgiveness, pride, bitterness, fear, hidden sin—can harden the heart over time.

Open-heart surgery is defined as any procedure in which the chest is opened and surgery is performed on the muscles, valves, or arteries of the heart. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the most common type of heart surgery is coronary artery bypass surgery, often necessary when arteries become narrowed or hardened.

This “hardening of the arteries” occurs when plaque builds up, restricting blood flow. When blood cannot flow properly to the heart, the result can be catastrophic.

So let me ask you—how is your heart?

Spiritually speaking, hearts can harden too. When resentment, sin, or misplaced trust builds up, it restricts the flow of God’s life and truth within us. And just as physical surgery exposes the heart, spiritual surgery requires exposure.

“People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
— 1 Samuel 16:7

The life a person lives will always reflect the condition of their heart.

Jesus reminds us of this truth:

“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks… A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.”
— Matthew 12:34–35

What comes out of your mouth reveals what is stored in your heart.

That is why Scripture instructs us:

“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”
— Proverbs 4:23

David understood this deeply and prayed:

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
— Psalm 19:14

Later, after failing, David cried out again—not for appearances to be fixed, but for his heart to be cleansed:

“Cleanse me… and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
— Psalm 51:7

True change begins from within. Right conduct flows from a clean heart and a renewed spirit.

And finally, God makes it clear what He truly desires:

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise.”
— Psalm 51:17

Outward actions alone cannot please God if the heart is not right. But a heart that is humble, repentant, and surrendered—God will never reject.

So again, I ask you:

• Where is your heart?
• What is in your heart?
• What does your heart treasure?

Stay tuned as we continue to dive deeper into the heart and explore these questions more fully in the next post.

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