Is Your Heart Free? By Lisa Burkhardt Worley

            Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  Proverbs 3:5

            We are celebrating our nation’s independence today, a day signifying separation from Great Britain’s rule and religious freedom, but are you truly free?  What holds you captive?

            I’ve been studying a lot about the heart lately and about how important it is to have a right heart for God’s glory to flow through.  I thought my heart was right, but during my quiet time last night the Lord asked me “Do I have all your heart?”  I responded, “Of course you do.  I have surrendered my life to you and you have all my heart.” “Then why don’t you totally trust me?” God asked.

            As I continued to read about the heart, God revealed to me that there was still a portion of my heart that I had not let him heal therefore not allowing him full access.  I had put a “no trespassing” sign on the broken place in my heart that had been damaged numerous times due to rejection from the ones I loved.  This led me to put a wall up to protect my heart from further damage,  both from people and from God.

            In his book, Waking the Dead, John Eldridge says about God: “Sometimes he will take us back to a memory, a time and a place where a shattering blow was given.  Other times he will make us aware of a young place in our hearts.”  Last night when I read those words, God took me back to a shattering blow.   I realized I had not given God my entire heart because I worried he’d reject me as well and that would be the ultimate heart break.

            So what now?  When you realize you haven’t given God your entire heart, what do you do?

            Ask him to heal that part of your heart.

            John Eldridge provides this prayer: Jesus, I invite you into this broken place within me (this wound, this memory). I give you total access to my heart.  Come, Lord, shine your light here.  Reveal to me all that is going on here.  What is this about, Jesus? Come and show me, meet me here, in this place.

            God wants us to trust him with all our heart because he loves us and he wants us to realize his love will never fail us.  What part of your heart is still in chains and needs to be set free? Where have you been wounded?  God desires to go there with you.  Ask him to shine a light on where you have not given your entire heart to him so that he can move into that chamber of your heart as well.  One of your arteries may be blocked, preventing his glory from flowing through. 

            Remember, He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3