FEED YOUR HEART: FINDING SPIRITUAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH IN A BROKEN WORLD

To be sure, Jesus isn’t talking about cholesterol levels or bypass surgeries.5 Jesus is talking
about a different kind of heart trouble—the kind that can also be classified as anxiety, apprehension,
concern, fear, worry, or stress. The kind of heart trouble that can feel like a loss of hope, a lack of
faith, a panic attack, or pangs of uncertainty. The kind of heart trouble that keeps you up at night
thinking about money, biting your nails when you are worried about your child, on the telephone
with a friend craving advice for a crumbling marriage, or concerned about difficult challenges in
your own marriage relationship that don’t seem to go away.
Perhaps today you’ve already had palpitations of worry or fear about some financial issue
or problems with your spouse or children. That’s the kind of heart trouble Jesus is talking about. It’s
the kind we’ve all experienced. It’s the kind of heart trouble, faith trouble, lack-of-peace trouble that
tends to run raging and rampant in our lives. Trouble that seems to appear every day in our lives;
the kind of trouble we haven’t gotten used to and don’t care to.
It is very clear that heart trouble—of the physical, emotional, and spiritual kind—is a
significant threat to our well-being as followers of Christ. Thanks to scientific studies, we know
that a healthy breakfast will help our arteries. But what about our hearts of faith, our worries, and
anxieties? What about those gnawing fears and gnawed fingernails? Let’s be honest—is it even
possible—as followers of Jesus in an extremely messed-up world, to listen to His command and
have an untroubled heart? Really? Of course, it is. After all, Jesus, the Son of God; Jesus, the Messiah;
Jesus, your Lord, and my Lord; Jesus, your Savior, and my Savior, is the one who is saying “Let not
your heart be troubled” (v. 1).

WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING YOUR HEART?

According to God’s Word—in fact, according to Jesus Himself—having an untroubled
heart of faith all comes down to what you’re feeding your heart. Just as granola or ugali make
a difference physically, what you’re feasting on or depriving yourself of makes all the difference
spiritually and emotionally.
Ask the experts, and they will tell you there are three keys to physical well-being: a
healthy diet, regular exercise, and adequate rest. If you neglect any of these, you are headed
for trouble. The same is true with your heart of faith and emotional well-being. It must be
well-fed and well-run to be spiritually and emotionally healthy and strong. If we take another
look at the words of Jesus, we hear Him say: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in
God, believe also in Me” (v. 1). Jesus tells us the key to heart health—which includes emotional
health—is to trust in and feast on Him. What our hearts need to stay healthy and strong is
regular nourishment from Christ and an active life of following Christ. Like muscles in our
bodies, the more we exercise our faith the stronger it will be. The more experience you have
with God, the more confident you will be that what He says He will do; the promises He has
made, He will keep!
Isaiah 41:10 reminds us: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

12 | SERMON IDEAS