Inactivity Blocks The Heart

Health specialists tell us that heart disease is fast becoming one of the leading causes of death in America. I am amazed at the number of people that have fallen prey to this killer. It used to be that you only rarely heard of someone having a heart attack or struggling with heart disease. Now, it seems that nearly everyone you know either has heart disease, symptoms of heart disease, or has a family member who is suffering from heart disease.
The subject of heart disease came home to me when my father was diagnosed with heart disease caused by the build up of placque in his arteries. In order to open up his arteries and allow the blood to once again flow freely to and from his heart he had to have four bypasses done. His cardiologist said that placque forms in the arteries as a result of poor diet and the lack of exercise, along with possible hereditary issues. When we consume foods that are high in cholestrol and fat, placque forms in the lining of the arteries. If we live an inactive lifestyle it is more difficult for our bodies to break down this placque. Five months ago, I had to have 2 stents put in my arteries due to blockages that had formed due to lack of exercise, poor diet, and family history.
As we continue to think about revival, I can't help but notice the correlation between the heart disease that affects the health of America and the heart disease the affects the Church of America. God longs to reign in the hearts of His people. Yet, there are various elements that are blocking the flow of God's Spirit into our hearts. As with the blockages that hinder the blood from flowing to our heart, family history plays a part in the blockage of the Holy Spirit from our hearts. Scripture tells us that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden man has had a sin problem that has separated him from God. For the Christian, unconfessed sin blocks the heart and hinders the flow of God's Spirit into our lives. Our spiritual diet, like our physical diet also leads to blockages. When we fail to feed on a healthy diet of God's Word, Prayer, Meditation, Christian fellowship, and ministry, we add to the blockages that hinder revival from taking place in our heart. However, perhaps the greatest hindrance to revival in our hearts is the inactivity that blocks our heart.
James tells us in James 4:17 " So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." So often our greatest sin is that we know the right thing to do, we just choose not to do it. The church by and large has become dormant in the 21st century. We know we should spend time in the Word, yet we don't -- that's sin! We know we should love our brother and show forrgiveness, yet we don't -- that's sin! We know that we should share our testimony -- the Gospel -- with others, yet we choose not to -- that's sin! Friends, when we know the right thing to do and choose not to do it, it is sin! This inactivity creates major blockages in our heart called sin that separate us from the transforming power of Jesus Christ. God longs for His people to cry out to Him in repentance and begin adjusting their spiritual diet and increasing their spiritual exercise so that that the pathway to our hearts will be open and accessible to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. We know the right thing to do; it's time to do it!