HOW TO PREVENT HEART FAILURE
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18.
In a world plagued by sorrow, heartache, tears, disasters, and their likes, men’s hearts have started to fail them for fear. Because fear has torment, its effect on humanity has been hypertension, suicide, premature deaths, and many more. Therefore, one of the major solutions to this epidemic is to have a sound heart, as seen in scripture.
A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones.
Proverbs 14:30.
On the other hand, the Heart is not just an organ that supplies blood to the body; the Heart also refers to the core of the human spirit. In Greek, the word Psyche is translated as Heart. It means the center of the spirit.
You can not separate the human Heart from the human spirit. Man is a tripartite being comprising spirit, soul, and body. Since man was created in God’s image, man is a spirit that lives in a body and has a soul. Therefore the core of a human being is his spirit”…. The body without the spirit is dead. James 2:26. The center of that human spirit is the Heart. That is why anything that affects the Heart affects the spirit then the body follows suit.
A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the Heart the spirit is broken. Proverbs 15:13
A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.
Proverbs 17:22.
From these two scriptures, we can see that the Heart and the spirit are inseparable. The first scripture tells us that a heart full of sorrow can break the spirit, and according to the second scripture, the broken spirit will dry the bones that represent the body [flish]. The Bible says, “A sound heart is the life of the flesh.” [Proverbs 14:30].
THE ENGINE OF THE BODY
How to prevent heart failure? The Heart can be likened to a car’s engine to the body. If a vehicle’s headlamp is broken, you can still drive without it; If the windscreen or the body is damaged, you can always move the car as long as the engine is sound. However, if the vehicle’s engine knocks, the car becomes grounded until the machine is fixed; you can not drive any longer.
A car’s value is its engine; its Heart determines a man’s life condition. The engine’s importance makes you perform periodic maintenance because you understand that a sound engine is the car’s life. In the same way, “A sound heart is the life of the flesh.” The condition of your Heart determines the state of your soul and your body. As crucial as your Heart is, it is very delicate. In the same way, God the Creator guards the physical Heart with the thoracic cavity, and you are required to protect the Heart of your spirit with all diligence.
Keep your Heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23.
You need to keep guard over your Heart, for it is the spring of life in your body. The Heart is your body’s powerhouse, the last citadel of your being. Anything that touches your Heart touches you. The spirit is demobilized whenever the Heart dies, and the body becomes dead.
As long as your Heart is sound and safe, you can withstand any trouble, climb any mountain, and cross any sea. On the other hand, if you allow your Heart to be affected adversely by any situation, the result can be devastating. Problems like hypertension, stroke, aging fast, and premature death are common consequences of a wounded or broken heart.
THE ACCESS
Since God wants us to guard our hearts diligently, we must know the door to our hearts, for the gate is where you keep watching. The doorway to your Heart [spirit] is your mind. Both heaven and hell are trying everything possible to get your attention and gain access to your mind.
The mind is essential. An amputated or maimed person can still be helpful, but a mentally ill man may not be entrusted with any vital assignment. That is why you must keep guard over your mind, as it amounts to keeping guard over your Heart and spirit. Do not allow bad ideas and negative thoughts to gain access to your mind. The evil one cannot access your life until he gets access to your mind. The same method he uses against Adam and Eve is the same method for Jesus in Matthew 4.
You have to filter every thought that comes to your mind. To keep guard entails being diligent, alert, persistent, and forceful. It takes violent resistance to prevent negative things from filtering into your Heart. The world is full of pollution with negative news. Good and evil uses the same process to gain access to your mind. Your mind has mainly two access; your eyes and your ears.
You can feed your eyes and ears with the Word of God through the Bible, books, relevant messages, audio and videotapes, computers, television, and many more format of learning.
My eyes bring suffering to my soul Because of all the daughters of my city.
Lamentations 3:51.
Negative information can also be absorbed through these very media. According to computer scientist language, “Garbage in, garbage out.” It means what you feed your mind is what will come out of your mind. What comes out of your mind will determine your life. Negative information in, negative energy out. Positive news in, positive life out. So, the choice is yours.
“For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. A good man out of the good treasure of his Heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his Heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the Heart, his mouth speaks. Luke 6:43-45.
Your health and lifestyle can be determined by the kind of resources you feed on; therefore, be wise; do not play the fool.
A SECURE HEART LIVES LONG
Some people delight in carrying negative news. They are harbingers of bad news. Be careful about them, or they will damage your Heart irreversibly. To avoid Nabal’s mistakes and misfortune, you must heed what the Bible says. “Surely he shall not be moved forever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.
He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his Heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord” Psalm 112:6,7.
Keep your Heart focused on God’s Word. Trusting in God is to realize that He is entirely in control despite what you see or hear. If you trust in God, no strange or imaginary news can overwhelm you. There is nothing new under the sun. You are not the first person to see the type of trouble you are seeing. Even if someone close to you died, it would be best if you did not die too. Their time and destiny are not the same as yours.
Evil tidings killed Nabal, do not allow them to kill you. No matter how bad the doctor’s news, use God’s word to counter it. There is no impossibility with God. Medical names of some sicknesses kill a patient faster than the illness itself. So do not allow the doctor’s diagnosis or report to destroy you. You are a child of destiny.
KEY POINTS ON HOW TO STOP A HEART ATTACK
- Put your trust in God. Those who trust in the Lord Are like Mount Zion, Which cannot be moved, but abides forever. Psalms 125:1.
- Guard your Heart. Keep your Heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23.
- Put on the new you. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. Ephesians 4:24.
- Increase knowledge. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15.
- Don’t depend on a man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. Psalms 118:8.
- Don’t focus on yesterday. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, Philippians 3:13.
- Be in charge of your emotions. Whoever has no rule over his own spirit Is like a city broken down, without walls. Proverbs 25:28.
- Be joyful. A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones. Proverbs 17:22.
