September 13, 2025 Devo

I had a friend a few years ago who went in to get his heart checked out. He hadn’t been having any major issues, but he hadn’t quite been feeling himself. He was getting tired more easily, and he was experiencing some minor pain in his chest from time to time. None of it was enough to really worry him. But then, one of his best friends dropped dead of a heart attack. They were the same age. It scared him enough that he decided he’d better see a doctor. He was glad he did. He had three arteries that had blockages, one of which was the main artery and was 90% blocked! The doctor told him that if he had let it go, it wouldn’t have been long before his fate would have been the same as his friend’s. Lesson learned. Heart issues are not to be trifled with.
How’s YOUR heart? Got any “blockages” that you need to deal with? When our physical heart has blockages, we can experience pain, or shortness of breath, or fatigue. But when we have spiritual blockages, we lose our JOY. That’s why the psalmist says, “Light shines on the godly, and joy on those whose hearts are right.” What causes spiritual blockages? Well, one thing that causes it is unforgiveness. Think about it. It’s hard to have joy when you’re spending your time stewing over something someone said or did to you. Bitterness becomes like the plaque that builds up on the walls of our arteries. And the longer we hold that grudge, the more damage it does to our hearts.
Guilt also causes blockages. Guilt is like a spiritual chest pain that God lets us feel so we can confess whatever it is that we’re guilty about. But if we deny, rationalize, or justify that guilt, our hearts can become hardened, and we put our lives and our relationships at risk. When we confess our sins to God, it opens the arteries between Him and us. When we confess our failures or wrongs to someone we’ve hurt, we open the arteries of that relationship as well. You’d be amazed how much joy can be restored through a simple, heartfelt, “I’m sorry.” It’s like a stent for the soul!
I want to encourage you today to do a heart check. Go to your Great Physician and ask Him if there are any blockages that you need to deal with. Let go of the resentment and anger. Confess your sins to God and your failures to those you’ve wronged. Let joy once again flow through the arteries of your soul. Don’t be a walking time bomb. A check-up with The Doctor today might very well prevent a crisis tomorrow. That’s God’s Word for you today.