Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT) Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Every year, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) lists the leading causes of death in our country and every year, heart disease ranks as the number one cause of death among people. The heart is the primary vital organ in our bodies and life is defined as the moment the heart begins to beat, while death is defined as the moment the heart stops beating. The heart is also described as the headquarters for our feelings and emotions. The Bible tells us that all the issues of life flow from it (Proverbs 4:23). In other words, everything that you do flows from what is going on in your heart. The heart is so vitally important for so many reasons. But we have a rather large problem concerning our heart...it is desperately wicked and beyond cure (Jeremiah 17:9). Our heart gets us into a lot of trouble.

That's why David wrote, sang and prayed the famous passage of scripture above. David learned that his own heart could betray him, and it did a few times with disastrous results. Because of our sinful nature, our hearts are bent on wickedness. It takes the power of God Himself to turn a heart around. That's what is supposed to happen when someone is "saved." There is supposed to be a heart-change. We are supposed to be transformed. But even during the transformation process, we have to be on the look-out for our hearts because it is not only wicked, but it is also deceitful. That means that your own heart can even fool you. It might lie to you by telling you that you are doing something with a good motive when all along, you are actually acting selfishly for your own benefit. Because of this, David did the only thing that can be done when it comes to our hearts. He asked God to do the checking for him. It is fruitless to check your own heart because it can and will deceive you. But it cannot deceive God. God knows your heart and he knows what is in it. David knew that the safest way to ensure a clean heart was for God to look it over for him to point out anything that would be offensive to Him. He knew that this was the only way that he could be sure that he was on the right path.

How about you? Do you ever ask God to do a scan of your heart? Do you feel uncomfortable with that thought? If you do, it is because you are either aware that there is something in there that shouldn't be in there or you are not really ready to find out what's in there because you are comfortable with the status quo. But whatever is in your heart that doesn't belong will do great damage to you and to others in the long run. Don't run the risk of ruining your life because you didn't know what was really in your heart. Let God do a thorough examination and then heart surgery if necessary to remove anything that does not belong in there. In that way, you will ensure that you will be on the road to an everlasting life that will be a great blessing to everyone around you. Get ready for God to do your heart-scan. There is no appointment needed.

Pastor Joey Vazquez