You awake suddenly in the dark of night; cold sweats, shortness of breath and heart pounding. Like any man would, you talk it down – surely this is some bad indigestion from dinner the night before. You toss and turn and try to ignore what you are feeling. Unfortunately, as time passes, the pain and discomfort only increase at which point you finally accept this may be a larger problem...

Whether we have been through this experience or not, all of us can imagine the devastation and fear it would bring. Why? Because we hold our heart at a high priority… as we should; without it, the body shuts down.

But there is another heart working isn’t there? The heart to which we receive and give love, the heart that feeds our emotional state and maintains our relationships.
Brothers, we are experiencing an attack within this deeper heart and it needs immediate attention; our lives are at risk. This attack, however, is not exactly what we have in mind – actually quite the opposite. Instead of the usual symptoms we relate to a heart attack; here, we awake in a state of numbness, complacency and callousness

In other words, we are disconnected and distant; Men with a true heart of stone. No man in this state can be the husband, father or leader God desires him to be.

I know… none of us want to willingly accept we have a problem. We all lie there and try to minimize the problem; we tell ourselves it was just a bad moment or a lapse in judgement… it won’t happen again. But let’s be honest, we are scared; and in fear men try to distract themselves and avoid the reality of the situation. The reality being that we are far from where we want to be… our hearts are hard and they are truly heavy.

At the conclusion of your tests, the Doctor tells you He has identified a blockage within various arteries of your heart. Maybe you were naturally predisposed for this; but more likely it was a result of habitual behaviours over time. Regardless of the reason, you accept your fate and look to the Physician for answers… good answers… answers that promise a future

His answer is clear:

‘I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future & I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you. I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh’

Jeremiah 29:11 & Ezekial 36:26

Are you in need of this life-giving procedure? If so, it’s time to get up, address your situation like the emergency it is, and turn to The Great Physician for treatment. Of course, like any good treatment, it will take time and have some painful moments along the way.

But from it comes hope, healing and… True Recovery

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