Our world has
fallen head-over-heals in love with love – an idealized version of it that
swallows massive amounts of our mental, emotional, social, and financial
resources. “We all” pursue it. Chick flicks, romance novels, music and newsstand
magazines all depict it. Advertisers appeal to it. Some brokenhearted people
avoid it. And we download the sentiment of it with 90% of music
selections.
And yet, God designed it. Love is a matter of the heart, and
biblically, the heart is the center of our emotions and will. Oh, and by the
way, since God has designed it…. The enemy is after it.
Our hearts are under fire by a culture that romanticizes,
fantasizes, and strives to realize love its’ own way apart from God. It’s a
brilliant tactic by “pseudo-love’s” main sponsor – Satan. Think about it. The
more distracted we can become by it, the less we can connect with the true
purpose for it.
When Jesus was asked to rank the most important
commandment in Mark 12, I imagine if He had a microphone He would have turned up
the volume and shouted:
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this:
‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no
commandment greater than these.” –Mark 12:29-31
Notice Jesus says the
first way to Love God is with all your heart. I don’t think it was an accident
He put the heart first. So, is it any wonder why the top target that the enemy
attacks is the numero uno commandment that God gives? And the strategy is to
distract it.
By dreaming, chasing and investing in romantic love, the
enemy can open up his arsenal of lies and deception to derail the most important
purpose for our heart — to love God with all of it.
How to Focus On
What Matters Most
Guard it
Your heart is enclosed within a
rib cage for protection. So too, we should enclose our emotional heart with
spiritual protection. We need to avoid exposing our hearts from being distracted
from an all-consuming pursuit for romantic love.
“Above all else, guard your
heart, for everything you do flows from it.” — Proverbs 4:23
Attach
it
Give God your heart, and He will give you all the rest. God knows
you. He loves you. You are His. His son or daughter and He calls you a friend.
Give your pursuit of romantic love to God, and when you are ready, He will place
you with an ideal mate.
neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of
God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Romans 8:38-39
Scan
it
Our heart’s emotions and intentions need to be continually under
scrutiny. As we open our hearts to relationships, or fantasies, there is room
for the enemy to creep in and create chaos with temptation. It’s better to let
God search your heart and help you identify any chinks in your armor.
“Search
me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there
is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” — Psalms
139:23-24
Deal with it
Should our affections go AWOL, our
relational capital gets overdrawn and creates blockage in our ability to hear
from, and love God with all our heart. That blockage is called sin, and after
God’s heart scan reveals it, we need to deal with it with a little heart surgery
by owning it, confessing it, and changing it — also called
repentance.
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each
other so that you may be healed.” — James 5:16
Connect
it
Loving God with all our heart requires a life-support system. For
men, it’s other men. We need a group of guys who we can openly share what’s on
our heart with to give us the benefit of their experience, perspective and
accountability. You wouldn’t put the most important issue in the hands of an
amateur. No, we need to treat this issue with respect and connect with other men
to allow the “body of Christ” to serve its function.
Here’s the kicker —
what you do and how you do it will have impact on your son or daughter, and
their sons and daughters. Many times, the Bible explains the actions of men have
repercussions. Others are watching. Your kids, co-workers, vendors, colleagues
and family members. So connect your heart to other men, and demonstrate that you
love God with all your heart.
“His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.” — Luke 1:50
Love the Lord with all your
heart, Jesus says is the top of top priorities. Shouldn’t we take an honest look
at what — or who — we love that much? If the answer is anything other than
God, then your heart is under fire. Get your focus back on what matters most,
and enjoy knowing your creator.
[written by Kenny
Luck]