Teaching Text

ProvERBS  4:20-23 

My son, pay attention to what I say;

turn your ear to my words.

Do not let them out of your sight,

keep them within your heart;

for they are life to those who find them

and health to one’s whole body.

Above all else, guard your heart,

for everything you do flows from it.

Sermon Recap

This Sunday, Pastor Sam Gibson kicked off our January series, God Comes Where He’s Wanted, with a teaching on the central importance of the altar of the heart. Scripture and revival history consistently show that God moves where there is a deep hunger for His presence, and this is the true catalyst for renewal. While we cannot control when or how God moves, we can cultivate environments that attract His presence, and this begins with the altar of the heart.

Proverbs reminds us that the heart is the wellspring of life. Jesus consistently taught about the importance of the heart as the control center of our whole being, calling us to guard it carefully and to recognize that tending our hearts is a primary spiritual responsibility.

Pastor Sam explored four conditions that can damage the heart: the dead heart in need of spiritual awakening, the divided heart pulled between competing gods, the dull heart numbed by neglect and distraction, and the damaged heart shaped by pain and rejection. We cannot repair our hearts on our own, but Scripture promises that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and can give us healing if we submit to Him.

Rather than striving to fix ourselves, we are invited to return to a posture of desperate dependence on God—remembering the beauty and power of the Gospel, the spirit of adoption we have received, and our identity as beloved children of God. We are encouraged to cultivate daily rhythms of feasting on God’s Word, growing in responsiveness to the Holy Spirit, and making room in our lives for God to search us, lead us, and renew our sensitivity to His voice. As we examine where our attention lies, we can open our hearts fully to God again, allowing His life to flow through us and into the world around us.