“What does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,” (Deut. 19:12).

You must raise your heart-rate for your spiritual health. The spiritual life is all about your heart!

How is your heart today?

When do you receive a spiritual heart-rate?

It comes when you are “born-again.” You are born again when you realize you are dead spiritually. You will repent of sin, confess sin, ask forgiveness and place your faith in Jesus Christ. “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9).

At the time of your spiritual birth you are about an “8” on a scale from 0-10. At this time you are on a “spiritual high”… forgiven and eternal life!

At “0” you were spiritually dead! Unbeliever, you have no spiritual heart-rate. You are dead and doomed.

Christian, how long you stay at “8” will be a result of your heart and commitment to God.

The new Christian’s spiritual heart-rate will begin to rise or it could decline. Why? Sometimes the local church neglects the new-born and the new-born does not see the example of Jesus Christ in fellow Believers or the pulpit.

This causes a decline in your spiritual heartrate.

You will begin to enter the “danger zone” and will become spiritually unhealthy.. worldly! It is called the “backslidden” condition. You become prey for false teachers. “The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways” (Prov. 14a).

Don’t wait on the local Church…you will starve to death spiritually! You can end up in the emergency room… where God deals with you. Pick up the cross and walk behind Jesus Christ! Pray and study His Word. Ask God to teach you. Take responsibility for your own spiritual heart-rate. Take your pulse daily!

Christian do you want to elevate your spiritual heart-rate? His Word shows us how it is done.

Remember that “10” is your goal, but will only happen in Heaven. If you were saved, baptized and joined the local fellowship you were an “8.” Where are you today?

What else must take place if your spiritual heart-rate is to be elevated?

“Jesus said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind’.”

He also said “love your neighbor as thyself” (Matt. 22:37-39).

Having good feelings about Jesus is not enough. You must love Him above all and with all your heart. This involves the will. When you love Him you will obey God. You want to “walk” in all His ways.

This elevates your spiritual heart-rate! When you love our neighbor, your spiritual heart-rate rises.

To keep your heartrate elevated, you must exercise your heart on its knees in constant prayer and all humility, seeking to honor and praise Him. Praising Him is good medicine for your soul and it fills your heart with an unspeakable joy and God delights in it. Without sincere prayer and Bible study you will lose your joy. You must examine your walk with the Lord, and when the Holy Spirit of God (whom we received at spiritual birth) speaks to us about it… and He will, just pick up the Book, pray and let

See WATTS, page 5 Him bless your heart.

You must memorize the Scriptures, hiding them in your heart. Attend a Bible believingpreaching local church. Join in the singing, praising Him, giving willingly always from the heart, witness to the unbelievers, and this is when we truly learn how to worship Him in spirit and in truth. When these things take place in your committed heart, your spiritual heart-rate will be elevated.

Serve Him with joy! “Obey His voice! Cling to Him, for He is your life” (Deut. 30:30).

You can have a good spiritual heart-rate when you are in His will. Remember it is all about your heart!

Since you were saved, has your spiritual heartrate been elevated? You should mature daily!

Raise your heart-rate! Christian, remember Israel!