According to the American Heart Society, these are the seven things you need to do to have a healthy heart*:

1. Be physically active every day.
2. Have a healthy diet.
3. Maintain a healthy weight.
4. Avoid smoking and tobacco products.
5. Control your blood pressure.
6. Maintain a normal level of cholesterol.
7. Take care of your blood sugar levels.

The human heart is truly something amazing. It weighs less than a pound, but beats approximately 100,000 times a day, and in the average lifetime beats about 2.5 billion times. Without the heart, the body quickly stops working.

The Bible mentions the word heart more than 800 times in common translations. Salomon, known as one of the wisest kings in history, wrote, “Guard your heart above all else,[a] for it is the source of life” (Proverbs 4:23 HSCB). We understand that even more than our physical heart, the Bible refers to that part which is within the human being, the soul.

We need to make guarding our heart our priority. That is where our emotions are born, where our words are created, and where we can truly know if we are living our life to its full potential.

Many people today limit themselves only to exist. It’s very easy to fall into the daily routine and lose that desire God put in us to do something more than just live to survive. A small flame of hope towards the future needs to be lit in your heart, knowing that you were created for more than navigating the worries of the day only to feel that you won’t ever reach your destiny. You were created to be happy, to give and to share that seed of hope with everyone around you.

1. ALLOW JESUS TO FILL YOUR HEART

Jesus said that the most important commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.” When all your heart belongs to Jesus, there is no room for resentment, there is no room for pain, there is no room for depression, there is no room for frustration or failure.

How is your heart? We tend to hide the true state of our heart behind an appearance. We don’t want to be seen as weak or maybe hiding it is the only thing we know to do. However, today we have the opportunity to open our heart and allow the love of God to fill us with hope for the future. Don’t live with hope for the past because this leads to remorse. Live with the hope and determination to receive God’s best for you every day.

2. LOVE OTHERS WITH YOUR HEART

We cannot live a full and rich life if we have broken relationships, it be because of family fights, disagreements, wounds or resentments that were caused in the past. The second most important commandment that Jesus gave us was to “love your neighbor as yourself”.

Our burdens will be lifted and we will walk confidently when we learn to forgive and love others without holding back. We need to understand that we were created to bring happiness, to give without expecting anything in return, to live without being tied to any feeling or behavior, and although we did not deserve it, we were bought at the price of blood. God planned an abundant life for you, He said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10: 10b NIV).

Loving others from the heart, even those who are difficult to deal with, leads you to live the abundant life God has for you. Almost all the problems the human being has are solved through forgiveness. This is your opportunity to make the decision to forgive, it may require a little effort, but in the end you will see that it’s worth it.

You may be going through a crucial moment in your life where you know there is something more for you but you haven’t found it. This may be the opportunity to find the love of God and discover the abundant life He has for you through Life Class. Thousands of people have found what they were looking for for years in this 9-week course that will take you to have an encounter with God, with others and with yourself. It may be the opportunity for you to stop simply existing and start LIVING! It’s time for you to receive the love of Jesus and begin to share it with those around you!

* https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/be-healthy-for-good-with-lifes-simple-7-infographic