Are You Ready for Heartworm Season?

That warning appeared on a sign for a Vet’s office. I saw it and read it on the way out to my office to get ready for this week’s message. I have been thinking about our senses and how each sense that we have can be either redeemed for the Lord’s purposes, or be used as a pathway for Hell’s devices.

If you think about it, our senses are really morally neutral. The same imagination that fuels our faith can just as easily be used to entertain lustful or greedy thoughts. It is via our senses that we are either enthralled with God’s creation or benumbed by intoxicants.

The thing that caught my eye about the heart worm warning was the fact that the Bible uses the phrase, "The Heart," to describe the seat of our personhood. A worm is a creature that operates in the dark and feeds off dead things. Those two thoughts collided in my brain and I got to thinking how so often it is in the realm of our senses, that Satan’s worm-like messengers do their worst.

Isn’t it fascinating that in computer lingo a "worm" is an intentionally placed, unwanted intruder, that is deigned to stealthily take control of your computer? That’ll preach! In fact it will be preached--this morning!

I’m no expert, but I do know that when a worm is present on the hard drive everything slows down and regular function is impeded. In some instances there are also files that are "corrupted." In the worst case, your computer will crash and you can lose what you had already stored in your memory.

This morning let’s look at "The Heart" and what Jesus told us about it. I think you will find that the Bible is filled with exhortations and warnings about the heart. "Guard your heart, for from it proceed the issues of life . . .."