Heart Prayers: Seven Elements Which Compose The Language of Our Hearts

People tell me all the time that they have been in counseling for months or years to process their hurts and are still in pain! Or they have been praying for a miracle of healing, and it is still delayed. As I ask them what they have done, and listen to their story, I am able to help them see: They have NOT been using the language of the heart to heal their hearts. They have been using the language of their minds, analytical reason, and that is why they are still stuck!

Why I care about defining and using the language of my heart

1. My heart creates the boundaries of my life, thus shaping my life (Prov. 4:23).
2. To impact my heart, I MUST use the language the heart understands.
3. Personal transformation, the release of miracles and heart healing are results of using the language of the heart.

This means that the reality we are experiencing today was in all likelihood created first within our hearts. This includes worry, stress, disease and broken relationships or peace, tranquility, anointing, ministry, success and miracles – depending on what we have been speaking in our hearts. God’s intended blessings touch every area of our lives (Deut. 28:1-14). However, the language of our minds will not convince our hearts of God’s spiritual blessings.

The language of the heart incorporates the following seven elements: 1) It begins with the voice of the Holy Spirit, which is embraced as we choose to 2) affirm it as a 3) personal and 4) present tense reality. In addition, the heart's language is 5) visual, 6) emotional 7) and utilizes biblical meditation to frame in our spirits the things God desires to birth in our lives.

You can read through the Psalms to see how often David prays using 1) affirmative statements which are 2) personal and 3) present tense. A few examples from Psalms chapter 3 will get you started:

• You, O LORD, are a shield about me (Ps. 3:3)
• The LORD sustains me (Ps. 3:5)
• You have smitten all my enemies (Ps. 3:7)

Exploring the seven elements which compose the language of our hearts

1. Revelation birthed within by the Spirit: The Holy Spirit, Who resides in our innermost being (Jn. 7:37-39), communicates to our hearts through flowing thoughts, flowing pictures and flowing energy. The spoken word of God within our hearts (“rhema” Rom. 4:17) provides revelation and power (1 Cor. 12:7-11).
    
2. Personal truth: Jesus told the lame man to get up. The lame man got up, thus making God’s power personal and real to him (Matt. 9:6,7). Truth that is not personally acted upon is dead (Jas. 2:17). Meditation on the word of God must result in us applying it in order for it to benefit our lives (Josh. 1:8). Christ’s death on the cross will not benefit anyone who does not personally apply His blood to wash away their sins.
    
3. Present tense truth: We know the spirit world is present tense only, in that in the spirit world there is no past or future. God, Who is Spirit (Jn. 4:24) says; “I Am Who I Am” (Ex. 3:14). He is not an “I was” or an “I will be”. He is always present tense. Time is part of our world, but not part of eternity. When we are meditating and lost in spirit, time disappears from our awareness. Our hearts are energized by our spirits.
    
4. Positive affirmations: When we thank God that the promised miracle is already provided, we open the door for it to be realized. Mark 11:22-24 instructs us to pray, asking, believing and speaking that it is done. Negativity is prohibited. Those who are not thankful lose everything (Deut. 28:47,48). Instead, an attitude of gratitude and thankfulness is commanded (Col. 3:15,16; Col. 2:7; Heb. 12:28). In everything we give thanks (1 Thess. 5:18) and for everything we give thanks (Eph. 5:20; Phil. 4:6: 2:Cor. 2:14) because we know that God is big enough to work everything out for good (Rom. 8:28).

• The statement, “I am sick” is affirmative, but it is affirming the kingdom of darkness’ “facts” rather than the Kingdom of God’s Truth (Isa. 53:5).
• The statement, “I am not sick” is a Kingdom truth but it is not stated in the affirmative.
• “I am healed and walking in health” is a positive, affirmative Kingdom truth.

5. Truth visually seen: Pictures are the language of the heart (1 Chron. 29:18 NASB). I pray that the eyes of your heart would be enlightened (Eph. 1:18 NASB). A picture is worth 1000 words. Pictures move the heart and ideas move the mind. Since Jesus spoke to people's hearts, He constantly taught using parables which are picture stories (Matt. 13:34). Also, note that the Bible is essentially a picture book, telling the stories of people's lives. Holding a picture of the promise fulfilled (Gen. 15:5) promotes faith for transformation of one’s life and release of a miracle (Gen. 15:6).
    
6. Emotionally felt: We have emotions in our hearts. God was grieved in his heart (Gen. 6:6). One amazing discovery the Lord showed to me was that “emotions are very often by-products of pictures” and here is one place where this principle is asserted. "The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace (Isa. 26:3). Peace is an emotion, and is a result of what? “Mind” in this verse is “yetser” in the original Hebrew. According to Brown-Driver-Briggs “yetser” means imagination and frame up. Yetser shows up nine times in the Bible. Only in Isaiah 26:3 is it translated mind. It should more correctly be translated “imagination” which “frames up” realities for us. In the King James Version “yetser” is translated “imagination” five times (Gen. 6:5; Deut. 31:21 twice; 1 Chron. 28:9 and 29:18) and “frame” twice (Ps. 103:14; Isa. 29:16). So Isaiah 26:3 correctly understood is…  A steadfast imagination produces an emotional response of perfect peace, which in turn frames up and creates my reality.

Now, if we choose to imagine God’s pictures, we are framing up pictures which produce peace and faith for a miracle (Gen. 15:5,6). If we choose to imagine satan’s pictures, we are framing up pictures which produce fear and bring destruction (Ex. 14:11,12,35). We choose the picture we gaze upon and accompanying emotions follow. When we select God’s pictures we experience Kingdom emotions and frame up Kingdom realities.

Thoughts of our minds are powerless against the pictures we hold in our hearts. I can speak 1000 times that I am the righteousness of God in Christ, but if I am picturing myself as a miserable sinner, the picture wins over the 1000-fold confession. I can say I have forgiven a person 1000 times, but until I hold a picture with the eyes of my heart of Jesus alive in the scene, anger remains (Eph. 1:17,18).

Inner healing requires the use of pictures so that my heart is fully persuaded and healed. In inner healing, we invite Jesus to show us where He is in the trauma and what He is saying and doing. We tune to flowing thoughts (His voice) and flowing pictures (His visions) and we say, “Yes, Lord” to what He reveals, thus taking on His response toward the individual or situation.  Embracing this new picture, which contains Jesus alive and ministering God’s response, heals our hearts in ways words never can.

7. Meditation: Meditation is something we do in our hearts (Ps. 19:14; 49:3; Josh. 1:8). “Imagine” is part of the definition of the Hebrew word “meditate” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance #H1897). Meditation involves prayerfully reflecting and allowing the Holy Spirit to illumine the eyes of our hearts (Eph. 1:17) so we see from God’s perspective. Our hearts burn with revelation as Jesus opens Scriptures to us (Lk. 24:32).
   
   Meditation frames God’s pictures in our spirit, so they can be birthed through our spirit into our world. Biblical meditation promotes miracles. Rather than meditate on God’s promised provision half the day, and satan’s fear of failure the other half of the day, we choose to be steadfast and single-minded, meditating ONLY on God’s promise, visually seen as being fulfilled. No double-mindedness as that means I get nothing (Jas. 1:6-8). More on meditation here.

To successfully write a message on our hearts, we must use the language of our hearts, which means it is 1) birthed by the Spirit, 2) personal, 3) present tense, 4) positive (affirmative), 5) visual, 6) emotion packed and 7) something we meditate on continuously.

The Father of Faith writes God’s message on the walls of his heart and births a miracle

An example of a message of faith being written on one’s heart is that of Abram, the Father of Faith. At age 99, God spoke and changed Abram's name to Abraham, which means father of many nations (Gen. 17:5). This was at a time when Abraham had no children with his wife.

Now when Abraham thinks of or speaks his name, saying, “I am Abraham,” he is writing God’s promise on his heart by 1) making God’s spoken word to him 2) personal, 3) affirmative, 4) present tense, 5) visual, as it was based in a picture of millions of stars, which evoked 6) a deep emotional response within Abraham. 7) Abraham pondered God’s promise (Rom. 4:17-22). He didn’t spend his days, thinking, “This will never happen.”

Notice Abraham was not saying, “I have a goal of being the father of …” nor is he saying, “I ought to be….” nor is he saying, “I am becoming….” Each of these statements push the transformed reality off to some future date, and in reality you are telling yourself, “I am not this now.”

Instead Abraham is saying “I am the father of a multitude of nations.” He has entered the state of heart faith. He has heard a promise from God, saying this is his destiny (Gen. 12:1-3) and seen a promise from God as the promise fulfilled (Gen.15:5,6). He has chosen to ponder it, speak it and act in faith. Now in the fullness of time, God can bring it forth. Isaac was born to his wife one year later, and the earth was blessed through his seed about 1500 years later, when Jesus was resurrected from death at Calvary.

Two-way journaling application

• Lord, what truth do You want to write on my heart? How do You want me to speak it, see it, feel it, ponder it and act upon it? Thank You, Lord.
• Click here for some two-way journaling on, “Lord, can I trust the thoughts and pictures which come from my heart?”
• Click here to download a printed copy of this blog.
• Click here for another blog with examples of the language of the heart
• Click here for a blog on heart faith

Devotionals which utilize the language of the heart

To heal the heart, you must use the language of the heart!

• New Creation Celebration - Replacing Emotions
• New Creation Celebration - Replacing Beliefs
• New Creation Celebration - Putting on Christ
• New Creation Celebration - Possessing Your Promised Land
• Be Immersed in the Holy Spirit DAILY!
• Discover more heart-based devotionals here

The Treasure Chest – Spirit-Led Prayer Organizer: Devotionals to Meet Your Specific Needs