In part one of “Healthy Things Grow”, titled “Guard Your Heart,” Senior Pastor Travis Tullis reminds us that healthy things grow from the inside out. Drawing from Proverbs 4:20–27 and 1 Samuel 16:7, Pastor Tullis explains that God is not primarily concerned with outward appearances but with the condition of our hearts.

Proverbs 4:20-27 instructs us to keep God's Word in our hearts because it is the real source of life, while 1 Samuel reminds us that although people look on the outward appearance, the Lord looks at the heart. As a result, God transforms us from the inside out through a life surrendered to Christ, which gives us a healthy spiritual life.

Spiritual health begins with grace, grows through obedience, and produces repentance that restores our relationship with Jesus. As Christ shapes our hearts with His wisdom, He both encourages and corrects our minds, leading us to walk into restoration with a new heart. A transformed heart naturally bears the fruit of forgiveness, authentic Christian fellowship, love, compassion, and genuine humanity.

To guard against spiritual drift, believers must cultivate a consistent prayer life, worship beyond the church gathering, remain connected to Christian fellowship, and maintain a steady diet of God's Word. Spiritual health strengthens our minds and influences our physical well-being. When life's pressures arise, what is hidden in our hearts is revealed, making it essential that Christ continually renew us from within.

Thank you, Senior Pastor Tullis, for leading us forward and higher together and reminding us that we are called to be fruitful image bearers, producing lasting fruit in God's Kingdom community with pure hearts.