We’ve all worn masks. We’ve all said “I’m fine” when we weren’t. But there’s no need to pretend with God. He sees what others miss. He sees the cracks, the ache, the longing. And here’s the grace: God knows your heart, and He chooses to stay. His knowing isn’t to condemn—it’s to heal.
God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes. —Psalm 18:24 MSG
How’s your heart?
Well, that’s a loaded question, isn’t it? It’s also the reason why women often avoid me at the park—they know I’m not there for small talk about the weather or the news. I want to know how their heart is. Though it's not a complex question, I have found it's very hard for one to answer.
Usually, when I ask, “How’s your heart?” I get one of two responses. Either there’s an outpouring of “all the things,” with emotions spilling all over the place. We call these people “over-sharers.” Or there’s a dumbfounded, blank stare. These are our “analytical friends” that cringe at the thought of a conversation about the heart.
But heartset is universal—it influences all of us, whether we’re aware of it or not.
If your skillset is the framework of your abilities and talents, and your mindset is the framework of your thoughts, then your heartset is the framework of your heart—it's the posture and alignment of your heart. It's the emotional framework through which you experience life, guiding how you feel, perceive, and ultimately make decisions. Heartset influences how you approach life—your dreams, relationships, and even your faith.
We live in a world that celebrates skillset and is obsessed with mindset, but often disregards or forgets the importance of heartset. Truth be told, you can have all the skillset and mindset in the world, but without a whole heart—an open, aligned heart—you will struggle and fall short of the full life Jesus promises. But a heart that is healed, open, and connected to God has the capacity to live out the bold dreams He has placed within you.
So, how is your heart?
The heart is no small matter in Scripture. It’s mentioned over 500 times in the NIV and more than 800 times in the KJV. The world might say, “Follow your heart,” but God never tells us to follow our hearts—He tells us to follow Him. At the same time, we often hear, “The heart is deceitful” from the pulpit, which can be true if our hearts are not focused on God. But the deeper truth is that God created your heart, and He does want all of it.
Though the idea of giving the Lord our whole heart makes sense, why can it feel so hard to do? Honestly, life. Life happens—failure, setbacks, hurt, mistakes. It’s easy to allow these experiences to cause us to shut down, numbing ourselves to avoid future pain, and guarding our hearts. Or, we may allow our emotions to get the best of us, completely dominating our lives, causing us to follow every feeling we feel rather than standing on God’s truth. The issue isn’t that emotions are invalid; it’s that unprocessed emotions lead to confusion and confusion always leads to a guarded heart and a lifetime of small talk.
I’d like to propose that small talk is a result of a guarded heart. Watch, the next time you’re at a park, or even with friends, be aware of how much conversation is happening without much of anything actually being said. Why? Because we are guarding our hearts.
Ultimately, a guarded heart is a broken heart and every broken heart needs healing. Healing isn’t a moment in time, nor does it happen automatically, it’s a process. People say that, “Healing takes time.” No! Time doesn’t heal all wounds. Healing does. It’s a proactive process that requires both time and attention and one we must learn to get comfortable with. But where does one begin?
Psalm 18:24 says, God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes. God can and will do the remarkable, inconceivable, most improbable things with your life, but first, you must open the book of your heart before His eyes. When you give your whole heart to the Lord, you find wholeness and completion.
Though I never want to minimize your healing journey to a 3-step guide, here is the process I have found effective for healing and wholeness:
- Take Your Heart to Jesus: This doesn’t magically solve all your problems, but it does shift your focus. Too often, we let the problem or pain become our focus—our "god." But the Bible tells us to bring our troubles to Him: In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33 NIV). When we take our hearts to Him, we shift our focus from our pain and proactively give to the One who has already overcome.
- Set Your Heart on Things Above: The next step is learning to keep your heart anchored in Him. Take Him your heart, yes, but let Him keep it! Scripture tells us to Set your hearts on things above (Colossians 3:1 NIV). Set is a fixed state. It’s not temporary, it’s permanent. When your heart is set on Him, on heavenly realities—rather than the things of this world—everything changes. You begin to live from heaven's perspective, and this transforms how you navigate daily life. This is what it means to experience heaven on earth, letting God's truths shape your every step.
- Put Your Heart into It: This means engaging with a healed, whole heart in all you do—not just going through the motions, but doing everything wholeheartedly, as an offering to God. Scripture says, Put your heart and soul into every activity you do, as though you are doing it for the Lord himself and not merely for others (Colossians 3:23 TPT). You’ll be amazed at how transformative and healing it is when you approach each task with your whole heart.
When you learn to continually bring your heart to the Lord, on the daily, He will heal and restore you over and over again. This restoration happens through an ongoing process of opening your heart before the Lord (take), resting in Him (set), and pursuing what pleases Him (put).
Watch as those small talk conversations turn into meaningful connections, opening deep wells of understanding for someone on their journey toward revelation. Watch how everyday moments transform into opportunities to share Jesus, support someone in their struggles, or encourage someone in their faith journey, whether they know God or not. A healed heart expands your capacity to truly care.
Today, begin to re-establish a divine heart healing by opening the book of your heart before the Lord. Let Him refine, realign, and renew your heart. He is faithful and He will write a beautiful story with your life!
Take, set, put.
Steps to Take:
Step 1: Get Real With God
Tell Him exactly how your heart feels today. No filter. No fix. Just honesty.
👉 Practical tip: Pray aloud, “God, here’s where I’m hurting...”
Step 2: Let Him Set Your Heart
Ask Him to anchor your heart in eternal things, not fleeting feelings.
👉 Practical tip: Read Colossians 3:1 and journal what “setting your heart” looks like for you.
Step 3: Put Your Whole Heart In
Show up for life with full presence—not halfhearted effort.
👉 Practical tip: Choose one task today and do it as if Jesus asked you personally.
💥 Healing isn’t a moment—it’s a rhythm. But it starts with opening the book of your heart.
If you believe God knows your heart, then give Him permission to go deeper. Watch my video on what the struggle truly reveals, explore my book, or grab a free devotional resource to experience healing and freedom.
