Spiritual Analogy from My Open Heart Surgery

I had heart bypass surgery because the obstruction in my heart was controlling, dictating, and influencing my attitudes and frustrating my daily activities. It was not just slowing me down– it was killing me.

This was a reminder of how obstruction of sin can stop the flow of the Holy Spirit.

Are you battling a bad attitude? Have you ever lost it with your children, parent, or spouse and said a lot of things you regretted, then felt like a heel? Did you confess it? Did you lose it again a few days (hours) later? Why can’t we get victory over sin that plagues us? You may have a spiritual blockage obstructing the flow of the Holy Spirit!

What is the Root Problem?

We may think losing our temper is sin (and it is) but it is also a symptom of a spiritual blockage obstructing the flow of the Holy Spirit. Simply confessing the sin is not enough. You have to get to the root problem. Why did you lose it? Was it the children’s actions or bitterness towards a friend or family member that you’ve been pushing down? Was it the noise level or was it that lie you believed in your teen years that has grown and eaten at your spirit? Was it their actions or your guilt for not disciplining more diligently.

The Heart and Spirit Need to Flow Freely

The Function of the Heart : The heart is an amazing organ. God designed the heart as the center of our physical life. It never rests for more than a second. It is astonishingly efficient. Its few moving parts are almost indestructible. It is far more durable than any man-made pump.

The Function of the Holy Spirit: When we trust Christ to save us, the Holy Spirit enables us to have victory over the desires of our sin nature (Col. 2:11.) When we allow Him to freely flow through us, we grow and produce fruit of the Spirit evidenced by seeking time with Him, and receiving and obeying instruction from Him. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, and self-control.

Obstructions Blocked the Flow in My Heart

My left main coronary artery was 80% obstructed (it supplies blood to about two-thirds of the heart; it’s about the width of a straw, when this major artery is obstructed it is called the WidowMaker).

This blockage caused a decrease in the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart resulting in weakness, extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, and chest pains.

Obstructions Blocked the Flow of God’s Spirit

The Holy Spirit is always flowing in the Christian. God doesn’t turn His Spirit “on” and “off.” The Lord is always ready to flow through us as His vessel.

Sin is a blockage preventing or constricting the flow of the Holy Spirit resulting in separation from God and His perfect will for our lives. God’s Holy Spirit allows us to receive and transmit the wisdom, splendor, and power of the Living God into the world. We must guard it lest it become obstructed!

Symptoms of a Blockage in My Heart

For six months I experienced rapid decline in my health. It was easy to measure my energy level because I have a specific routine every morning. I would feed my horses grain in the barn area, get them hay and walk it across a half-acre pasture, then muck the paddock for 30 minutes. After hernia surgery in November, I was unable to get my energy back enough to muck the entire paddock without stopping to rest. This continued until I couldn’t even pick up a pitchfork.

Eventually, I could no longer walk across the pasture to feed the horses hay. FInally I could no longer care for the horses at all. Walking outside or across a room was too difficult. The obstruction was controlling, dictating, and influencing my attitudes and behavior. It was oppressing and discouraging me. The obstruction greatly effected how I related to circumstances and people.

Symptoms of an Obstruction Blocking God’s Spirit

When we stop producing fruit of the Spirit–love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, self-control–it is our first symptom that there is a problem—an obstruction stopping the Holy Spirit and allowing sin nature to take over.

It may start slowly but the momentum quickly picks up the pace in a downward spiral. Instead of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, and faithfulness, we find anger, resentment, pride and unforgiveness. An obstruction is anything compelling enough to hold you in its power, keeping you from receiving God’s love and truth.

Once a blockage is established, usually because we have not taken every thought captive, we provide a foothold for the Devil (Eph 4:27). The obstruction will control, dictate, and influence your attitudes and behavior. It will oppress and discourage you. It will effect how you view or react to situations, circumstances, and people.

Finding the Obstruction in My Heart

The symptoms I experienced required testing to find the cause. I went to six different doctors to find the cause of the symptoms. On June 26, 2007 I met my hero, Dr. Askew, my wonderful, dear cardiologist, who was the only doctor that read a test result from last November in my files. That test revealed problems that required more tests in order to find the problem.

A nuclear stress test revealed the blockage but it appeared to be a mild blockage. The doctor scheduled a better test to view the problem in more detail. The next test, an cardiogram (cardiac catheterization) revealed the root problem—the blockage of the left main artery. Immediate open heart surgery was required.

Finding Whats Obstructing God’s Spirit

When there is a spiritual blockage in our heart the symptoms are a lack of the fruit of the Spirit. The next step is to find the cause. The secular word blames the problems we experience on a lack of money or lack of education, or the way you were potty trained, or some other nonsense, etc. When we strive to overcome problems without God we will suffer consequences. Immediate Holy Spirit surgery is required.

Spiritual obstructions are rooted in some sin. Sometimes it sin you committed. Sometimes it is sin commented against you which causes you to be bitter or unforgiving- i.e. in sin.

Finding the obstruction is necessary to deal with it, tear it apart and remove it. Not dealing with the obstruction will lead to frustration and probably more sin and the establishment of other strongholds. Before we deal with the obstruction, we need to have a clear understanding of how God made us, and what really motivates us. Prayer is the way to find the obstruction. God will reveal it to you. Once you recognize the root you can deal with it.

Removing the Obstruction in My Heart

Double bypass open-heart surgery fixed the problem and allowed blood to flow again. My obstructed left main  artery was replaced with an artery from my arm and another from my heart and the blood could flow . My energy level increases daily. I’m just waiting for the broken breastbone and incisions to heal.

To experience optimal health, the blood flow in the circulatory system must remain unhindered.

Removing the Obstruction Blocking God’s Spirit

The circumcision operation symbolizes the “spiritual surgery” that God wants to perform on the human heart (Deut. 10:16; 30:6; Jer. 4:4).

“We have a nature of sin that must be dealt with by the knife; only then can the Holy Spirit flow freely. In Christ, we can “walk in the Spirit and… not fulfill the lusts of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16). We submit to his surgical knife through repentance.

Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.(Acts3:19-21)

Whatever the obstruction–bitterness, jealousy, anger, pride, etc.–God is bigger! Mike Dowgiewicz explains,

“If you’ve entered into your relationship with Jesus based on a faulty understanding of Who He is, you can’t grasp how high and wide and deep is His love for you. He is LORD, and as such desires Lordship in your life. If you’re focusing more on the adverse circumstances in your life than on the One Who can free you, you’re listening to the spirit of confusion. When you truly comprehend just how great of a sinner you are and the vastness of Jesus’ atonement on your behalf, you’re better able to persevere in the “arena of suffering” that your earthly life calls for. When you’re assured of His plan, you can be confident that His purpose and His presence will continue without fail. As you desire to draw close to God, He will draw close to you.”

The free-flowing power of the Spirit frees us from all restraints of shame, fear, and hate and allows us to truly blossom as children of God who are much-loved.

The more fully you relinquish yourself to Him, the more you will discover that He has your best interests at heart and that His will truly is good, acceptable, and perfect. (Romans 12:2).

Get rid of any obstructions and stress and allow Him to flow and Guard Your Heart!

For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back from captivity’ (Jeremiah 29:11-14a).

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes (Ephesians 6:11)

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12).