GUARD YOUR HEART
.
What it means to guard your heart
“above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do
flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from
your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before
you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all
your ways.” (Proverbs 4:23-26).
When Solomon refers to
guarding the heart, he really means the inner core of a person, the thoughts,
feelings, desires, will, and choices that make that person who he/she is.
.
The Bible tells us that our
thoughts often dictate who we become (Proverbs 23:7; 27:19).
.
The mind of a man reflects
who he really is, not simply his actions or words. That is why God examines the
heart of a man, not simply his outward appearance and what he appears to be (1 Samuel 16:7).
.
Just as there are many
diseases and disorders that can affect the physical heart, there are many
ailments of the spiritual heart that can impair growth and development as a
believer.
.
Atherosclerosis is a
hardening of the arteries due to accumulated cholesterol plaques and scarring
in the artery walls.
.
Hardening of the spiritual
heart can also occur. Hardening of the heart occurs when we are presented with
God’s truth, and we refuse to acknowledge or accept it.
.
Although Egypt was stricken
with one calamity after another when the Pharaoh refused to release the Israelites
from their bondage, he hardened his heart against the truth that God Almighty
intended to deliver His people from Egypt (Exodus 7:22; 8:32; 9:34).
.In Psalm 95:7-8, King David pleaded with his people not to harden their hearts in
rebellion against God as they did in the wilderness.
.
There are many things that
can harden the heart and lead a person to deny God, and just like cholesterol
blocks blood flow, they keep a believer from having a free flow of God’s peace
and blessings derived from obedience.
.
Guarding against a rebellious
spirit and cultivating a spirit of submissive obedience to God’s Word,
therefore, is the first step in
.
Heart murmurs are abnormal
flow patterns due to faulty heart valves. Heart valves act as doors to prevent
the backward flow of blood into the heart.
.
Spiritual heart murmurs occur
when believers engage in complaining, gossip, disputes, and contention.
.
Believers are instructed many
times to avoid grumbling, murmuring, and complaining (Exodus 16:3; John
6:43; Philippians 2:14).
.
By engaging in these
activities, believers shift their focus away from the plans, purposes, and past
blessings of God to the things of the world.
.
God sees this as a lack of
faith, and without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).
.
Instead, Christians are
instructed to strive for contentment in all things, trusting in God to provide
what is needed in His good time (Hebrews 13:5).
.
Guarding against a
complaining spirit and cultivating a spirit of gratitude and trust is the
second step toward guarding the heart.
.
Congestive heart failure is
an inability of the heart to successfully pump blood through the body due to
weaknesses within its walls.
.
Congestive heart failure can
result from hypertension (high blood pressure), myocardial infarctions (heart
attacks), and abnormal enlargement of the heart.
.
The spiritual equivalents are
anger, giving in to temptation, and pride.
Anger acts like a poison on
the body, both physically and spiritually, and makes a believer more vulnerable
to the temptation to hurt others with our actions and words.
.
Ephesians
4:31-32 instructs, “Get rid of all
bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of
malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as
in Christ God forgave you.”
.
Every Christian is locked in
a constant, intense war with demonic forces. Many of us become so intent on
fighting the external spiritual war that we forget that much of our battle is
not with external forces, but with our own mind and thoughts.
.
James
1:14-16 tells us, “Each person is
tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then,
after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is
full-grown, gives birth to death. Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.”
.
Sin always begins in the
mind. A sinner must first conceive and dwell on the sinful action before he
actually carries it out.
.
The first line of defense,
therefore, must be to refuse to even contemplate a wrongful action.
.
The apostle Paul tells us to
take every thought captive, so that it conforms to the will of God (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
.
Proverbs 16:18 tells us that pride leads to destruction.
Proverbs
16:5, says, “Everyone proud in
heart is an abomination to the Lord.”
.
Pride was the first great sin
of Satan, when he thought that he could be like God and incited one third of
the angels to attempt a coup in heaven (Ezekiel 28:17).
.
For this reason, Satan was
cast from heaven.
Satan also tempted Eve in the
Garden of Eden by appealing to her ego.
.
He said, “For God knows that
when you eat from [the forbidden tree] your eyes will be opened, and you will
be like God, knowing good and evil.”. (Genesis 3:5)
.
Eve desired to be as wise as
God, so she capitulated to Satan’s advice to eat of the fruit of the tree.
.
Pride was, therefore, the
downfall of man, as well. Satan did not want man to obey God but to become his
own god—determining for himself reality, meaning, and ethics.
.
This satanic philosophy is
the foundational philosophy of sorcery, secular humanism, and New Age
mysticism.
.
Avoiding anger, pride, and
temptation are also critical elements of guarding the heart.
.
The apostle Paul instructs
us, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble,
whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).
.
Dwelling on these things will
help to build a guard fence around our hearts.
.
God has made it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life through a relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ, and have eternal life.
I
am truly sorry. I now want to turn away from my past
sinful life and live a new life pleasing to You.
Please
forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again.
I
believe that Your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the
dead, is alive, and hears my prayer.
I
invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from
this day forward. Thank You that according to Your Word, I am now born again.
Please
send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of
my life. I promise to study Your Word – the Bible.
Use
me for Your glory.
.
God has made it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life through a relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ, and have eternal life.
Say
the following prayer:
“Father
God, I confess I am a sinner and my sins have separated me from You.
I
am truly sorry. I now want to turn away from my past
sinful life and live a new life pleasing to You.
Please
forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again.
I
believe that Your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the
dead, is alive, and hears my prayer.
I
invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from
this day forward. Thank You that according to Your Word, I am now born again.
Please
send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of
my life. I promise to study Your Word – the Bible.
Use
me for Your glory.
In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.”
RELATED POSTS:
. .
A
Pure Heart
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
What
Shapes Your
Desires?
.
.
.
..
.
10 Idols of Your Heart to Remove
.
.
.
.
.
“This Is My Desire”
Hillsong
Holly
Dawson
lyrics
This is my desire to honor you
Lord, with all my heart I worship you
All I have within me I give You praise
All that I adore is in you
Lord, with all my heart I worship you
All I have within me I give You praise
All that I adore is in you
Lord I give you my heart
I give you my soul
I live for you alone
Every breath that I take
Every moment I'm awake
Lord have Your way in me
I give you my soul
I live for you alone
Every breath that I take
Every moment I'm awake
Lord have Your way in me
Lord I give you my heart
I give you my soul
I live for you alone
Every breath that I take
Every moment I'm awake
Lord have Your way in me
I give you my soul
I live for you alone
Every breath that I take
Every moment I'm awake
Lord have Your way in me
No comments:
Post a Comment