Above
all else, guard your heart,
for
everything you do flows from it.
Proverbs
4:23
I
don't think I gave much thought to the phrase “guard your heart”
until I heard Steve Green sing a song of that title. I looked up the
Scripture verse and found that not only is guarding our hearts a
command, but the next three verses tells us how to do 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.
(Letters
in bold print are of my doing)
First,
what do we mean by “heart” as it applies to this verse as well as
to many verses we find in Scripture. It isn't unusual for us to
refer to heart as being the seat of our emotions. It's that place
where we think, plan, desire, feel and other of those
responsibilities we feel belong to the heart. Bottom line is, we
know that the heart in us only has the responsibility that is
physical in nature. It is responsible for pumping blood through our
bodies. All cultures, have usually referred to a body part like we
do with the heart when thinking of one's inner being. Some viewed
their cores as being situated in the kidneys or even liver. (Can you
imagine saying to someone, “I love you with all my liver.”) We
must keep straight in our own minds what we are guarding.
I
can guard my physical heart through taking very good care of it.
Some folks take an aspirin each day to avoid heart attacks. Some see
doctors on a regular basis where one of the first things done when
one is ushered into the exam room is to go through a blood pressure
check. The doctor then enters and with stethoscope, listens to the
heart from back and front of the body. So there is exercise, special
diets and medications to keep our physical hearts healthy.
Why
are we not just as careful in guarding that inner core, the center of
who we are that keeps us going in every other way. This kind of
heart problem can occur in almost any setting. There is no kind of
aspirin or medication for attacks on our spiritual hearts. These
attacks can happen in the home, watching TV, at work, on vacation,
school, and yes, even in church. Somehow we feel people will be
insulted if we walk away from situations that are unhealthy for that
inner heart in us that no doctor's stethoscope can detect. In my
single days, movies were fairly free of curse words. I remember the
first time I went to see a movie and within 15 minutes, I was
absolutely sick with disgust. I got up and walked out. On the way
out, I saw the manager and told him if he were really a man of
integrity, he would return my ticket money. I learned quickly that
he wasn't a man of integrity.
There
is a sweet lady in my church who does something very few women do.
If someone talks to her one on one and the person begins to speak
negatively of someone else, she finds a way to excuse herself. If
talking with a group and the conversation turns negative, you can
tell when she begins to move away from the group. She's never ugly
about it and remains pleasant as she walks away. Whether she's aware
of the terminology or not, she's “guarding her heart.”
How
many times in our day have we seen marriages destroyed because of
people having affairs with people from their offices. Many people
spend more time with people at work these days than they spend at
home during any waking hours with their families. My hubby and I
were reminded of a lady he once worked with that worked her way into
a small group of men from Brian’s section of work who went out for
lunch every day. Eventually, she had worked her way into a
relationship with one of those men. Two marriages/homes were
destroyed, children’s lives shattered. Someone(s) didn't guard
their heart(s). Included in this heart thing are friendships,
family relationships, and marriages. We must set up a line of
defense against anything or anyone that would cause damage to those
relationships we hold dear. Our verse tells us to look straight
ahead as even a casual glance to one side or the other can lead us
into trouble.
I'm
thinking in our day how many schools have come between students and
parents. In many school settings, concerned parents are regarded as
the enemy while their children are being indoctrinated, not educated.
Sometimes, we have to help guard the hearts of children who are
vulnerable and don't even know that there is a battle going on. I
was saying to a lady just this week that if I had children in grade
school in this day, I would go to the school ahead of the school year
and ask to see a complete set of text books my children would be
working from. If the school refused me that privilege, then I would
have to regard the material as not suitable for my child and if need
be would remove them from that school. Sound rash??? Guarding is
serious business.
Some
things we must guard against, remembering that sin will always start
in the mind (spiritual heart). Avoiding sin must be our first line
of defense. The following might be some things we will have to guard
against:
- rebellion
- bad attitudes
- angry spirits
- gossip
- feuds
- inappropriate activities
- sin taken in through the eyes...movies, TV, books, magazines, etc.
- false teaching in the spiritual realm
- inappropriate contact with the opposite sex
- distractions
- lack of spiritual focus
Our
list could go on and on. If we are to be spiritually fit, we must
have a healthy heart, (that well guarded core of our being), if we
are follow to God's plan for our lives. An unguarded heart will
become weak and sick, weakening us in every way spiritually. Pride
will suggest to us that we are above being infected by the things of
this wicked day we live in. That is our first mistake. Many
well-known Christians have fallen into Satan's grasp and the media is
very quick in telling us all about it. We must be alert just as a
soldier is ordered to be when on sentry duty, guarding a certain
secure area. We too are called upon to guard a very private area of
our lives...our hearts. It means determining some things ahead of
time, not in a prideful way but in moving in God's strength. Pride
can tear down any good intentions we might have. I've always said
though that when we shoot at nothing, we'll probably hit it.
Guarding our hearts is a worthy goal and God wants to equip and
strengthen us in our efforts.
My
dear Heavenly Father...I haven't always been as spiritually alert as
I should have been. So easy it is to fall into sinful habits almost
without thinking. I'm so sorry for failing You in not being all for
You I should have been. Keep me alert to Satan's wiles and ways and
may I be ever alert to guard my heart. I can do nothing without Your
strengthening. I love You and praise You for Your love and direction
in my life. Amen
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