Guard Your Heart
Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life. - Proverbs 4:23
Guard my heart. What does it mean? How do I guard it? It's impossible! Right?
Wrong.
It's not impossible, it's just very very very hard to do. In fact, most people aren't willing to, and they use that unwillingness as a poor excuse for impossibility.
This 'guarding the heart' issue usually concerns relationships with other human beings. It's so easy to hate and to love, to remember forever an insult or a smile. It makes people so much harder to forgive and to forget, all because of our heart.
Small muscle, strange muscle, dangerous muscle. It's the reason we do certain things and then justify our actions. It helps us dream up excuses. If not disciplined, it is likely to run wild,cause havoc.
So how do we guard our hearts?
First, of course, you must recognize the need to. Ascertain who your enemy is. If you spend enough time in the Father's presence, you'll learn to discern which thoughts and desires are not from Him. If doubts still assail, pray some more. Talk it over with a spiritually-mature Christian friend.
Once identified, you have to put your mind through a rigid disciplinary exercise. Every time thoughts come which feed the wrong desires, reject and rebuke them in the mighty, wonderful, glorious name of Jesus. 'Take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ'!
If you feel that you can't do it, ask God to give you the strength - He is the source of our strength and salvation, after all. Ask God to have mercy on you, and to plant His desires in your heart.
I think, above all, the most important thing is to have a strong relationship with Jesus. The more you love Him, the closer you walk with Him, the more you will desire to obey Him. Our dear Shepherd's voice will be clearer and louder too! You'll learn to recognize it.
Then the worldly desires will melt away like mist, and you'll find that 'guarding your heart' isn't that hard after all, once you've given it to Jesus.
Because He's watching over us. We are the apple of His eye; He guards us in the shadow of His wings - Psalm 17:8
for it is the wellspring of life. - Proverbs 4:23
Guard my heart. What does it mean? How do I guard it? It's impossible! Right?
Wrong.
It's not impossible, it's just very very very hard to do. In fact, most people aren't willing to, and they use that unwillingness as a poor excuse for impossibility.
This 'guarding the heart' issue usually concerns relationships with other human beings. It's so easy to hate and to love, to remember forever an insult or a smile. It makes people so much harder to forgive and to forget, all because of our heart.
Small muscle, strange muscle, dangerous muscle. It's the reason we do certain things and then justify our actions. It helps us dream up excuses. If not disciplined, it is likely to run wild,cause havoc.
So how do we guard our hearts?
First, of course, you must recognize the need to. Ascertain who your enemy is. If you spend enough time in the Father's presence, you'll learn to discern which thoughts and desires are not from Him. If doubts still assail, pray some more. Talk it over with a spiritually-mature Christian friend.
Once identified, you have to put your mind through a rigid disciplinary exercise. Every time thoughts come which feed the wrong desires, reject and rebuke them in the mighty, wonderful, glorious name of Jesus. 'Take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ'!
If you feel that you can't do it, ask God to give you the strength - He is the source of our strength and salvation, after all. Ask God to have mercy on you, and to plant His desires in your heart.
I think, above all, the most important thing is to have a strong relationship with Jesus. The more you love Him, the closer you walk with Him, the more you will desire to obey Him. Our dear Shepherd's voice will be clearer and louder too! You'll learn to recognize it.
Then the worldly desires will melt away like mist, and you'll find that 'guarding your heart' isn't that hard after all, once you've given it to Jesus.
Because He's watching over us. We are the apple of His eye; He guards us in the shadow of His wings - Psalm 17:8
posted by sleepypurplepiglet at 5:09 PM
2 Comments:
Hey there,
Just wanna encourage you that what you've shared in this blog have been a blessing. Laughed at your witty remarks, nodded with your on-the-spot observations but most of all gained lots of insight to Our Mighty Lord. Keep on writing lady!
Respectably admired,
Your Closet Reader ;)
Amen!!
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