Guard Your Heart

Philippians 4:8-9 “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. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

I’m not sure how many of you have noticed this, but we live in a world that is constantly striving to obscure those things that are positive and good, and draw our attention primarily toward the negative things of this life. For instance, the news cycle thrives on pushing fear and uncertainty—this has been especially true for the last 5 to 10 years. Social media routinely spreads, amplifies and exaggerates perceived injustices, complaints and criticisms. Even in our personal lives, many of us find ourselves dwelling way too much on what’s missing, what’s broken, and what’s painful.

But did you know the Bible tells us that we should see our lives from the opposite perspective—not meaning that we should live in denial of the difficult things of life, but that we shouldn't make it a habit to dwell on them. Again, Paul says, “Think about such things that are: excellent, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, those things that are praiseworthy. And why does he suggest we dwell upon these things? Because what we allow our minds to focus on can actually shape who we become. Let me say that again because most people seem to forget this very important truth; what we consistently allow our minds to focus on can actually shape the person we become.

I think we can all agree that before the fall, Adam and Eve had it made. They were perfect people in perfect health living in a perfect environment. There was no corruption, no pain, no sorrow and certainly no death.. Until one day the deceiver distracted Eve from the absolute perfection that was her life.

He subtly convinced her to forget about the truth of God's word, overlook His infinite love, to dismiss the innumerable blessings He had given her, and he did this by shifting her focus to the one thing God specifically withheld from them. And because she entertained these thoughts, focused on what the tempter presented as something negative, she was quickly transformed from a perfect creature living in a perfect world to a broken and dying sinner living in a broken and dying world..

In Proverbs 4:23, God through His servant Solomon says “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life...”

Solomon isn’t suggesting that we wear a bullet proof vest all the time in order to protect our literal hearts that pump blood throughout our bodies, he’s talking about guarding our minds—he's talking about diligently keeping our minds clear of thoughts that could endanger us physically, emotionally and spiritually. And merely keeping those harmful thoughts at bay is not enough, we also need to be filling our minds with uplifting, encouraging and edifying thoughts—thoughts that will build us up rather than tear us down. Because, like I said earlier, what we dwell on—what we continually think about can quickly and dramatically change who we are and what we do…

I grew up in the 70’s and 80’s. And it was during that time that David Berkowitz was frequently in the news. If that name sounds familiar, it should; he was notoriously known as the "Son of Sam" A serial killer who was responsible for a series of shootings in New York City during the 1970s that left six people dead and many others injured.

Before he became a serial killer, David was just a boy—born to a troubled home and adopted by a Jewish family in the Bronx. But unfortunately, his adoptive mother died when he was young, and that loss deeply affected him.

From early on, Berkowitz was consumed by feelings of rejection, abandonment, and resentment……

Instead of seeking help and healing, or choosing to focus on the positive relationships and opportunities in his life, he became increasingly obsessed with his negative thoughts. He dwelled on how unfair life had been to him, how misunderstood he was, and how others seemed to have the happiness he was denied. These dark thoughts festered and grew like a cancer in his mind, feeding despondency and delusions, and eventually opening the door to violent thoughts, followed by violent actions...

He later claimed that he heard voices telling him to kill—in fact, he said these voices came from his neighbor’s demon possessed dog. Whether delusional or not, one thing is clear: Berkowitz had let his thoughts become dominated by darkness and negativity. And that mindset transformed him from a disadvantaged, hurting young man into a dangerous predator.

Now you may be thinking, Dwight, are you telling me that if I allow my mind to dwell on the negative or painful things in my life, that I may actually become a serial killer? I'm not saying that, although it is possible…What I am saying is that the state of our minds—not our circumstances will determine our ultimate destiny. And that our minds are either strengthened or weakened by what we allow to occupy them…