GUARD YOUR HEART
In Prov. 4:23, Solomon said, above all else, guard your heart. That sounds pretty important. Let's see what is involved in that, why that is so important and what will help us to do it.
1) Guarding our heart involves other body parts.
Prov. 4:20-27, "My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil."
Solomon tells his son (and us) to listen closely. What we listen to plays a role in guarding our hearts. When we hear something that's beneficial we need to lock it up in our hearts. And we need to guard our hearts from believing things that are not good for us to entertain.
We will hear things that stir up our emotions; things that make us feel good. Not that the word of God doesn't produce good feelings but it goes deeper than that. With the word of God there is wisdom and substance attached to it.
But there are plenty of things that stimulate good feelings that are harmful to us. When we hear things like, 'just follow your heart' and we agree with it and take it to heart, that's not good. This adage is bad advice. It sounds good and it may not always turn out badly, but it often will because our feelings do not always dictate right choices. Many bad choices start out with good feelings.
On the contrary, there are some things that do not give us nice feelings that are actually good for us. Doing the right thing when we don't feel like it is a good thing. Honoring God when our heart isn't quite in it is a good thing. So, our ears play a key role in guarding our hearts. We need to keep wisdom in our heart and block foolishness from entering it.
Solomon says, above all else, guard your heart. Guarding our hearts is the top priority. Why? Because it is the wellspring of life. What's that mean? This is the only time the word wellspring occurs in the NIV. The wellspring is likened to being filled with good things. We need to store them up.
Often in scripture the heart means the mind but it can also mean the emotions. We need to guard both. If we don't guard our heart we will lose the good things that are in it and invite bad things to replace them. We need to keep the words of wisdom in our heart because they will be our very life.
If we live according to the wisdom of God we will benefit in every area of our lives but if these principles are not in our hearts then we will go through the motions at best and ignore them at worst. If I go through the motions they will not be a wellspring for me, they'll be superficial behaviors and not truly life changing ones.
We think of a wellspring being fresh and invigorating. We think of a vibrant, joyous spirit. And that type of behavior is infectious and contagious. It inspires people; it motivates them. A well is a container of water and a spring is flowing water. So when my heart contains good things and I let them flow, my guarded heart is a wellspring of life that blesses me and those around me.
Then Solomon goes on to talk about our mouths. Put away perversity and corrupt talk. Obscenities, vulgarities, provocative, suggestive, lewd words. Lies, deceit, smooth talk, flattery, dishonest, crooked, shady speech. Put it away and keep it far away.
Jesus said in Matt. 12 that out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. So if we think words are just instinctive or meaningless we're wrong. Whatever is stored up in our hearts is going to overflow and come out of our mouths. That's why above all we need to guard our heart. My heart is a wellspring; the question is, is it overflowing with sweet nectar or bitter poison? Is my heart producing fresh water that nourishes those around me or is it producing dirty water that makes people ill?
Prov. 22:17-18, "Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips."
If I listen and it goes into my heart and I apply what I learn then I will be blessed. When I keep i.e.-guard the wisdom that is in my heart then it will be on my lips and that is pleasing to God, myself and also to those around me who have ears to hear it.
Guarding our heart involves our ears, our mouths and our eyes. Keep your eyes straight ahead, fix your gaze before you. If my eyes aren't fixed on Jesus and his will I will look back to what I once had and when my mind's eye is focused on what's behind me my heart will soon follow and that spells danger for me.
When my eyes stray to the left or the right I will get distracted by lesser things and my attention is pulled away from where it should be. And it puts me in the danger zone of having an unguarded heart. Our eyes will fixate on what our heart desires.
Jesus talked in Matt. 6 about building up heavenly treasures instead of earthly ones. Then he said in vs. 21, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." This is another guard the heart issue. Which kinds of treasure is my heart set on? My heart will be passionate about whichever treasure I seek.
From there Jesus goes into talking about our eyes. Vs. 22-23, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"
When we are focused on earthly treasures we understand that before it is stored up in our hearts it's seen with our eyes. We see something, we want it, we pursue it; we get it-we treasure it. When we covet something we store that desire in our hearts and it creates a burning within us. We fixate on it and we obsess about it. This is the darkness that overshadows the light.
Instead, we dispel the darkness and guard the light within our hearts and do what 2nd Cor. 4:18 says-to fix our eyes on what is unseen because it is permanent; while the things of this world that we can see is only temporary.
Then, Solomon finishes up with our feet. He says we need to make level paths for them. What's that all about? It's about taking time to consider which path we take; using discretion about which way to go in life. If we have a guarded heart we will wisely consider the decisions we make instead of just going by our feelings or how things appear. When we incorporate God we will be guided on our path and our way will be firm and secure.
Earlier in Prov. 4, Solomon said in vs. 11-15, "I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life. Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way."
If we take in wise instruction and guard it in our hearts our journey will not be hindered. We won't be tripping over obstacles; instead we will see them, recognize them and avoid them. Our journey will not be a treacherous one but a safe one. It may not be an easy one but if we stay on the right path we'll be free from the hazards that we find on the crooked path.
Do not swerve. Solomon said to keep our eyes straight and our gaze fixed. If we don't then as our eyes go, our heart goes and our feet will follow. Desire breeds action. When we see something we want our feet will take us there; unless we come to our senses and pump the brakes.
So we set our hearts on not entertaining what's on the wicked path. We don't play around; we don't think we can step off and be okay because we'll just get back on. You can find your way back on the right path but what will happen to you while you're off it? Our deceitful heart tells us it will be predictable-we can step off and step back on without any consequences but we're in trouble when we think like that.
Instead, we keep our foot from evil; we aim to avoid it at all costs. Prov. 16:17, "The highway of the upright avoids evil; he who guards his way guards his life."
Our hearts are wellsprings of life. If we guard our hearts we guard our way; if we guard our way we guard our lives. We need to be careful what we listen to, what we look at and where we go. What do we entertain, what do we focus on, what do we pursue? We need to consider these questions.
2) Why do we need to guard our heart?
Because it is deceitful.
Jer. 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?"
One reason we need to guard our heart is because it is deceitful and beyond cure, apart from God that is. Solomon said above all else guard your heart because the heart is deceitful above all things. Our feelings and emotions can trick us. It's not always easy to tell if what we're feeling is right. We think something and we feel good about it so we do it and then we're surprised when it backfires.
Sometimes people play with our emotions. This is how manipulation works. It goes after our emotions. It can also go after our intellect but mainly it banks on being able to draw someone in emotionally. Get you to feel a certain way in order to get you to do what I want. Because people are deceitful our hearts can deceive us into thinking what they're saying is legit.
But sometimes people aren't out to manipulate us, they're telling us things because they believe them to be true. But the problem is they have been manipulated and their hearts have deceived them into thinking something is true when it's not. So, I'm not out to trick you, but since I am deceived, I in turn deceive you.
Therefore, I need to guard my heart against simply believing what I'm hearing without testing it. I need to learn to ask invasive questions; the who, what, where, when and why and how questions. My heart will tell me not to ask those kinds of questions because they might get offended or upset.
But wisdom needs to override that; lest I get fooled. I'm not saying we should enter every conversation with the assumption that the person is trying to get one over on me, but if I'm guarding my heart I will proceed with caution. I ask, examine, ponder and process. Why? Because I know my feelings and emotions can play tricks on me and I need to be careful.
I need to guard my heart because God is checking it.
Jer. 17:10, “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.”
Another reason we need to guard our heart is because God searches and examines it. We can hide what's in our heart from others but not from God. So we need to develop a pure heart; a heart that's pleasing to God. We should be asking God to search our hearts like David did.
Psalm 139:23-24, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
David wanted God to show him the things that he wasn't able to see. David understood how his thoughts and feelings could deceive him. He didn't want to rely on his own understanding-he wanted God to reveal the truth to him. He wanted God to show him the condition of his heart. He wanted God to show him the way he should go-the way that leads to everlasting life. A big reason David was a man after God's own heart was because he allowed God to examine his heart.
The word of God will help us to do that. Heb. 4:12, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
We have the word of God to show us when we're not thinking or feeling the right way. When we see the commands of God or the teachings of Jesus we are challenged on how we think and feel. Sometimes we have a version of truth based on how we feel about certain things. We feel revenge is justified in certain circumstances. We feel lying is ok when it spares someone's feelings. We feel certain thoughts are okay as long as they don't turn into action.
But Jesus went after that in Matt. 5 when he taught that sin isn't just an act but also what takes place in the heart. When Jesus argued with the Pharisees about his disciples washing their hands before they ate, he taught about the importance of what was inside a person over what was on the outside. He was addressing the heart.
He said later in Matt. 15:19, "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." Notice how most of the things in this list are actions. It starts with a thought or feeling and ends up as an action if it isn't dealt with properly. When we are feeling some kind of way, we need to deal with it before we act some kind of way.
When we allow the word of God to challenge the way we think and feel we open up the way to change the thoughts and attitudes of our heart. Psalm 119:11, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." I have hidden your word-I have placed it deep into my heart as a permanent fixture.
When the word of God has taken up residence in our hearts we guard it as the precious commodity it is. When we have something valuable we protect it; we guard it; we keep it safe from intruders. Satan is the intruder that wants to steal the good things that are stored up in our heart. If he can do that then we will sin. So, we guard our hearts to keep that from happening.
We need to guard our heart because if we don't it will become hard.
Heb. 3:12-13, "See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness."
If we don't guard our hearts, we will sin. And the more we sin, the more we let our guard down. The more we let our guard down, the more we lose the good things that are stored up in our hearts. The more we lose the good things stored up in our hearts, the more bad things will replace it. The more of the bad things that get stored up in my heart, the harder it becomes. The harder it becomes, the more I deflect any good things that try to work their way back into my heart.
Unfortunately, I've seen it happen. Where once a person was totally open to the word and their hearts were pliable to the will of God; because of the circumstances of life, because of the deceitfulness of worldly treasures, because of unmet unrealistic expectations, they slip slide away.
Over a period of time their hearts harden up and they become resistant to the things of God. Things like church or the bible actually offends them now. They lash out at you when you try to talk to them about it. They dismiss any attempt at getting them to see what has happened to them. It's sad.
It's not impossible that their hearts could soften again, but the warning in Hebrews is a serious one. See to it-make sure this doesn't happen. Humility will tell us to guard our hearts even if we don't think there's a threat against it. That's the problem-Satan is patient and subtle.
Like the frog in the kettle analogy. Put a frog in a boiling pot and he will jump out. Put him in a pot of tepid water and slowly turn up the heat and he will stay in until it's too late. That's how Satan operates. Little by little, bit by bit he adds the plaster to our heart until it's covered and then it hardens. We need to guard our hearts so we'll be prepared for Satan's cement.
And we see that we need to encourage one another to guard their hearts. We strive to incite our brothers and sisters to be vigilant and watchful. Peter told us to be alert because Satan is on the prowl, looking to devour. Let's make sure our hearts are guarded and encourage other Christians by telling them why they should guard their hearts too.
