A REMINDER TO GUARD YOUR HEART
Proverbs 4: 23-27 NLT
23 Guard your heart above all else,
for it determines the course of your life.
24 Avoid all perverse talk;
stay away from corrupt speech.
25 Look straight ahead,
and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
26 Mark out a straight path for your feet;
stay on the safe path.
27 Don’t get sidetracked;
keep your feet from following evil.
The Scriptures speak of our heart, or our spirit, as the core of our being. These verses in the fourth chapter of Proverbs tell us the importance of guarding our heart and what the guarding process looks like.
Guard our heart because it is a life source. Various translations render verse 23 differently, but the message is clear. It is important to guard our heart. It determines the course of our lives. It is the source of life. The issues of life come from our heart. The springs of life come out of the heart. You get the point; the heart, our inner man, is vital. So because our heart is important, as with any other object of value, we are to protect it. Here are some reminders
“Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech.” Watch your mouth. That sounds a lot like my mother when I was growing up. If I was in trouble, it was usually because of my words. But it’s a fair warning to us today. Our connection to the Lord should reflect in our speech. In other words, there should be a difference in our mouths from those who do not have a relationship with the living God. Words that lift up instead of put down. Words that heal instead of hurt. Words that are profitable as opposed to words with no redeeming value.
“Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.” Watch your focus. What we look at has an impact. There are so many distractions available. Some distractions are just a waste of time, and some are toxic. What we focus on will affect our thinking, and our thinking impacts our actions. Also our thinking impacts our heart. Constantly looking at and thinking about the wrong things is not protecting our hearts. A greater focus on God’s Word is a far safer and stronger way to go.
“Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.” Watch your walk. Protect how you live. Jesus spoke of a narrow path that leads to life and a wide path that leads to destruction. How we live our lives impacts our heart. We can’t constantly live in sin, knowing we are doing wrong and not hurt our inner man. And when our heart is weakened, it affects our entire life. Remember verse 23: our heart determines the course of our lives. Living right is not God’s attempt to stifle our enjoyment of life, but rather, His wisdom for a strong productive existence that honors Him.
Watch your words, focus and walk, and keep strong in your heart. The long-term benefits are well worth the effort.