GUARDING YOUR HEART
PROVERBS 4:23-27
PROVERBS 4:23-27 NKJV
23 Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.
24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth,
And put perverse lips far from you.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead,
And your eyelids look right before you.
26 Ponder the path of your feet,
And let all your ways be established.
27 Do not turn to the right or the left;
Remove your foot from evil.
OBSERVATION:
I am glad that we are not just warned about guarding our hearts. We are given insight as to how to do this.
Verse 23 is important. Out of our spirits flow the issues of life. The NIV says, "above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."
I am sure we have not totally realized just how important our spirits are in our overall health and strength. But this is certainly a topic worth exploring.
So, how do we guard our hearts? Here are four areas to be aware of.
Watch your words. Verse 24 talks about not having a perverse or corrupt mouth. This is certainly no surprise. Proverbs has a great deal to say about words. People today may not deem words as important, but they matter to God. There is a heart and word connection. To guard your heart, guard your words.
Watch your focus. Verse 25 refers to eyes and eyelids looking straight. The thing about focus is where we put our eyes is where our heart goes. There is a lot of bad stuff out there today, from clickbait to negative to extremely toxic perverse material. One of our biggest challenges is keeping our focus on things that will help us. Things that will strengthen our hearts. This is one reason Proverbs 4:21 says to not let God's word depart from our eyes.
Watch your walk. How we conduct our lives are the paths we take. To guard our hearts, we will need to live in such a way that God is pleased. If He is pleased, we are going in a right heart-healthy direction.
Avoid evil. This goes hand in hand with watching our walk. When we sin, we are hurting, not helping our hearts. Thank God for forgiveness, but the best path is to abstain from sin.
The good news is that we can do this. We have the ability to watch our words, focus, walk and avoid evil. Don't get down about what you are not doing. Purpose in your heart to make improvements in all four of these areas. You'll be glad you did, and your heart will thank you.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord help me live in such a way that You are pleased and I am strong in my heart.