Hello my friends,
I pray the days of February have been blessed ones for you! To wrap up this lovely month, I thought it would be relevant, having recently celebrated Valentine’s Day, to consider the vital importance of a spiritually healthy heart. The Bible has a good deal to say about the heart. So to begin our discussion, I thought I’d share just a few of the many truths we can know from scripture regarding the heart…
Our words are determined by our heart (Matthew 12:34 & 15:18)
Our thoughts are determined by our heart (Proverbs 23:7)
Our pursuits are determined by our heart (Matthew 6:21)
Our hearts cannot be trusted (Jeremiah 17:9 & Proverbs 3:5 & 6)
God sees our hearts (1st Samuel 16:7)
Saving faith begins in the heart (Romans 10:10)
And lastly, as I was researching scriptures, I came across this fun fact that I’d like to share:
In Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible…the brain is not mentioned once, whereas the heart is cited 826 times. Lorence G. Collins
How incredibly interesting! Since there is such a high concentration of scripture devoted to the theme of the heart, it seems blatantly apparent to me that it is an important topic that God desires for us to grow in our understanding of. From a physical perspective we know how critically important it is to intentionally care for our heart, and I would add that in the very same manner it is equally, if not even more important, to care for our spiritual heart as it determines the quality of our spiritual well-being. Having shared this, I believe it is altogether wise to think well of this subject, and to prayerfully consider how to best care for, as well as protect our spiritual heart.
When seeking wisdom in any area of my life, I turn to the Bible, not merely as a reference, but truly as my primary source for wisdom, counsel and direction. How wonderful that included in the Bible is the book of Proverbs, a work dedicated solely to wisdom sayings and godly principles. King Solomon, well known for his extraordinary wisdom, insight and understanding authored much of this book. Although admittedly the wise king was not always the most exemplary in regards to relationships and matters of the heart, his wise sayings recorded in scripture do however include many practical, positive and godly principles on a plethora of subjects including the heart. One of my favorites that I’d like to highlight today is one I find to be especially significant in regards to protecting the spiritual heart.
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”
(Proverbs 4:23 NLT)
As with all scripture, it’s not enough to simply know it or even commit to memory. Head knowledge that doesn’t result in a physical action is simply information and the principles contained in scripture, which are actually quite user friendly, are most beneficial when heeded and applied. So, in an effort to enable us to purposefully apply this scripture, I’ve comprised a list of five positive and practical ways to guard your spiritual heart…
1. Guard your heart with prayer:
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 4:6-7 NLT)
When presented with the option of worry or prayer, the latter is always the best option. In reality, worry takes up far too much time and way too much space in our hearts and minds. Resisting the temptation to worry isn’t necessarily the easiest option, as by nature worry seems to be our go to. However, choosing instead to take our worries and cares to God in prayer, is hands down always the wisest and far better choice for our heart and spirit.
2. Guard your heart with admirable thoughts:
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
(Philippians 4:8 NASB2020)
Choosing admirable thoughts requires intentionality. If we truly desire to think of things that are lovely and of a good report, we must consistently and diligently program our minds with praiseworthy thoughts. This will require us to be selective and deliberate regarding the things we choose to look at and listen to. This is truly critical as our thoughts are generated by the things we see and hear. Bottom line: If we truly do not want junk to take up space in our heart, we must determine not to look at it or listen to it.
3. Guard your Heart with peace:
“And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.”
(Colossians 3:15 NLT)
Whatever consumes your heart is also ruling your heart. Choosing peace in any season and in every circumstance is not based on condition, but rather position. As children of God, we are invited and empowered to position ourselves rightly through the act of abiding. (John 15:4) The scriptures declare that we are right now spiritually positioned with Christ in heavenly places. (Ephesians 2:6). While it is possible to acquire peace, or at least temporary peace on our own through mindless, busy activity or through self-help effort, only the peace that comes from Christ is real, true and lasting, and this is the peace we must allow to rule in our hearts.
4. Guard your heart with praise:
“I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.”
(Psalms 9:1-2 NLT)
As I read through this scripture, I detect a wonderful resolve revealed in the four I will statements: I will praise, I will tell, I will be filled, and I will sing.
Filling our hearts with praise is a beautiful and most effective way to safeguard our hearts against worry and fear. God dwells in the praises of His people, (Psalm 22:3), and when God is in our midst, we experience freedom, peace and joy.
5. Guard your heart with joy
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.”
(Proverbs 17:22 NLT)
Not to be confused with temporary happiness based on circumstances, joy is a lasting fruit produced by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22), a source of spiritual strength (Nehemiah 8:10), and a safeguard from the enemy (Philippians 3:1).
True joy is not founded on feelings or emotions, but rather is grounded in faith, and is expressed in a daily and ongoing commitment to be filled with joy.
“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!”
(Philippians 4:4 NLT)
I’d like to close with a personal illustration regarding my kitchen drawer. Let me explain…
In my kitchen, I have a drawer designated for odds and ends such as pens, paper, tape, lighters, scissors, and other various items. I imagine you have one of these drawers as well. Anyway, I appreciate having this drawer as it provides easy access to miscellaneous items that I regularly need and use. The problem that arises is that all too often I haphazardly and carelessly deposit random additional items that do not belong in this drawer. This is never a good idea, resulting in my once designated and useful drawer becoming a chaotic and confusing junk drawer. When this happens, and it does, I make the choice to clear, organize and restore my drawer to a proper working order. I share this illustration only as I realize that in the same way my useful drawer becomes periodically chaotic and cluttered when I carelessly deposit additional items in it that do not belong, so also our hearts can easily become burdened and congested with cares, worries, and fears that should not be stored there. And when this happens, and truthfully periodically it will, we must respond in the same manner as I did with my junk drawer, by making the choice to clear, organize and restore to a right order. Once again, the process of decluttering anything, be it a garage, a closet, a junk drawer or a heart requires intentionality and time, but it is always and most definitely time well spent. How privileged we are that God in His great love has chosen to make His home in our hearts. Since God resides in our hearts and daily speaks into our hearts, this is all the more reason that we must be diligent and consistent in protecting our hearts from anything that might cause a barrier between our hearts and His.
I hope you found this helpful and encouraging. I pray you will continue to seek truth regarding matters of the heart, and will be strengthened in your resolve to persistently and diligently keep watch over yours.
God bless you my friends…
Carol
“Guard your heart above all else…”
(Proverbs 4:23 NLT)
