Guard Your Heart

Proverbs 4:23 (NLT), ““Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

Your heart is that most valuable organ pumping blood throughout your body to keep you alive. There is no doubt your heart is extremely important for this reason. You take care of it from the standpoint of watching what you eat, exercising to keep it strong, and taking medication when needed. But what about guarding your heart from those things which impact it in a different way.

Matthew 12:34-35 says, ““For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.” What is in your heart determines what you outwardly portray to others. Knowing this makes it even more important for you to guard your heart from the negative influences out there. The Life Journey devotional I’m studying really focused on this topic yesterday. There were two areas that really spoke out to me.

The first is guarding our hearts by setting healthy boundaries. It is up to each of us to set those boundaries of what you will accept into your heart. This includes things you listen to, read or otherwise jnteract with. You have to let others know what you will and will not accept. I have found as I mature in my walk with Christ this is something I have to do regularly. Sometimes it’s a matter of removing yourself from certain people and situations. Other times it’s a matter of speaking up when someone is crossing a boundary you have set.

The second is you have to work on the issues within your own heart. If you are carrying things that are keeping you from moving forward down the path God has for you, get rid of them. This was one of the toughest things for me to do. It means truly looking inside yourself and confessing those things you are least proud of, those things no one else knows. Until you can release those things from your heart, you will never be able to fully receive all God has for you.

God wants to do a work in each of us starting with our hearts. We see this in Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT), “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” God knows how important your heart is. You have to take great care of it and watch what you allow into your heart. Today is the day to do an inventory of what’s in your heart. Get rid of those negative things holding you back from God’s blessings. Fill your heart with those things helping you to be more like Jesus.

Truth In Love! ~ Chuck

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