Our emotions are powerful decision makers. It is more often used to make a purchase and justify why we need it. It move us as a person. It is a powerful force that can even drive our actions. The Bible often pertains to our emotions as our ‘heart’. The Bible also tells us to guard it. How do we do it?
This entry has been inspired by my meditation on God’s Word in Proverbs. God revealed to me about the heart, safekeeping, a cancerous disease and the only cure.
How do you guard your heart?
There it is folks – we hear it often. That term “guard your heart”. We hear it especially when we’re courting someone, or when being courted. But what does it really mean?
Furthermore, how do you really “guard your heart” ?
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” – Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.“ – Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)
Take it to the Bank
No, I don’t mean that literally.
What I do mean is: You put it in a safe place.
Just like how we put something most valuable to us in a safe place – a bank, a strong safe, etc. You put your heart in the safest place it can be – under the guardsmanship of the most vigilant protector and keeper – God Himself.
Directions for the Lost
“… for it determines the course of your life.“ – Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)
Determining the course of your life is no light matter. Your direction is important. When an airplane travels from one country to another, the direction it takes is vital. One degree of a mistake of a flight going to Hongkong can mean ending up in Thailand. Or worse – if the flight is a longer one.
How do you make sure that your heart is giving you the right directions?
“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” – Proverbs 19:21
Our hearts have a lot of destinations that it’s planning to travel. But there is the best one.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5-6
The straight path is God’s.
Give your heart to God for safekeeping. Let Him be the one to direct it.
Relationships? It has a lot to do with your heart.
Do you want a great love story? Let the one who loves you best write it.
Struggling with purity? Let God help you to keep it straight.
The Heart Cancer
There is a problem.
You and I, we have a disease.
And the bad news is, it’s in our very core.
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” – Jeremiah 17:9(ESV)
When a piece of metal has a small rust, it grows and sooner or later, eats the metal apart. You shouldn’t put that piece of metal aside for safekeeping – chances are, when you get back to it, it’s already rotten.
Before we give our hearts up to God for safekeeping, we need to make sure it’s healthy.
How do we do that when the Bible says that it is beyond healing?
After all, it is ‘desperately sick’ isn’t it?
“The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.” – Genesis 6:5
Being sick is because our hearts are bent towards sin
We were sick all along and the worst thing about it is, we are sick all the time!
Our hearts are bent on evil ALL THE TIME!
We are sick – and the diagnosis is evil and the root cause is sin and it is located in our hearts.
Every inclination of the thoughts of our hearts are evil ALL THE TIME.
The God Elixir
Praise God there’s a cure. No, it’s not a mixture of herbs and potions. The formula can be summarized to one sentence.
“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” – Psalm 119:11
Drink deep from the Word of the Lord. Study it. Apply it in your life. This is the cure-all for our life-long disease.
Only then can you fully surrender your healthy, God-cleansed heart to Christ for safekeeping.
