Guard your heart diligently aka protect your human spirit by paying attention to the content (TV, music, etc.) that you consume. It is my belief that many of the problems that Christians have in their lives are not the devil attacking them or their “bad luck” acting up again. No, Christians face many of the obstacles that they face because their human spirits have collected and created the very problem they are in today!
Main Point
Our Text
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Proverbs 4:23 KJV
What does it mean to “keep” your heart?
That word “keep” in the Hebrew means to guard from dangers, keep, blockade, etc. This verse is telling us that it’s important to guard our hearts and protect it all the time (aka “with all diligence”).
It’s about keeping ourselves pure.
When should we Guard our Hearts?
Our primary verse for the day gives us some insight into when we should guard our hearts. See this verse tells us to keep our hearts “with all diligence”.
That means there are no days off! Think about a security guard at a vault. If he took a day or two off, then why was he even guarding the vault in the first place? The thief will just wait until you take the day off!
What should we Guard our Hearts from?
27 Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.
Proverbs 19:27 KJV
It’s not a coincidence that the secular books we read, TV we watch and music we listen to all seem to promote un-godly ideas. I don’t think I need to point out any examples because it’s so prevalent around our culture today. You have to look hard to find the wholesome content in our entertainment culture today.
The devil knows all too well that “…as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…” (Proverbs 23:7 KJV). He knows that if he can get you to listen to it and watch it – eventually – you’ll start to believe it…
That’s why it’s so important to be familiar with the various faith laws that God has instituted to operate in this earth.
Remember “faith” or “belief” comes by hearing so the more we hear something eventually we will believe it to be true. It doesn’t matter if we didn’t believe it the first time. It only matters what we have allowed ourselves to believe now.
Not hearing the Word of God is choosing something else by default
We would never consciously say this, but every time we choose not to fill ourselves with the Word of God we are saying, “I want the words of the devil to root deeper in my life.”
See, it’s impossible for us to escape hearing negative thoughts or words. We live in this world. If you went around trying to never hear doubt, unbelief or fear then you’d have to cover your ears everywhere you go!
You CAN fill yourself with more positive, faith-filled words than the negative ones you hear and choose to turn off the radio or TV when it’s spilling doubt.
Let God’s Peace Rule Your Heart
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Colossians 3:15-17 KJV
The goal is to operate in peace that passes all understanding. That can only come when we are more inside conscious than we are outside minded. Keep your thoughts focused on God and his Word.
This will guard your heart. I want to leave you with this verse in Colossians to think on. As you meditate on God’s word and guard your heart you’ll begin to put on the God kind of love to a greater and greater extent.
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