Proverbs 4:23 “Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”
Before us is one of the strongest statements in the Bible about the need to pay serious attention to a critical area of our lives. The verse starts with guard and then says what is to be guarded is to be done with all diligence. With these bookends, we have something that demands we wake up and pay serious attention to it.
What is so vital that it demands such attention? It is our heart.
While we should take care of our physical heart we are not talking about our physical heart. Proverbs 4:23 speaks of the seat of our emotions and will. The Bible refers to the heart as where we make our decisions. You might recall, for instance, that Jesus said in Matthew 15:19 that “out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.”
Because of how important our decisions are then we must make certain that we have a heart that is clean, not corrupt. Based on what our heart takes in determines what will come out. The old saying goes “Garbage in, garbage out.”
What does it mean to guard with all diligence your heart as our very life depends on it? The heart disease that we must avoid is sin. How do we keep our hearts from sinning? I am glad you asked. The answer is found in Psalm 119:11. It says, “Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”
Solomon will give the instructions to his son, “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart;” (Proverbs 4:20-21)
To guard and protect your heart, you will need to fill it; yes, you need to saturate it with the Word of God. Saturating your heart with Scripture is one of the surest ways to stop sin!
Someone said, “The Bible will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from the Bible!”
I must add that hiding God’s Word in your heart is only the first step. With the hiding, there must also be the heeding or obeying of God’s Word. Proverbs 3:1 says, “My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep or obey my commands.”
Taking care of your heart is priority one! Guard it by guarding your eyes for what you look after impacts it. Guard your ears, for what you listen to impacts it. Guard your thinking as what you think about impacts it. Regarding your thinking and your heart let me give one more verse for keeping your heart healthy. It is Psalms 19:14. It is a prayer. It says, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
What actions do you need to guard with all diligence your heart?
Friends, the heart of the problem is the problem of the heart. In taking care of your heart, getting saved is the most important decision you will ever make!
Continue Strong with a Clean Heart,
And remember to DATE the Word
Bonus: In the 4th month of the year, April, we are extending a 4 x 4 challenge and encouraging you to read a chapter 4 each day of April. For April 23 we challenge you to read 1 Peter 4.