Keep Your Heart

"Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life." 

Proverbs 4:23 (NKJV)

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." 

Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

Last night I returned from a Women of Faith conference in Orlando with a group of lovely women whom I am blessed to call friends. We heard from various speakers such as Patsy Clairmont, Sheila Walsh, and, a new one for me, Christine Caine.  I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend and the good teaching and the excellent reminders of God's redemptive power--His ability to turn even the horrible things in our lives into something beautiful.  This morning I got up and studied in Hebrews in preparation for my Sunday school lesson.  The author of Hebrews is frustrated with the lack of their spiritual maturity and chastens them for their "milk-drinking" saying "solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good evil."  Hebrews 5:14

All the Bible lessons and Bible reading I've done this weekend is wonderful, but it is absolutely useless if I don't put it into practice.  And putting it into practice isn't usually a large task, it's a small, consistent choice to continually keep watch over my heart and my thoughts.  In Proverbs 4:23, we are admonished to keep or guard our hearts.  I am a NKJV girl, but I think NIV really nails it with this translation.  Guard it because everything you do flows from it.  What's happening internally will decide what is happening externally.

Adam had a similar admonition in that he was instructed in Genesis 2:15 to tend and keep the garden (with the same connotation of guarding).  In fact the Hebrew word shamar can be translated as to keep, guard, keep watch and ward, protect, save life, watch (www.blueletterbible.org).  Adam had a responsibility to protect.  To be on guard against danger.  We all know that he didn't do his job well and it ends with disastrous consequences. 

We don't want to continue that same story over and over again in our lives.  So let's heed the warning to guard our hearts.  And how do we do this?

It starts by monitoring the monologue of our thoughts.  Many times over the years, when discussing sin, I would ask my students how they would like their thoughts to be broadcast for all to hear.  The terrified looks on their faces said it all.  It would be horrible!  We have a constant stream of thoughts going through our mind--many times unchecked.  Now I will preface this to say that for the most part, we have absolutely no control over those random, horrible thoughts that seem to come from nowhere.  We do, however, have control over what we do next.

2 Corinthians 10:5 speaks of taking our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ.  This is our goal.  Let me give you a practical example of how this looks:

1) Jane has a stupid thought (it could be one of fear, anger, lust, judgment, arrogance, or whatever) but for this situation we will say she has one of self-loathing.  She says to herself, "I am horrible and no one will ever love me."

2) Jane stops and recognizes that thought for what it is (not from God).  This thought is a big, fat lie.

3) Jane submits this thought to the truth of God.  "God's Word has told me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

4) Jane moves on.

We humans have a funny way of interacting with our feelings and thoughts.  We seem to believe that if we feel it or think it (especially in a strong way) that this automatically makes this sentiment true.  We don't take time to really think about it.  The awesome thing is we don't have to figure this out on our own--we have the word of God to help us identify truth and lies (too bad Adam didn't do this himself).  

When we feel something very strongly, whether it is shame, fear, anger, or lust, we are tempted to think this is the most real thing in the world.  It isn't.  Feelings pass.  One of the biggest lies ever is the lie that a certain feeling will never change.  We think if we feel it now that we will always feel this way.  And that simply is not true.  Because we can make a choice about what we want to believe.  We do not have to be lead by the emotions; we can choose to lead them instead.

We lead by bringing these emotions and thoughts to God's Word and seeing how they line up.  If they don't, we can just let them go.  It's not our fault that we felt it, but it is our fault if we hold on to it and nurture it.  And it is by doing this that we truly grow into maturity as mentioned in the passage from Hebrews 5:14.