Guarding Your Heart
Jeanne Stewart, Oklahoma
When I was a young child, I had a very special wooden box my father had made for me that I kept my cherished possessions in. I kept my box hidden away in a secret place in my bedroom. Even my nosey brother did not know its place, for if he had discovered it; my property would have been lost. So when I wanted to enjoy my treasures, I made sure I was alone. I would guard my special box very well, for it held things precious to me.
Today, within my heart of love, I hold spiritual treasures that are precious to me. As Proverbs proclaims in chapter 4 verses 20 through 23, God speaks to us: “... pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” In this passage, we see the importance of knowing the spoken words of Almighty God. We need not carelessly sin against Him as we make our commitment a lasting relationship with our Lord Jesus; we guard His precious truth in our hearts.
Within the Church today, many are destroyed by the ways of our corrupt culture, being short on attention to what God is saying and long on disobedience. There is a need for personal knowledge of God’s Word and His ways. “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6).” Many do not safeguard their own hearts. Rather, they expect the pastor to watch their hearts with the sermons preached or with his prayers over them. Sadly, when a prophetic word is given, these same people close their hearts and pay no attention to the warnings spoken in corporate worship from Almighty God. Satan has slipped in and stolen their treasures, exhausted their affection and destroyed their desire. Their hearts have become inflexible when they hear the sound of heaven’s prophetic warnings to the church.
The preaching of God’s Word should be the softening agent of precious truth that is life to the soul. We must pay attention and listen with sincerity. We must guard God’s precious word in our own hearts? Why? The answer is simple: when the enemy comes to kill, to steal and destroy, he cannot find our special place for it is hidden in Christ as we guard our hearts, by His word in us, alone. The enemy will continuously try to steal our hidden treasures unless we guard them well. So the main strategy for guarding our hearts is self-control. Taking our own “captivity captive,” (2 Corinthians 10:5) we guard our hearts spiritually. We take the responsibility for our own anointing and protect it. These areas that make us weak, keep us in captivity, so we must take them captive by the power of, “... it is written”!
In the natural realm, life within us is sustained by the flowing of blood and the pumping of the heart. If our vessels become hardened, our blood flow is hindered. Likewise within the supernatural realm, rejecting God’s Word leads to hardheartedness, affecting our source of spiritual life. Satan fights hard to have power over our hearts, for he knows that what we cherish in our hearts we will serve. It is no secret that the heart is the center of all human will. Whether it be our relationships with people, the excitement of places or the ownership of things, the attention we give these areas marks where our desires and passions truly lie.
I ask you, what has captivated your heart? Is it relationships with people that have you bound up in control issues and fear of loss? Read 1 John 4:8, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” Is it the excitement of going to those places and doing those things that can at best be characterized as “gray areas”? Read Romans 8:5, “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” Or is it perhaps all the “stuff” you feel you must possess in order to demonstrate God’s blessings, when without any of it you would forget and curse God? Psalm 35:27, “...may they always say, the Lord be exalted, who delights in the well-being of His servant.” Are you the fickle bride that can not make up her mind at the altar of her soul on her wedding day? Maybe you are one of the bridesmaids of Matthew chapter 25 that ran out of oil, blaming those whose oil was held precious and protected while you foolishly stood around laughing with the crowd. Are you on the outside looking in when the wedding begins? Is your anointing used up, and you want someone else’s because you did not protect and guard your own?
Father God desires to produce in us a compassionate heart that will embrace the hurting and lost world around us. He wants us to speak His word as effortlessly as breathing. Touching our world we must have the power and grace of God flowing from us. Being victorious over the spirits of darkness is to know God’s word within our hearts, speaking it forth as the light of truth.
Yes, guard your heart through faith. Cherish your times of quietness alone with Him, building that relationship of trusting love. Guard His word; hide it in your heart as your most precious possession.
