Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.
To keep our heart means to aggressively guard it with diligence and perseverance.
The word translated “heart” in this verse is the Hebrew word “leb,” which is defined as “the soul. The seat of our will, senses, deep thought, intellect, emotions, and affections.” Of our spirit, soul, and body, our soul holds the place of ultimate authority. We must bring our hearts into submission to our born-again spirit if we are to experience the abundant life promised to us in scripture.
The problem with our heart is that it does not want to be guarded! In fact, it doesn’t even want to be regulated. It was not renewed when we were born again. Instead, we were given the Holy Spirit to lead us and comfort us as we renew our minds and grow in our transformation and submission to the Spirit.
Submission Requires Discipline.
The purpose of spiritual discipline is to renew the mind and train the soul. If the soul is full of the noise of the world, it is difficult to hear the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual disciplines align us with the thoughts and ways of God, increasing our spiritual sensitivity and guarding against the enemy’s deceptions.
Spiritual disciplines are intentional practices, like daily Bible reading, prayer, meditation on God’s word, and worship. These are done to cultivate spiritual growth and deepen our relationship with God. They are considered training exercises for leading a spirit-led life, much like physical exercises are for the health of our physical body. If guarding our hearts is not viewed as a daily spiritual discipline, we will eventually let our guard down, allowing Satan entrance into our lives.
Consider the power and significance of this scripture.
1 John 5:18 We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.
This verse tells us that we can live in a place where the devil can’t touch us. But to do this, we must “keep ourselves.” To keep ourselves, we must guard our hearts from all darkness and the enemy’s influence.
Our heart (soul) is the part of our nature that must be renewed if we are to reach our full potential in Christ. The salvation of our spirit was an event that we can easily place a time and date on. The salvation of our souls is a process we must engage in for the rest of our lives. Guarding our hearts is what protects the process of transformation and prevents us from losing ground or hindering our spiritual growth.
Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it? 10 I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.
God describes our heart as deceitful, meaning that it is prone to lies, deception, and misrepresentation, both to ourselves and to others. He also uses the phrase “desperately wicked,” which highlights the depths of our heart’s sinfulness and the need for redemption. Only God can fully understand our heart. He knows that we are often blinded by our own immaturity and self-deception.
This verse serves as a call to humility, reminding us that we cannot rely solely on our own understanding and reasoning. We must pursue God’s guidance through His written word and the direction and influence of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence.
God is telling us that we need a transformed heart, and that only through His divine intervention and constant involvement can our hearts be cleansed and made right before Him.
The Journey of Salvation. Not Works, but Relationship
Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
The salvation of our spirit is a gift from God through faith in Jesus Christ, not something earned through works. This is what qualifies us for Heaven.
The salvation of our souls is the process of transformation that we are all expected to engage in through God’s written word, cooperation with the Holy Spirit, prayer, and fellowship with other believers. It is a co-laboring process of spiritual growth that develops and strengthens our relationship with God. It nurtures the relationship between Father and child. Salvation of the heart is a lifelong journey, not a singular event. And yes, this requires work and commitment. This qualifies us to experience Heaven before we get there.
What Are We Guarding Our Hearts From?
In this day and age, we must be fully clothed in the armor of God to stand a chance at overcoming all the things that Satan is throwing at us. Every demonic attack is aimed at our heart to infiltrate it with darkness. He doesn’t attack with large military weapons that cause instant mass destruction; he attacks us with seeds.
How does Satan plant his seeds of doubt and darkness into the soil of our hearts? He plants them through what we see and hear. Television, movies, social media, the “news”, magazines, podcasts, store advertisements, and even Christian programs have become saturated with evil seeds.
Here are four ways that media can exert influence over our lives and plant spiritual seeds that have a negative impact on our hearts.
1. Shaping Perceptions of Reality:
- Heavy television viewers may perceive the real world in a way that aligns with the often-distorted fantasy they see on television.
- Media can influence our understanding of issues by highlighting certain aspects while downplaying others. This is a demonic deception.
- Media outlets can determine what people think about by looking at which issues receive the most attention and coverage and focus their agenda accordingly. This is demonic manipulation.
2. Influencing Beliefs and Values:
- Media can reinforce or challenge existing social norms, potentially impacting views on gender roles, multi-genderism and trans-genderism, racism, and other aspects of social life. This is demonic confusion.
- Exposure to specific news outlets or political commentary can shape political beliefs and voting preferences. This is demonic political manipulation.
- Advertising and product placement can influence the desire for certain goods and services, shaping consumer behavior.
3. Employing Psychological Techniques:
- Media often utilizes emotional appeals (fear, joy, sadness) to capture attention and influence responses.
- Repeated exposure to messages or images can prime people to respond in certain ways.
- Association and Symbolism: Media can create associations between products or ideas and desirable emotions or values.
4. Social Media and Algorithms:
- Echo Chambers: Algorithms on social media platforms can reinforce existing beliefs by exposing people primarily to content that aligns with their views, limiting exposure to diverse perspectives.
- Personalized Content: Targeted advertising and personalized recommendations can further amplify existing biases and preferences.
- Social Comparison: Social media can encourage social comparison, leading to feelings of inadequacy and lower self-esteem. Sometimes leading to depression and even suicide.
This allows the enemy to build strongholds of wrong thinking that he can hide behind as he controls our lives. If we can’t see the enemy’s hand in all this, then he has been very successful in blinding us to truth.
We Must Not Blindly Conform To The World
The decision to guard our hearts with diligence, honor, and faithfulness will affect every other aspect of our lives in a positive way. The things that we allow our hearts to be exposed to will determine how we behave and speak.
Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Monitoring what is allowed to enter our heart will give us the wisdom, discernment, and strength to guard what we allow to exit our heart. Thus, our ability to guard the boundaries of our heart will provide a framework that determines the boundaries of our lives.
If we faithfully guard our hearts, we will become the children of God that our Father desires us to be, able to navigate the difficulties of life with wisdom and dignity. not subjecting others to ungodly behaviors or volatile emotions. The legacy that we leave will affect people for generations.
Guarding our heart above all else is the catalyst for living an abundant and fulfilled life.
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JESUS IS COMING!
