40 INSPIRING Days in Ps-Prov - 12

Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 INSPIRING Days in Psalms & Proverbs
Day 12 | WHY GUARD YOUR HEART

WHY GUARD YOUR HEART

Proverbs 4:23
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (NLT)

First, we’re not talking about that vital organ that pumps blood. Scripture teaches us that the HEART is the CORE of a person, the center, and the “real” person; thus, why Solomon is teaching us to “GUARD [our] heart ABOVE all else.”
 
We don’t often think about God as having emotions, but He does. David was “a man after God’s own heart.”   God looks for leaders who know and follow His heart.
 
Jeremiah tells us that “the human heart in its natural condition is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

Salvation requires a changed heart.  We read in Romans 10:9-10 – “…if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

When we “Guard [our] heart above all else,” it affects our relationship with God and others and our mental, physical, and spiritual health and well-being.

Remember, we are made in God’s image, so when we GUARD our hearts as He tells us, we become more like what He intended us to be.

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” Well, that is true not only in the physical realm but also in the spiritual realm. If we eat “junk food,” our bodies will reflect that. If we eat spiritual “junk food,” our spiritual selves, our “HEARTS” reflect that.

Ponder these verses: Psalm 119:140 – “Your word is very pure.”  And Proverbs 30:5 – “Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.”

Prayer: Lord, Your Word is pure and true. Help me to guard my heart by spending more time in Your Word and with You. Amen.