Guard Ya Heart…

for out of it flows the issues of life…

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. – Proverbs 4:23

Protect Your neck….but whatever you do guard your heart!!! There are far to many of us overlooking this simple but important truth! The quality of our lives both naturally and spiritually depends upon the condition of our hearts. Over the years religion and super spiritualism have taken our focus and attention off of the very thing that will help us live a successful Christian life. In fact when we pay close attention to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ we can see that He never addressed outward things but instead He would always address the hearts of men…and in fact the whole plan of salvation involves renewing the heart of fallen man and changing him from the inside out. The biggest reason why many are unsuccessful in their walk with God is the fact that they try to change from themselves from the outside in. They equip themselves with head knowledge about God and arm themselves with lists and rules of what a Christian should or shouldn’t do…and it never works.

The heart is both vulnerable and deceptive at the same time…it takes a conscious effort and continued submission to God to keep it in line. Take a look at what the scriptures have to say about it…

Our Main responsibility involves the heart : Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ – Matthew 22:37

Your Treasure is Where your Heart is: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also – Luke 12:34

Good or Bad is determined by what you store inside of the heart: The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45

Those are just a few. In Jesus’ teachings alone He revealed that He came to bring clarification to the Law and to not do away with it. He cleared up the idea that men could behave a certain way and be safe according to the Law…for example Jesus revealed that even if a man/woman abstained from committing the physical act of adultery, but had looked upon a person and thought about it or played out the scenario of being intimate with someone…that they were just as guilty as having physically slept with the person. I like the quote by C.S. Lewis that brings it closer to home he said, ” If you look upon bacon and eggs with lust…you’ve already committed breakfast in your heart.” We can’t let our heart go unchecked, because it will lead us right into destruction.

God is after our hearts people. He isn’t concerned with us trying to perform for Him, because once He has our hearts, living for Him is no longer a problem. Remember Jesus talking to the people reminding them of a passage in the Book of Isaiah:

He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ” ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. – Mark 7:6

Hey fam, it is time that we stop all of the distractions and pay attention to the real Heart of the matter…and that is the Heart! If you really want to put an end to struggling with sin, and the teaching of false gospels then start dealing with the heart, once we learn how to guard the heart and submit our Hearts to God we will see far more Christian living a successful life. The Bible tells us to put on the Whole Armor of God…and a key/vital piece of the armor is the Breastplate of Righteousness…and it’s function is to GUARD and Protect the Heart!

Do a self assessment today…is your heart guarded? Are you constantly submitting your plans and thoughts to God and giving Him complete access to your Heart…or are you a victim of the heart’s deceitfulness? It’s not about your outward actions…once you submit your heart to God…your actions and behavior will fall in line…

Protect ya neck fam…but whatever ya do…Guard Ya Heart!!!!

I’ll leave you with this video from Mark J…it’s a modern day twist on matter’s of the heart…watch closely. Till next time Peace & God Bless!

Mark J. – Espananza

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