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Proverbs 4:23 - GUARD YOUR HEART!!!Proverbs 4:23 (NKJV) Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.Proverbs 4:23 (NLT) Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. WORD STUDY The "heart" commonly refers to the mind as the center of thinking and reason (3:3; 6:21; 7:3), but also includes the emotions (5:15, 30), the will (11:20; 14:14), and thus, the whole inner being (3:5). The heart is the depository of all wisdom and the source of whatever affects speech (v. 24), sight (v. 25), and conduct (vv. 26, 27). [MacArthur Daily Bible 2003] INTRODUCTION Our hearts - our feelings of love and desire - dictate to a great extent how we live, because we always find time to do what we enjoy. Solomon tells us to guard our hearts above all else, making sure we concentrate on the desires that will keep us on the right path. Make sure your affections push you in the right direction. Put boundaries on your desires: Don't go after everything you see. Look straight ahead, keep your eyes fixed on your goal, and don't get sidetracked on detours that lead to sin. (See Philippians 4:7 and 2 Thessalonians 3:3 for more on how God guards our hearts.) [Life Application SB 2019] COMMENTARY PEARL The heart must be renewed by divine grace, or it will be in vain to seek for purity of life. He who attempts to build up a noble, virtuous character independent of the grace of Christ is building his house upon the shifting sand. In the fierce storms of temptation it will surely be overthrown.... Those who would not fall a prey to Satan's devices must guard well the avenues of the soul; they must avoid reading, seeing, or hearing that which will suggest impure thoughts. The mind should not be left to wander at random upon every subject that the adversary of souls may suggest.... This will require earnest prayer and unceasing watchfulness. We must be aided by the abiding influence of the Holy Spirit, which will attract the mind upward, and habituate it to dwell on pure and holy things. And we must give diligent study to the word of God. PP460 COMMENTARY As God works upon the heart by His Holy Spirit, man must cooperate with Him. The thoughts must be bound about, restricted, withdrawn from branching out and contemplating things that will only weaken and defile the soul.... By beholding we are to become changed, and as we meditate upon the perfections of our divine Model, we shall desire to become wholly transformed and renewed in the image of His purity. There will be a hungering and thirsting of soul to be made like Him whom we adore. The more our thoughts are upon Christ, the more we shall speak of Him to others, and represent Him to the world. 3BC1145 Diligent heart-keeping is essential to a healthy growth in grace. The heart in its natural state is a habitation for unholy thoughts and sinful passions. When brought into subjection to Christ, it must be cleansed by the Spirit from all defilement.... In the work of heart-keeping we must be instant in prayer, unwearied in petitioning the throne of grace for assistance.... The Saviour has told us to pray without ceasing. The Christian can not always be in the position of prayer, but his thoughts and desires can always be upward. They should cultivate a love for meditation, and cherish a spirit of devotion.... 3BC1157 To keep your heart in heaven, will give vigor to all your graces, and put life into all your duties. To discipline the mind to dwell upon heavenly things, will put life and earnestness into all our endeavors.... As exercise increases the appetite, and gives strength and healthy vigor to the body, so will devotional exercises bring an increase of grace and spiritual vigor. 3BC1157 CLOSING THOUGHT You can pick what you ponder. You didn't choose your parents or siblings. You don't determine the weather. There are many things in life over which you have no choice. But the greatest activity of life is well within your dominion. You can choose what you think about. You can be the air traffic controller of your mental airport. Thoughts circle above, coming and going. If one of them lands, it is because you gave it permission. If it leaves, it is because you directed it to do so. Do you want to be happy tomorrow? Then sow seeds of happiness today. (Count blessings. Memorize Bible verses. Pray. Sing hymns. Spend time with encouraging people.) Do you want to guarantee tomorrow's misery? Then wallow in a mental mud pit of self-pity or guilt or anxiety today. (Assume the worst. Beat yourself up. Rehearse your regrets. Complain to complainers.) Thoughts have consequences. Your challenge is not your challenge. Your challenge is the way you think about your challenge. Your problem is not your problem; it is the way you look at it. [You Can Count On God by Max Lucado] LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY Proverbs 4:23 - GUARD YOUR HEART!!! https://www.abible.com/devotions/2024/20240629-0829.html http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210709-0922.html http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20201115-1118.html Proverbs 4:23 - Your Mind and Your Destiny. http://www.abible.com/devotions/2016/20160117-1005.html https://www.abible.com/devotions/2013/20130215-2139.html Philippians 4:6-8 - CURE FOR ANXIETY AND WORRY. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2025/20251114-0329.html 2 Thessalonians 3:3 - God is Faithful! And You Can Be Too. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2013/20131015-2201.html |