The process of salvation involves the calling and conviction of the Father, by the work of the Holy Spirit, in converting our hearts to surrender to God. When we can surrender our hearts to God, He can then transform us and transfer us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His dear Son. Beginning at that point in our relationship and journey with Jesus, the new challenge becomes to keep our heart pure and towards God.
Proverbs 4:23 says, in the New Living Translation,
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”
This is both a command and an encouragement that when followed will direct the course of our life. Some versions render the phrasing “out of it (the heart) flows the issues (springs) of life.” The Puritan Presbyterian minister, John Flavel, made this comment on this verse.
“Since the issues or streams of life flow out of the heart as their fountain, it must follow, that such as the heart is, the life will be.”
One interpretation of this verse could be, “Above all things that have to be guarded, keep or guard the heart.” We are told several times in the Scripture some variation of the idea that we must give attention to guarding our hearts, because there are always outside influences seeking to alter our course and separate us from our walk with God. It is almost as if the teacher (Solomon) is saying to us, “Guard riches, property, health, body, everything, in short, in which you have a legitimate interest, or which is advantageous; but before and above everything else, keep a guard on your heart.”
He should know, because we are told in 1 Kings 11:4 that when Solomon was old that his wives turned his heart to go after other gods and therefore his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God. So what do we mean when we say be careful to keep or guard the heart? Returning again to the commentary of John Flavel (in the 17th century by the way), he wrote “To keep the heart then, is to carefully preserve it from sin, which disorders it; and maintain that spiritual frame which fits it for a life of communion with God.”
Because the spiritual usually follows the natural (1 Corinthians 15:46), we can take a look at the physical heart and determine some
spiritual lessons. Now I am not a doctor, medical professional, and I did not stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night (at least the night
before I wrote this Kernels), but there is enough accessible material to ascertain some comparisons.
There is a heart disease call arteriosclerosis, which is called in common terms, hardening of the arteries. This is due to accumulated
cholesterol plaque that builds up and scars the artery walls. I have known some elderly people who have had this disease, and it brings on dementia and memory loss.
In the life of a Christ follower, hardening of the heart occurs when we are presented with God’s truth, and we refuse to acknowledge or accept it. This is why David, when writing Psalm 95, pleaded with the people to not allow their hearts to become hardened, as had their forefathers at Meribah (Exodus 17).
Therefore, a good first step in guarding the heart is to guard against a rebellious spirit and to cultivate a spirit of submissive obedience to God and His word. When we think we know more than God, we have begun to harden our hearts. This guarding of the heart naturally begins with subjecting our understanding of the Scriptures and comparing our heart with them. Of course, an oft quoted verse is when David wrote in Psalm 119,
“I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”
We should be careful to walk carefully with God, and avoid occasions whereby our heart may be induced to sin. It becomes about choices we make.
Another issue with the physical heart is that it can be one of heart murmurs. These are quite common, as I have known several of my family members who have been diagnosed with heart murmurs. A heart murmur is an abnormal flow pattern due to faulty heart valves. Our heart valves act as doors to prevent a backward flow of blood into the heart. When one or more of these valves become faulty, they reroute the flow and the process is disrupted or changed.
Spiritual heart murmurs occur when we develop faulty habits like habitual complaining, gossip, disputes, and just general contention. This is why we are warned so often in the Scriptures against grumbling, murmuring, and complaining. When we guard against a
complaining spirit (proactively) and we cultivate a spirit of gratitude and trust, we have made an important and valuable step towards guarding our heart.
Another issue that can develop in our cardiac condition is that of congestive heart failure. This is an inability of the heart to successfully pump blood through the body due to weaknesses within its walls. This can develop due to high blood pressure, heart attacks, and an abnormal enlargement of the heart. In the spiritual world, anger, yielding to temptation, and pride can produce a spiritual version of congestive heart failure. This is because anger acts as a poison to our lives and it makes us vulnerable to other temptations. Anger also causes us to lose perspective and therefore our hearts become vulnerable to impurities in our lives. It is plain to see as the physical heart is so vital to our being healthy, productive individuals; so the spiritual heart, that which drives the entirety of who we are and what we become, is to the vitality of our Jesus journey.
Our physical heart that is pumping in our chest right now, affects all parts of our body. In like manner, the condition of our guarded heart has great influence on other parts of our lives. For instance, to guard our hearts is to keep a watch over our speech. In Luke chapter 6, Jesus is recorded saying,
“A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.”
As Proverbs says (18:21), death and life are truly in the power of the tongue, or what we say. This is why the apostle Paul writes to the Colossian church to “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt…” What we say and how we say it can cause an atmosphere of receptivity or a culture of contention and anger. We must be careful that we have good treasure in our heart
so we are not spilling any poison onto others.
Verse 25 of Proverbs 4 instructs us to “Let your eyes look directly ahead.” The teacher continues that thought by admonishing us “Let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.” It is important where we fix our gaze, or what or who receives our focused attention. Solomon, in writing about how he had stinking thinking while in his wayward condition, made this confession in Ecclesiastes 2,
“And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure.”
To keep our eye clear and looking directly ahead is to make sure God is the treasure upon which we are focused. You may say there are many facets and avenues to our lives and I would agree. But let us determine to see every facet of our lives through the lens of God and His ways. This will keep our eyes and our heart clear.
Solomon finishes up the 25th proverb with these words.
“Watch the path of your feet And all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil.”
The path we choose to follow affects the condition of our hearts, because our atmosphere determines what we put into our hearts. Paul wrote to the Galatians that if they would make sure their path was one of walking in and by the Spirit, they would not succumb to the lust of the flesh – which by the way fights against the purity of the heart. Solomon’s father gives us a good arrow to follow when he sings out to God that His word is what illuminates his path of life. If we will embrace the Scriptures regularly and ask the Spirit to help us align our steps with the prescribed way of living recorded in the Bible, we will have gone a long way towards having a pure heart. We can prepare our way of travel on this way that is narrow and leads to life. We do that by the removal of that
which prevents unhindered progress in our life in Christ and makes our way insecure.
To adequately guard our hearts, we must give attention to what we say; what we take in with our eyes; and where our path takes us. We are commanded to guard our hearts with all diligence – recognizing the duty is ours, though the power to do so is from God. The keeping of the heart is a work that is never done till life is ended.
I leave you with a great song on the topic, recorded by Brian Free and Assurance.
GUARD YOUR HEART
Ricky Free and Marty Funderburk
2012
So many distractions calling us away
So many temptations leading us astray
And our affections are so subtly
Drawn in what will suddenly
Leave us cold and utterly alone
Far from home
Guard your heart
Guard your heart
Lock the door and hide the key
From the enemy
Guard your heart
Guard your heart
God saved you and set you apart
So believe and don’t forget whose you are
Guard your heart
Don’t think for a moment
That you can play the game
Get close to the fire and you’re gonna feel the
flame
So get as far away as you can get
From the things that bring regret
Take hold of Christ and never let Him go
Don’t let go
Guard your heart
Guard your heart
Lock the door and hide the key
From the enemy
Guard your heart
Guard your heart
God saved you and set you apart
So believe and don’t forget whose you are
Guard your heart
Like the soldier in a battle for his life
Run from the wrong
Run to the right
No one is invincible
You gotta watch and pray
Every hour of every day
Guard your heart
Guard your heart
Lock the door and hide the key
From the enemy
Guard your heart
Guard your heart
God saved you and set you apart
So believe and don’t forget whose you are
Guard your heart