“Guard your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.”
~ Proverbs 4:23 LSB
“The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil. For his mouth speaks from the abundance of his heart.”
~ Luke 6:45 LSB
Both Proverbs and Luke highlight the significance of the heart. The heart in these passages refers to the inner man (the mind and the will), the center of all physical and spiritual life1. Proverbs tells us that the springs of life flow from the heart. In a similar way, Jesus said in Luke chapter six that we speak what is in our hearts in abundance. We don’t speak what’s in us on a little level, but what is in us in abundance. If we blow our top, deep in us is an anger we have not gotten a hold of.
Ephesians 4:27 in the Amplified Bible says, “And do not give the devil an opportunity [to lead you into sin by holding a grudge, or nurturing anger, or harboring resentment, or cultivating bitterness].”
How do we stop ourselves from giving the devil an opportunity? Philippians 4:8 gives us the answer, “Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].” (AMP).
The verse ends by saying, “center your mind on them, and implant them into your heart.”
Joshua 1:8 NLT “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”
Psalm 119:9-11 AMP “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping watch [on himself] according to Your word [conforming his life to Your precepts]. 10 With all my heart I have sought You, [inquiring of You and longing for You]; Do not let me wander from Your commandments [neither through ignorance nor by willful disobedience]. 11 Your word I have treasured and stored in my heart, That I may not sin against You.”
Study this Book of instruction, the Bible, continually, and meditate on it. Treasure the word and store it in your heart. To meditate on the Scripture means to think about it and to speak it.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 AMP “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one [the only God]! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and with all your soul and with all your strength [your entire being]. 6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be [written] on your heart and mind. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children [impressing God’s precepts on their minds and penetrating their hearts with His truths] and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up. 8 And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand (forearm), and they shall be used as bands (frontals, frontlets) on your forehead. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
There is no secret formula, ten steps, seven ways, or new revelation to be had concerning guarding your heart. The Bible speaks of it continually and plainly. Our issues come when we desire more than the Word. Our issues come when we desire other things in place of the Word. These things can be fleshly or spiritual. Jesus defeated temptation by quoting Scripture2; we do it the same way, by casting down imaginations and putting on the armor of God3.
Conferences can be good, or they can become an addiction. Christian podcasts, church politics, can all become the “sanctified” form of drugs, and when that happens, we are not keeping guard of our hearts with the Word. When we don’t spend time in the Scriptures, sinful desires come to the surface. Some reading this may say, I am reading my Bible, but I still can’t defeat the sin. Are you meditating on the Word? (Jos. 1:8; Psa. 119), Are you coming against the enemy? (2 Cor. 10:3-5; Jas. 1:12-27; Eph. 6:12-18), Are you speaking the Word over your life?
John 10:10 AMP “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].”
If we want to experience the life Jesus gave us when we were born again, we must choose to dwell in that life. We must abide in the Word, and the Word abide in us (Jn. 15:1-7). The way to guard our hearts, renew our minds, and change our lives is to give the Bible the highest place in our lives. There’s no doubt we love the Bible, we love Jesus, but how often do we read the gospels? How often do we think about the stories? Do we pray the prayers of Paul? That the eyes of our hearts would be enlightened and that we would be full of the knowledge of Him4.
Start reading the gospels again. Read them slowly and write down things you see about Jesus, what He said, and what He did. Pray the prayers of Paul5, turn your heart to knowing Jesus; to know Him in the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering (Phil. 3:10), to know Him in triumph (2 Cor. 2:14), to know nothing but Him.
1 Cor. 2:2 KJV “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
AMP “for I made the decision to know nothing [that is, to forego philosophical or theological discussions regarding inconsequential things and opinions while] among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified [and the meaning of His redemptive, substitutionary death and His resurrection].”
AMPC “For I resolved to know nothing (to be acquainted with nothing, to make a display of the knowledge of nothing, and to be conscious of nothing) among you except Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and Him crucified.”
How do we guard our hearts? How do we stay on the path of life? The answer, like much of this post, doesn’t need my words to reword THE WORD, Jesus Christ, The Messiah.
Colossians 3:1-17 AMP “Therefore if you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, sharing in His resurrection from the dead], keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value]. 3 For you died [to this world], and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. 5 So put to death and deprive of power the evil longings of your earthly body [with its sensual, self-centered instincts] immorality, impurity, sinful passion, evil desire, and greed, which is [a kind of] idolatry [because it replaces your devotion to God]. 6 Because of these [sinful] things the [divine] wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience [those who fail to listen and who routinely and obstinately disregard God’s precepts], 7 and in these [sinful things] you also once walked, when you were habitually living in them [without the knowledge of Christ]. 8 But now rid yourselves [completely] of all these things: anger, rage, malice, slander, and obscene (abusive, filthy, vulgar) language from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old self with its evil practices, 10 and have put on the new [spiritual] self who is being continually renewed in true knowledge in the image of Him who created the new self— 11 a renewal in which there is no [distinction between] Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, [nor between nations whether] barbarian or Scythian, [nor in status whether] slave or free, but Christ is all, and in all [so believers are equal in Christ, without distinction]. 12 So, as God’s own chosen people, who are holy [set apart, sanctified for His purpose] and well-beloved [by God Himself], put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience [which has the power to endure whatever injustice or unpleasantness comes, with good temper]; 13 bearing graciously with one another, and willingly forgiving each other if one has a cause for complaint against another; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so should you forgive. 14 Beyond all these things put on and wrap yourselves in [unselfish] love, which is the perfect bond of unity [for everything is bound together in agreement when each one seeks the best for others]. 15 Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling questions that arise]. To this peace indeed you were called as members in one body [of believers]. And be thankful [to God always]. 16 Let the [spoken] word of Christ have its home within you [dwelling in your heart and mind—permeating every aspect of your being] as you teach [spiritual things] and admonish and train one another with all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus [and in dependence on Him], giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
- H#3820 and G#2588 in the Outline of Biblical Usage by Larry Pierce, accessed on blueletterbible.org
- Matt. 4:4,7,10
- 2 Cor. 10:3-5; Eph. 6:10-18
- Eph. 1:17-18
- Eph. 1:17-23; 3:14-21; Phil. 1:9-11; Col. 1:9-11; 2 Thes. 1:11-12; 1 Tim. 2:1-8
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