Proverbs 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
The Bible is filled with tremendous knowledge and extraordinary spiritual wisdom. Its contents expand the total gamut of space and time, and every dispensation of humanity. It holds the key to salvation and secret to eternal life. But as incredibly spiritual as the Word of God is, it is equally practical. For every electrifying tidbit of eternal glory you find in its pages, you find an equal amount of good old fashion common sense instruction. And that’s why I really love our scripture this morning.
The Proverbs writer advances a very important point for us to consider. With all that’s swirling in our minds and impacting our lives today, guarding our hearts sounds like a really good idea. I dare say all of us could use some emotional support in conjunction with all the spiritual healing we can get. And today we find the two are intrinsically tied to each other.
Heartbreak is most often caused by a series of disappointments, broken promises or unfulfilled expectations by some trusted friend or associate. And as you know, emotional letdown can sour your spirit and stress your mind. So guarding your heart is extremely important. But in troubled times and stressful situations, how do you stay grounded. How does one maintain their equilibrium and spiritual balance?
Psalms 34:1 gives us a strong clue. Written by someone experiencing unprecedented stress and unbelievable strain, at a time when most of us would fall apart, David writes, “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
What we learn from this Psalm is that the tone and tenor with which we address God very often reveals the truest condition of our hearts. Our strength comes from our proximity to the source of our power: and that’s Jesus Christ our Lord. Problems or no problems, we are best when we are in close fellowship with Jesus. Our heart is empowered as we fill it with his goodness, grace and praise. The joy of the Lord is my strength!
Conditions aside, our confession of faith, especially in difficult times, illuminates what’s really going on in our souls. Anyone can get along in good times. But it’s when ‘all hell’ has broken out in our lives, that the strength of our hearts are tested. And our response reveals where we are in Christ.
If I may offer this as an analogy. The line “protect yourself at all times” is generally associated with a boxing match. After reciting the rules of engagement, the referee warns each fighter that no matter what, they should always protect themselves. But there is a tendency toward the end, or between rounds to relax and lose concentration. Many a fighter has been knocked out right at the bell because of it. But a smart fight knows to keep their hands up at all times. In matter of fact, you will notice that most champion fighters will put even more pressure on their opponent as they come to the end of a round.
Well, my dear brothers and sisters, we are in a fight. We battle against that ancient enemy of our souls. And he doesn’t fight fair. We must always keep our eyes open for his tricky devices. We mustn’t go to sleep or relax between rounds. Many of us have this perception that 2021 will magically be better than 2020. I’ve seen people prematurely celebrating and claiming victory without any substantive evidence. So let me serve as spiritual referee and reiterated, protect yourself at all times. Keep praying. Keep believing. Keep blessing the Lord (not complaining), worshipping and giving him glory. And above all, keep the faith...guard your heart!
God Bless
