Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.

Prov. 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.

How well are you guarding your heart? What are you doing to protect if? There are several things we all should be doing. We should first of all determine in our hearts that we are not going to let sin in. If the will is not there, nothing else we do is going to matter much. We must make a commitment to the Lord that we are going to strive to protect our hearts. We must watch what we feast on. What goes in through our eyes affects what our hearts are made of. We must be careful what we listen to. What we hear often lodges in our brains and filters down into our hearts. If we don’t make a covenant with the Lord regarding what we see and hear, our hearts will be poisoned with sin.

We guard our hearts by spending much needed time with the Lord in the Word, prayer, worship, and fellowship. We cannot rob ourselves of the time we need with the Lord and expect to have a heart that is right with Him. The more we are with the Lord, the more of Him we assimilate into our lives.

We guard our hearts by spending quality time with other believers. We learn from each other how to live in Christ in a world that hates Christ. We learn that there is joy and peace in Christ. We learn that it does matter to others how we live.  We learn that there are others just like us who struggle with living by faith and are doing it.  We learn that together we can accomplish great things for the Lord that we can’t do on our own.

Guarding our hearts is not easy and is never ending. We need to always be on the alert for danger. We must never compromise the integrity of our hearts. What is in our hearts affects everything we do and say.  And, what we say and do is our witness in the world.  In all you do, do it as unto the Lord and you will be blessed.

Who will you pray for?

 

Prov. 4:14-17 Do not do as the wicked do or follow the path of evildoers. Avoid their haunts. Turn away and go somewhere else, for evil people cannot sleep until they have done their evil deed for the day. They cannot rest unless they have caused someone to stumble. They eat wickedness and drink violence!

We have a tendency to put people on a pedestal. We idolize people we don’t even know. We pay no attention to how they live if they are talented and we enjoy their talents. We pay to buy their products and feed on what they offer more than we care to admit. Discernment in the public arena is not one of our strong suits.

Many of the people who are popular and have a measure of fame are unrepentant sinners. Some flaunt their sinful lifestyles with seemingly no shame or remorse. Some blatantly advocate a belief in false gods or untruth. We sometimes follow and support the lives of those who are wicked and going to hell.

Scripture clearly reminds us that we must be more discerning as to whom we let into our minds and influence our hearts. We must be sensitive to the affect others have on us. If we are not being built up in our faith by others, they are tearing us down. Be careful who you let influence you. Your relationship with God is at stake.

Instead of idolizing the wicked, we should be praying for them.  They need the Lord just like we do.  Unless they repent, they will go to hell.  Shouldn’t we care enough for their souls to ask the Lord to convict them of sin?  We don’t know what is going on inside of them.  What we see may just be a cover-up for the turmoil in their souls.  Someone’s salvation may just be a prayer away.  Jesus said to look out on the harvest field and pray that the Lord will send laborers into it.  Ask the Lord to lay some soul upon your heart to pray for.  The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much. 

Helping Others

Prov. 3:27-28 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them. If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow and then I will help you.

A couple of things strike me from these verses. One is that we are not to withhold good from those who DESERVE it. I don”t believe the Lord would have us treat all people the same. We are to love all people the same, but some people don’t deserve to be treated with a generous spirit. Sadly, there are a lot of people who won’t help themselves and expect others to take care of them. Some people go out of their way to make life miserable for others and who take advantage of them. We need to be wise and discerning in whom we extend favor to.

Having said that, we are to strive to be kind to all and live at peace with them. We do it because it is the nature of God’s love which flows from the heart of those who love Him.

Another observation is that not all people have the means or opportunity to help others. The Lord holds us accountable for our attitude in regards to what we have. If we refuse to help others when we have the power to do so, we will face God’s judgment for it. If we don’t have the means, the Lord does not expect us to deprive ourselves of our daily needs for the sake of others.

If the Lord nudges you to do good for someone, don’t ignore it or put it off. The Lord never leads us to do what we can’t do. He always provides the means to fulfill His will.  A generous and giving heart should characterize those who are children of God.  But, don’t be foolish; give with discernment.  It is not love to give to those who refuse to help themselves.  We are to help build each other up, not enable them to continue their self-destructive ways.  Seek wisdom and discernment from the Lord and don’t let your emotions determine your actions.

The time to help others is during their time of need.  Putting it off may cause you to miss entirely the opportunity to do good and honor Christ.

We need a plan for our spiritual lives.

Prov. 3:21-23 My child, don’t lose sight of good planning and insight. Hang on to them, for they fill you with life and bring you honor and respect. They keep you safe on your way and keep your feet from stumbling.

Most of us are not good planners. We react more than we act with a plan. We go through life with little sense of where we want to go or be. It is good enough for us to survive, and we hope along the way we may flourish. However, when we live like this, we struggle to get anywhere. We pretty much are in the same position of life as we were in years gone by and will be until we die.

Today’s verses suggest a better way to live. We need to live with a purpose and plan. We need to proceed with some sense of idea where we are going and why. We need to live today in light of our tomorrows. When we have something to live for, it affects how we live in the present. People are more apt to honor and respect those who live with a purpose than they do those who drift through life.

What is true of life in general is true spiritually. It is imperative for our spiritual health  that we apply these truths to our souls. All we do must be with the Lord in view. We must build our lives on the sure foundation of His Word and life. We must always be striving for greater godliness and have a plan in mind as to how we are going to get there. It doesn’t just happen on it’s own. We must live each day knowing we will have opportunities to get to know the Lord better and seize them. He reveals himself to us in a variety of ways and we must be alert so we can see Him.

We need a plan for our spiritual lives. We must have in place things we do in order to grow in faith and our knowledge of the Lord. We must have a plan, and work it. The more effort we put into spiritual growth, the safer we will be on our journey home. When we live faithfully and diligently before the Lord, he will help us walk on solid ground so we don’t stumble and fall.

He who fails to have a plan and work it for his spiritual health will not make it to heaven.

It is good for us to come underneath the Lord's discipline.

Prov. 3:11-12 My child, don’t ignore it when the LORD disciplines you, and don’t be discouraged when he corrects you. For the LORD corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

We never get too old to be disciplined by the Lord. We never get to the point where we don’t need to come underneath God’s corrective hand. Why? Because as long as we are in the flesh, we will be influenced by the flesh. We are prone to slip up and fall. In our weakness, we often aren’t strong enough to resist the temptations that assail us. The Lord disciplines us because we need to understand that we can’t sin and get away with it. Sin is serious business with the Lord and He holds us responsible for it when we do sin.

It is good for us to come underneath the Lord’s discipline. Why? Because it is a testimony of God’s love for us. If He didn’t care for us and love us, He wouldn’t bother to help us with our sin problem. He doesn’t have to discipline us, but because He loves us He does it. We need to thank the Lord when we come underneath His discipline.

Don’t let pride keep you from submitting to the Lord’s discipline. Don’t get discouraged when He reveals to you your sin. Don’t get the idea that God is treating you harshly. He loves you and wants to spare you from a life lived in sin. Remember, sin always carries with it a price to pay. Sometimes the consequences are great and the Lord allows us to bear them in order to teach us not to do it again.

Every time we sin, it’s a chink in the armor of our righteousness. Unless the Lord intervenes, the chink will grow bigger and make us more vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. The more chinks we live with, the more likely we are to sin and wander away from God. Only the Lord can fix the chinks. He can replace the chinks with His righteousness and make us whole again. He loves to do it, but he won’t do it as long as we harbor our sin and don’t submit to His discipline.

Don’t let sin rob you of the joy of your salvation. Confess whatever sin plagues you. He will forgive you and cleanse you from all your unrighteousness. You may have to go through some difficulty in order to learn that you can’t sin and get away with it, but that is a good thing. It teaches us that the Lord loves us and that we need His constant presence and help so that we don’t let sin rule over us.

Either you trust the Lord or you don't.

 

Prov. 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own wisdom. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your path.

Either you trust the Lord or you don’t. There is no middle ground. If you don’t trust the Lord in all things, how can you say you are trusting in Him? We flee to Him with those things that are too big for us and try to handle things which are within our ability to handle. Is God only able to handle the big things? Or, is He so big that he doesn’t care to be bothered with the little things? Blessed is he who trusts in the Lord with ALL things in his heart.

When we depend on our wisdom, we often don’t do things right. There is so much we don’t know about life and what is before us. We base our actions on what we know, and our knowledge is very limited at best. It is always in our best interest to trust the Lord and not depend on our own wisdom.

When we seek the Lord’s will in all we do, He will direct our path. We cannot expect the Lord to guide us if we don’t seek Him out for guidance. If we are constantly seeking His will, we can be assured that we are in His will for us. He never lets those who are seeking His will wander around outside His will for them.  He will lead us on the only path that leads to eternal life.  He will not let us lose our way, but we must be willing to let Him lead us.  Jesus is the only way to God; every other path leads to hell.

If you do not have the will to trust the Lord with all your heart, you will not know what it is to be led the Lord in all you do.  You cannot have it your way and expect to be on a path that pleases God.  You will never find your way home to heaven by walking on the path laid out by you. 

We are not wiser than God.  Let our heart’s desire be, “Where He leads me, I will follow.”

He who is loyal and kind finds favor with both God and man.

Prov. 3:3-4  Never let loyalty and kindness get away from you!  Wear them like a necklace; write them deep within your heart.  Then you will find favor with God and people, and you will gain a good reputation.

I have known those who are loyal and kind and those who aren’t.  Those who are loyal and kind hold a very special place in my heart.  I count it a privilege to know them and thank the Lord for bringing them into my life.  I have friends like that who are both Christian and non-Christian.  My life is very rich because of them.  When I speak of them, I have nothing but endearment in my heart for them and I want nothing but the best for them.  I want to treat them well because of my love for them.

I want to be that kind of a person as well.  It is my prayer that others will know me to loyal and kind.  It is not something that comes naturally for most of us.  However, anyone can become that kind of a friend if they are wlling to put forth the effort to do so.  It all begins in the heart; the more we live in relationshp with Christ, the more natural and easy it becomes.

Notice that it is possible to lose what we should have by nature.  Loyalty and kindness can go away from us if we are not careful to protect and keep them.  If we allow selfishness to rule our hearts, we will cease to be the kind of a person that others will cherish as a friend and that will please God.

In order for our nature to change, we must be committed to the process of change.  We must deliberately seek to be loyal and kind.  It may not come easy at first, but the more we do it the easier it becomes.  It is within the character of every child of God; all we have to do is to let Christ rule the heart.  We must diligently seek Him and strive to please Him.  We must let the Lord transform us and wear the transformation like a necklace around our necks.  Godliness must become the norm and not the exception in  our lives.

He who is loyal and kind finds favor with both God and man.  If you are struggling in this area of your life, ask the Lord right now to change you.  You will be glad you did.