Matters of the Heart

What if you told someone that you had a heart condition? What do you think their reaction would be?

Most likely, they would respond with gasps of "oh no!" and be really worried.

But the truth is...we all have heart conditions...... 

Your heart's condition depends on the things that you allow into your heart.

These things form your thoughts and attitudes, and ultimately, shape the deepest part of your being. No matter what your circumstances (the outside) are, if your heart (the inside) is right, you're going to be okay.

But if wrong things in our hearts go unattended, they will become deeply rooted and harder to deal with. The quicker you can detect a wrong heart condition and get it straightened out, the better off you are.

Guard Your Heart

We need to check our hearts a lot more often. Because many times, we can go through the motions and keep doing the "right thing," but something has crept in their hearts and is hurting them and others.

 "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life"

Proverbs 4:23

It doesn't say somebody else will guard your heart. It doesn't say God will guard your heart, your neighbor will guard your heart or your pastor will guard your heart. It says you need to guard your own heart.

You're in charge of guarding your own heart. Realize that it's pretty much a full-time job because we don't know on any given day what's going to come up or what we will have to deal with. You don't know what somebody may say to you that may hurt you, disappoint you or let you down. Then suddenly, there's a wound in there that needs to be dealt with.

 

There's nothing more important than your inner life—what's in your heart.

 Life is not your circumstances, the kind of house you live in, the kind of job you have or how much money you have. You can have the best of these things and still be miserable. Happiness doesn't come from materialistic things.

On the other hand, it's amazing how happy and peaceful you can be in the middle of the lousiest circumstances, including what's going on in the world today, if you keep your heart in the right condition.

 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God"

-Matthew 5:8

Try and keep your heart pure.

Keeping your heart pure kinda of reminds me of cleaning out your attic or basement.

 Once you turn on the lights and start looking around in there, don't be too surprised to find some things you didn't expect.

I have found that if I can capture my thoughts for God early in the morning, through prayer and meditating on the Scriptures, then it's easier to protect my heart.

 Every time you may feel like doing the wrong thing and you choose to do the right thing, you are growing—and God is smiling.

Develop self-control.

 Keep your commitments, keep your word and do what you know God wants you to do.

Guard your heart-even when you don't feel like it.