In the Amplified Bible, Proverbs 28:14 explains it like this:īlessed and favored by God is the man who fears at all times,īut he who hardens his heart will fall into disaster.Ī proud heart and its dangers are stated in in Proverbs 21:4: ![]() The Bible warns us of having a hard heart. A double heart is divided in two different directions, lacking integrity. They speak with flattering lips and a double heart.” Psalm 12:2 The Bible describes other conditions of the heart. If the heart is self-centered, the person will think the world revolves around them with entitlement. If the heart is full of negativity, the person will have a negative perspective on life. If the heart is full of violence, the person’s behavior will follow. If the heart contains evil, wicked actions will characterize the person. The mouth speaks out of the overflow of the heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. I knew I had to go to the Lord to do the hard work of cleansing my heart.Īn old adage says, “What is down in the well comes up in the bucket.” If I stayed bitter as a result of someone’s actions toward me, the attitude would come out in my words and actions.Ī good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. Jesus was guarding me from becoming deeply cynical and hurt. I sensed the Lord saying to me, “ if you want to be used by Me, you need to forgive.“ The bitterness would spew out of my mouth and be evident in my attitude. If I allowed my heart to stay bitter, I would miss the grace of God. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Proverbs 4:23 convicted me. I had allowed bitterness to seep into my heart and I knew this wasn’t what God wanted. Imagine Jesus himself guarding your heart. Timothy Keller explained that it is like guarding a fortress. If the castle were under attack, the residents would find safety in the keep, the most protected part of the fortress. At the center of the castle grounds was a smaller stone tower, usually on a hill, called a “keep.” It was the central fortification for protection and safety. When we were in England, we toured several castles. Guard means “to watch, guard, or keep.” The King James Version of Proverbs 4:23 states, “Keep your heart.” Protecting it from harmful influences, but also guarding it from allowing bitterness and unforgiveness to take hold. What is the priority? Guarding your heart. The phrase “above all else” is not as a suggestion, but an imperative command meaning “by reason of, the whole of, totality, everything.” It is the priority, to be pursued with diligence. If it is not guarded, the heart is open to dangerous attitudes and actions. The heart is the center of a person’s thoughts and feelings. ![]() Scripture says, “Above all, guard your heart, for out it comes a wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23 ![]() I was guarding my heart for the wrong reasons, and it showed in my cynical attitude.īut God wouldn’t let me maintain this wall around my heart, keeping others at arm’s length. I didn’t like this calloused state of my heart. I began to withdraw from people to avoid the risk of friendship. My heart grew calloused and cold from several relationship disappointments. It took time and effort to invest in relationships, and I was weary from others not being as interested in friendship as I. It seemed that when friendships developed over time, I would eventually move to another area because of my husband’s career in ministry. My heart ached from the relationship fracture. Now my friend was icy towards me, even after explaining my attempted phone calls. I listened, remembering that I’d attempted to call her several times in the recent days, but didn’t get an answer. I sensed coldness as she continued talking about the stress in her life. The voice on the phone was full of criticism and disappointment.
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