Proverbs 4:23 Above everything else guard your heart, because from it flow the springs of life.
The heart is one of the most vital organs of the body. This essential organ is the centre of the cardiovascular circulatory system that pumps life-giving blood through a 60,000 miles long network of blood vessels. The heart pumps oxygen and nutrients throughout the body and removes carbon dioxide and other wastes. Hence the heart is the most vital organ to keep our natural man alive and active. Likewise our spiritual heart keeps the spiritual man agile and alert.
We think through both our ‘mind’ and our ‘heart’. There is a clear distinction between the thoughts of our mind and the thoughts of our heart. Medical Alert Buyers Guide said that 79% of the people use their head to make decisions, but only 21% use their heart. Our head is the Central Processing Unit (CPU) and the heart is the Hard Drive. Our head responds to the signals that it receives from the sensory organs and processes the data that is fed into the CPU. The result or the outcome is then stored in the heart, (the hard drive). For example, if our brain processes a hurtful conversation and concludes that ‘you are not loved or cared for’ then the heart will hoard rejection and resentment. Every time we see the person who insulted us or when we witness anything that reminds us of our humiliation or hurt, the heart retrieves old data. The heart will regurgitate the past incidents that have been safely stored under the file name “Bitterness”. A wounded (broken) spirit who can bear? (Proverbs 18:14). Hence, it is vitally important to watch what is stored in the folders of the hard drive, our heart. Guard your heart.
Guarding our heart is a crucial spiritual discipline:
1. Clutter: If we don’t watch what we think, soon the unwanted, unethical or useless thoughts will be converted into files and be stored in the hard drive of the heart. Declutter your heart from futile memories. It is not worth remembering the ill-spoken words and the ruthless ways you were treated. Declutter bad recollections and stop ruminating self damaging sad or sulky wounds of the past. Declutter your heart.
2. Cold: Our heart and emotions grow cold if it becomes arrogant or astringent. Both pride and frustration cause the heart to grow cold. When we are too full of ourselves and our achievements, our hearts will be corroded with a veneer of smugness. On the other hand when we allow frustrations and unforgiveness to cloud our heart, we will become unfriendly and unsympathetic. Defend your heart from growing cold.
3. Candid: Ask candid questions to yourself. Is it worth pondering over an issue? Are you losing your sleep over a harsh word or action? Is this building you up or destroying your personality? Are you becoming Christ-like or mulish by rehearsing through a painful incident? Self-examination stops self-defeating thoughts. Decipher thoughts by asking candid questions.
Guard your heart with all due diligence.
Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Prayer: Father God, teach me to run anti-virus programs on every thought of my mind before it penetrates and stores as indelible memory into my hearts. Amen
Leave a Reply