Guard Your Heart

Adenike Morounke Adebola

21/07/2014

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." (Proverbs 4:23).

'Keep' is a verb. We've learnt that a verb involves an action. Let's check the definition of the word 'keep'.

My search turned up the following

- To hang on to, To hold on to, To cling to, To hide, To hold back, To tend, To protect, To shelter, To guard, To watch over, To maintain, To prevent, To limit, To restrain, To control

To keep something requires an effort as there are contenders for the same thing. Yes, there are contenders for your heart. There is the world and its distractions, there is the enemy of our souls...and for those that believe they have human enemies, you can add them to the list, lol. The gist is that there are contenders for your soul...

Therefore, you need to mount garrison on your heart. You have to tune in to the Holy Spirit and tune out other distracting voices - heartbreak, marital challenges, joblessness, troublesome co-workers, sickness (add your own to the list). You need to make deliberate efforts to tune them out. It's YOUR responsibility to get YOURSELF to the SECRET PLACE of the Most High. Then, and only then does Psalm 91 apply.

I learnt that there are gates into your heart. I'll be talking about the following gates - the eyes, the ears and the tongue. Let's look at each gate and learn more about how to be effective gatekeepers...

Gate 1 - The Eyes

"I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?" (Job 31:1).

Job made a covenant with his eyes. His aim was not to think upon a maid. So, he made a covenant with his eyes. I wonder what that covenant was, though? Not to look at all? Or not to look for long? Only God and Job know what that covenant was. Whatever it was, Job realised that HE, not God, was responsible for the gate of his eyes. And he decided when to open and shut the gate.

Sister, watch what you view with your eyes. It is a gate. Interestingly, it actually has a lid. You can deliberately choose what you view.

Choose what you allow through the eye gate...

Gate 2 - The Ears

"Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: " (Matthew 7:24).

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17).

The Scriptures contain so many references to how what you hear affects the quality of your life. I believe this is one of the most sensitive gates and the enemy has taken advantage of the eye and ear gates the most. The aim of mass media is to get whatever information they are selling through your eye and ear gate because they create pictures in your mind. You need to do all you can to regulate you allow through this gate - the people you listen to, what you listen to on radio etc.

Just as faith comes by hearing, so does fear...

I understand that there are cases when you can't control who the people around you are or what's on radio. When I find myself in someone's car and I can't encourage him/her to change what's on radio, I bring out my earphones and play something on my phone's playlist or I just check Facebook and tune out whatever is on radio.

The Holy Spirit taught me recently that when listening to people's 'counsel', I have to ask myself why they are saying what they are saying; are they speaking from a place of fear or faith?

My conclusion in this matter is this...Watch what/who you listen to.

Gate 3 - The Tongue

"Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh." (Job 5:21).

"Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred." (Job 6:24).

"The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?" (Psalm 12:3-4).

"LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour." (Psalm 15:1-3).

"What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile." (Psalm 34:12-13).

"The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide." (Psalm 37:30-31).

My search for the word 'tongue' produced 169 matches. I obviously can't reproduce all 169 scriptures. We can debate whether or not the mouth is a gate into or out of the heart. I included it considering how important this gate is in a person's life.

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." (Proverbs 18:21).

You need to watch what you're allowing out of that gate. You also need to watch what you let into the gate to avoid a heart attack. Lol

Have a blessed and productive day.