“…Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Nehemiah 8:10

“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:17

“This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Psalm 118:24

“But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

Luke 2:10

“You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.”

Acts 2:28

“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.”

Philippians 1:4

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:2

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

Philippians 4:4

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 15:13

Guarding Your Heart

Posted on: June 2nd, 2012 by Susan No Comments

In Proverbs 4:23, King Solomon instructs us to guard our heart because out of it flows the wellspring of life.  It can seem like a daunting task to guard one’s heart.  After all, it requires some serious discipline.  If we think of guarding our heart in a physical sense, we know that we should limit our intake of salt, exercise regularly, avoid stress, etc.  These are all important aspects of ensuring that our heart works to the best of its ability.  Likewise, there are important tasks to do to guard our hearts in a spiritual sense.

In respect to King Solomon’s directive, to guard hearts means to realize that we have the mind of Christ.   It is important then to ensure that we renew our minds so that we are able to guard what flows out of our hearts–the wellspring of life.  Our hearts can be full of lies or full of truth.  It’s our choice to believe that God has given us the mind of Christ as well as to work to protect it.  Romans 12:2 tells us, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.”  Why bother with renewing the mind when it can be so difficult to do?  Simply put:  our core beliefs (what’s in our mind) make a difference in how we behave.

If I believe that my physical heart is in danger, I am more motivated to behave in a way that will protect it.  Likewise, if I believe that my spiritual health is in danger, I am more motivated to behave in a way that will protect it.  In this case, I renew my mind by seeking out God’s truth.  It’s important to study His word as it is what brings life and light to the darkness that surrounds the lies that we believe (Job 12:22).

Dear friend, please know that God meets you right were you are and wants His truth to transform your life.  Working to combat lies with the truth can be a difficult process but it is a rewarding one as well.  Transforming your mind results in:

  • a deeper, more intimate relationship with God
  • intimacy  with God that leads us to want to guard our heart and mind
  • freedom: “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1)

May we live in the freedom that God so loved us that He gave His son on our behalf so that we can walk in victory!

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