Guarding Your Heart Against Evil

Proverbs 4:23
"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

As I have mentioned in other posts, the heart of man and the sin that entangles it are the root causes of the issues that we have today, even from the very beginning, and no amount of external modification can transform our inner being to become pure and righteous. The Bible tells us that the heart of man is deceitful above all things and God Himself describes the inclinations of man's heart to be evil all the time.

So what does it mean then to guard our heart? First, I would think it appropriate to define what the heart here refers to. Obviously, it's the core of our being and not simply the seat of our emotions rather it encapsulates the mind (our intellect), the emotions, and the will. The desires of the heart are what drive our actions. In Luke 12:34, Jesus tells us that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. Whatever we value most, whatever we think about most often, and whatever we desire in our lives is what our heart would revolve around and in turn, our actions will follow thereafter.

The heart then, being the master control room, needs to be protected. Since it is where all thoughts, desires, decisions, and actions flow from, we need to be careful with what we expose our heart to. The heart in itself is inclined to do what it wants and what it wants is evil, however, the likelihood of falling into temptation decreases when we turn our heart toward things that are pure and holy. In Philippians 4:8, Paul exhorts the Philippian church that "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

We must therefore incline our heart toward things that are pleasing in the sight of God because that is the only way for us to safeguard ourselves from being infiltrated by the evil that surrounds us. We live in an increasingly sexualized culture and temptation abounds so much so that it is not enough to rely on our strength to resist rather we should be wise and completely flee from the passions of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart, according to 2 Timothy 2:22. 

There are three things that we need to look out for so that we do not fall into temptation.

1. Be careful with what you see, hear, or touch. Our senses are God's gift to us but as with all gifts, it can be abused and misused. I once heard a song when I was younger and it said, "Oh be careful little eyes what you see, oh be careful little eyes what you see. For the Father up above is looking down in love, oh be careful little eyes what you see." The title of that song is "Guard your heart" by Steve Green.

God has given us these senses so that we may enjoy the beauty of His creation and so that we may take pleasure in them and ultimately, give glory to God by using our senses to do what's good and holy. However, if we use our senses merely to derive pleasure and get as much of it as possible, then we better poke out our eyes and cut off our hands lest our whole bodies be thrown into hell.

2. Be careful with what you think and feel. Our mind is another place we need to keep watch because whatever comes into our mind will eventually go out through what we say or what we do. Our thought lives are not hidden from God. Jeremiah 17:10 states that the LORD searches the heart and tests the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.

There are so many things in the media today that try to bombard our mind and try to distort the truth of God and His Word. That is why we need to destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5) and we must continue to meditate on God's Word so that we have a way to defend ourselves from the lies of the enemy.

Our feelings can also get in our way. Our emotions are fleeting and oftentimes they can also be deceitful. If we get easily swayed by our emotions, we won't stand a chance against the attacks of the enemy especially during times of struggles and tribulations where it may not be clear what God has in store for us and we may not feel that He is with us despite His promise that He will never leave us, He will never forsake us. And if we succumb to our emotions, we might find ourselves compromising our faith, convictions, values, and relationships.

3. Be careful with what you desire. Having dreams and ambitions is noble and there is nothing inherently wrong with wanting to achieve something in life but this could also be a pitfall. When we desire something, we have to contemplate on what are the motives behind our desires. Are these desires glorifying to God? Will they edify the body of Christ? In what way can it advance the kingdom of God and fulfill His will through our lives?

We must carefully consider our intentions so that we do not fuel sin in our lives. Sometimes we become too focused on the gifts and forget about the Giver. It's okay to desire to be rich but you need to put your heart in the right place first. It's difficult to serve two masters, you would have to give up one for the other. Basically, we need to know our place. We need to make sure that God is the only master that we have because our desires could lead us to destruction if they are not aligned with the desires of God.

Therefore, let us make every effort to guard our heart from the evil of this world but more so, we need to ask God to purify our heart and make us new. Let us ask Him to give us new desires that bring glory to His Name. We cannot do this on our own, we need God's help. The Holy Spirit is our helper, He is the one who sanctifies us and enables us to live a holy life. Let us turn to God and surrender our lives daily to Him.