Have you ever thought about that verse? What comes to mind when you think about guarding your heart?
This verse had been rattling around in my head and I could not remember anything but ‘guard your heart...’ I was thinking about all things that come against us that are deceptive.
Daily we hear criticism, reminders of mistakes or new direction we should take. We let advertisements and songs play over and over in our minds.
There is an endless stream of tasks that need to be completed.
There is an ever present virus that stays lurking in the backs of our mind. It creates fear and unsettlement with no end in site.
There are unpaid bills and financial strains that pop up constantly. Wrecked cars, broken arms and doctor appointments add to this stress.
We have people who haven’t texted us back or called us back- or we forgot to text them.
There is a constant demand for or attention.
On top of this, we daily are faced with weaknesses, unholy thoughts and reminders of our lack of ‘goodness’. This can happen just by driving to Ingle’s. (Road rage..)
How on earth, do we guard our hearts?
We let thoughts, lies and paranoias creep in and now we have completed a day, once again, in a troubled, stressed and defeated tone.
Today was one of those days - I was feeling rather low when I decided to look this verse up...
What popped up with it was Phil 4:7. It said the peace of God would guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.
But how? Especially when the thoughts stirring in our head are full of doubt and anything but peaceful.
Thankfully, I happened to know the verse that precedes Phil. 4:7. Philippians 4:6 says, ‘be anxious for nothing. (This verse then gives the prescription for peace...)the rest of the verse states, ‘but pray about Everything’ (emphasis mine).
Everything. Do we take every take everything to God? I know I haven’t the last few days. Typically, I truly try to give things up to him, but in my rat race lately, I haven’t. I have held on to everything- and what happened? I found myself awake at 3:39 AM worrying, doubting, thinking I wouldn’t be able to do anything right and that I was doing a pretty good job of failing. Anxiety has been creeping at the door for a while now. Even as I type these words I can feel it stirring.
The key is Jesus. We have to take our burdens to him. He says to cast our cares upon him. I literally picture myself throwing a burden. I never quite knew how to cast a care. But now, I believe he is saying it’s simple. pray about it. For example, we have a new car payment now- when we had made the effort to get rid of a car payment. (Due to a wreck that wasn’t my fault and it totaled our car.)
So I lay this at his feet:
'Lord, you know that we did not plan for this car payment, in fact, we had other plans for the money we were saving by not having a car payment, but here we are- in a strain again. Will you provide for us, and help my heart with the the other plans I had? Amen.'
Then we walk away from the burden. We trust that he will provide.
The second factor to this burden equation is take captive every thought. This is another verse I have heard over and over. But how do we take it captive?
I have begun asking God to ‘flag’ things in my mind when I start going down a negative spiral. I am now asking him to help me recognize a bad thought, a worry or a lie the second that thought passes through the synapses of my brain, and to give it to him. I am not a failure. He will provide for my need.
Factor number 3 is to immediately replace the thought with scripture. Ask God to bring verses to you that combat the lies or the worries or anything else you need to take captive...
I am a chosen a royal priest hood. His mercies are new everyday.
And the final step:
Thank him for what he has already done and will do. Look to the ways he has helped before - the ways he has come through and been faithful.
Joe and I entered in a an apartment contract in New York, forgetting to take our tithe into account- and I realized we were going to be short. We both started praying about what to do- and within a few weeks God provided me with a new job that gave me a $20,000 raise from my old job... if he can do that in NYC, why couldn’t he do that here? He is faithful.
Joe and I found ourselves praying again due to this car, and do you know what he did? Provided a job that I will be starting soon. This job was another answer to a prayer I prayed long ago. I delight to live in the house of the Lord...psalm 27:4.
He answers.
He is faithful.
We just need to go back to him. The verse that says take captive every thought comes from a passage that is telling how to tear down strong holds.
How many thoughts hold us captive? How many of our strongholds are related to our thought pattern?
“For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 ESV
https://www.bible.com/59/2co.10.4-5.esv
Our enemy wants us to feel defeated useless fearful and like a failure. If we walk around in a cloud of defeat, how useful are we to the kingdom of God?
Thinking about this brought me to the conclusion of this blog...
Guard your hearts. Do you know what the rest of this verse says?
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”
Proverbs 4:23 NLT
https://www.bible.com/116/pro.4.23.nlt
If our hearts are full of worry fear and anxiety, guess what kind of life we lead... a rat race: just trying to get to the next ‘appointment’ - the next bills paid. We live day to day just trying to get through. Forget the abundant life we are promised by Jesus. We don’t have time to live abundantly...(Jn.10:10)
But imagine if the thoughts of our hearts are guided by... the promises of Christ being yes and amen. (2 Cor. 1.20.)
The conclusion to this comes with a verse that had escaped me lately...
‘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.’ Romans 12:2
What is the pattern of our world? Yes - rat race. It’s full of anxiety and fear and judgment and condemnation. Our thoughts truly reflect the world - but if we can make a habit of replacing those thoughts with the Words of God, we can truly transform our minds. He does it for us though his word. Then we walk in a peace and a steadiness that is not of this world. (Jn 14:27) We suddenly are free to run the race He has set before us. (Heb. 12:1) We will know his will because the distractions of the world have faded. We can live for him, not our next appointment.
It is time to be kingdom minded. Not earthly minded. There is enough trouble in our world to give us a clue that he may return sooner than we think. I want to use the rest of my time bringing as many with me to heaven as I can.
It’s time to renew our minds.
Trust God. Memorize his word. Be intentional about what goes into your heart.
Let it be his word that you focus on.
1 Peter 2:9 ‘But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.’
Scripture references:
Psalm 27:4 ‘One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.’
John 10:10 ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.’
2 Cor. 1:20. ‘For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.’
John 14;27 ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.’
Hey. (12:1) ‘Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us...’
Isaiah 12:2 KJV
https://www.bible.com/1/isa.12.2.kjv
