Jeremy Polansky, Lockheart Ministries
“Guard your heart, for all you do flows from it” is a well known and often quoted verse from the Psalms. But the lesson in it runs deep, and it applies to our daily lives in vast ways. With a surface-level understanding, we can respond by taking action preventing others from hurting us emotionally. That’s not always bad, but there’s more to it and a deeper motivation for living out the core of the idea of “guarding your heart.”
Yes, our hearts define us. Our body will age and change, we can study to change careers, but our hearts are closer to who we really are. We can make mistakes in life, but the site of our heart truly defines us, and from Heaven’s eyes it’s who we are since God judges our hearts. If our desire is to act right and love our neighbor, we can’t compromise on the motivations and desires of our hearts. If something could compromise the state of our hearts, we must guard ourselves from it. In a way, this is our main responsibility on Earth if we want to make our own choices in this life and, most importantly, if and how we follow God. Do you follow God with your whole heart?
If the Lord judges our hearts, our first priority is to keep our hearts clean. Though if you’ve tried to be a good person and sincerely looked at yourself, you’ll know this must be an act of God. The psalmist in Psalm 51 cries out to God to create a pure heart in him. If we were to be in the same headspace as the psalmist, it would result from an honest look at ourselves, even down to our thoughts and intentions. For most people who desire to live a holy and righteous life in the sight of God, it’s a real struggle. We must rely on the power of the Spirit who will ultimately do this in us. We must want it above all, just as Jesus says it’s those who hunger and thirst for righteousness who will be filled, Matt 5. Each morning, is our first thought breakfast or orienting our heart?
After we’ve turned from our sin to God, there will still be temptation. Even Jesus was tempted, and we are weaker than He. We must know ourselves, ask the Spirit to convict us of sin in our hearts, and keep away from our areas of weakness. In a practical sense, staying holy can significantly impact our choices and actions. If we struggle with giving in to sin when online, we may want to delete social media accounts or reduce our internet access entirely for a time. If we struggle with pride, it may look like volunteering to serve in the kitchen rather than lead a study. Jesus gives a radical teaching to cut off our hand and pluck out our eye if it causes us to sin. If our foot was infected, we’d have a doctor amputate it if necessary, but we may not be that serious about sin. The writer of Hebrews suggests we should fight sin to the point of shedding our own blood if it came down to it, Heb 12:4. We are not to harm ourselves if we can help it, but knowing that sin is more serious than an infected limb may helps us to get serious and make sacrifices. It takes time and change to reorient our hearts and minds away from the world and its pleasure and back on Jesus and love. Don’t be afraid that you’re wasting time or talent or resources; our heart is more valuable.
We’re reminded by the Apostle Paul to be confident that the Lord will grow us into spiritual maturity, Phil 1:6. We must be wiling, but it’s the Lord who truly grows us, teaches us, and gives us salvation. If we truly love Jesus, we don’t need to worry about the rest. For one, Jesus says to love God is the greatest command. He also reminds us that if we love Him then our obedience will come, John 14:15 and others. If we do not love Him, what do we love? The state of our heart, ultimately, is what or who we love. But either way, whatever we love, the Lord will give us what we desire. If we trust in Him, He is willing to mold our desires to be good and holy and set on our King Jesus.