When I say “heart”, what do you think of? Do you think of the actual beating heart inside your chest? Or do you think of the center of your whole spiritual being?
Both are important, but I want to focus on the spiritual heart. This is where your entire spiritual being is located. You’ve heard the sayings, “Follow your heart,” and “Bless your heart,” but have you ever thought of guarding your heart?
There is much opposition to living a godly life in this world today. The media throws inappropriate things into commercials and television shows all the time! It can be hard to avoid, on television, on the internet, and even on billboards! Even music can have an ulterior motive to get us to fall.
We have so many things to fight against; it seems impossible. But I know the armor we need…. Jesus is the answer! His Word is the ultimate way for us to remain pure in heart. The word “heart” appears many times in the Bible, and I believe it is because God is truly trying to get a point across to us. Protect your heart, and keep your spiritual being pure!
Proverbs 4:23 (NKJV) says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it springs the issues of life.” This verse explains that all we do stems from our heart.
For example, we listen to secular music with bad language or images. Then, we begin to use that language or think on those images without realizing what is happening. By that time, we have let Satan get a foothold for us to do more things that we know are not right. I am not saying that all secular music is bad, but I am saying that we need to watch out for what the song is actually saying. This example could be used with a number of other things, like television, and websites.
Do I want you to stop listening to the songs you grew up with? No! I simply want to warn you to be careful. If you are unsure about a song, look up the lyrics and see what they really say. Many people give the excuse that they only listen to the beat, but the words seep into your mind and heart whether you know it or not.
Psalm 19:14 (NIV) says, “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
This is what I want to leave you with…Are you truly guarding your heart to things that are pleasing to the Lord? Or are you letting the world take over your heart? It’s hard to live for Him, I know! He will give you the strength to live according to His will, I know that for sure.