The Sower, the Seed, and the Soil
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” – Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)
What do you notice about this verse? What jumped out at you?:
There are many scriptures throughout the Bible that talk about the heart. In Matthew 22:37-38, Jesus tells us to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment” (NIV). The heart, the home of wisdom, the influence of our thoughts, emotions, decisions, etc. is a God-given gift to us. Our heart is given to us so that we may use it to magnify our heavenly Father, but with everything in life, we need to use proper discernment! Although the heart was meant for a heavenly purpose, Jeremiah 17:9-10 warns us that “the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” (NIV).
This scripture is an indication that the heart should never be given full reign to rule our lives and dictate our actions completely. Why? Because human nature bases actions on our own personal feelings... and feelings are fickle. If we allow our feelings to be the strict ruler of our lives, then feelings become our god! If feelings become our god, then we become inconsistent. Inconsistency was never God’s plan for our lives. He has called us for something greater--- to be "pillars” in His house, and a mighty force for His Kingdom. We must be consistent because God is constant. He is steady. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! To be a reflection of Him is to also reflect these attributes. It’s to put “the principles of God, over your personal feelings.” It’s to say, despite Hell being around me, God is with me, I am here, and I trust that His Will, will see me through. Not because I always feel like it, for in our own strength we cannot do it, but through the strength of our heavenly Father in us, we can overcome anything. The world will preach “Follow Your Heart,” but God says, “Guard Your Heart,” so that your actions can reflect the one who called you “according to His purpose.”
Reflect on the following:
Ezekiel 36:26 states, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone …” (NIV). Search your heart today and ask God to rid anything in there that is not a reflection of Him.Live in a way that places Godly principles over personal feelings and watch God bless you beyond what you could imagine.
Speak to the Lord and spend some time in prayer:
Father, we thank you for your goodness, that you never forget us, and that you always leave the ninety-nine, to go for the one. We ask you Lord to guard our hearts and minds. Cover us Lord! Rid us of anything in our heart that isn’t a pure reflection of who you called us to be as your sons and daughters. May we never lose focus or lose sight of who you are. May we seek you in all things and may our actions exemplify your heavenly purposes. We ask all these things in your name. Amen!