Guard Your Heart Vigilantly

Devotional 

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Guard Your Heart Vigilantly

Prov.4.23 - Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life. AMPV.

The heart of a man is the centre of his life both physically and spiritually. It is the place where decisions that can make or mar a life are made. You can only go as far as your heart can fathom.  Your thoughts and beliefs are the main reasons for life's limitations and progress. It is the place from where the spring of life flows, and needs all the care to avoid the effects of manipulative factors all around us. We all believe that the heart is the best decision maker when considering issues of personal interests,  so the general belief is to follow your heart when you're left alone. Yes! It is good to always follow one's heart but it's not always safe to do so. 

I remember one of the best lines used by some boys to impress ladies of interest, “My mum always told me to follow my heart “. Sometimes your heart may lead you into everlasting pain if you  fail to be discreet with your heart desires. This is to say the heart of man is not strong or discreet enough to know or analyse issues maximally without the influence of other factors as discussed before.  If you feed your heart with error it will lead you in that direction passionately.  And if you do otherwise, so the result. 

The heart is originally pure and unblemished,  but external influences like what you watch, listens to, or read could help it develop creatively and productively but could also bring stains,  pains, regrets,  guilt,  grief,  envy, malice and all such the result of which could be disastrous. These are few of the dangerous feelings that can source from it if not vigilantly guarded. 

To get the best out of your life, pay attention and diligently control what gains access to your heart.  When you understand the importance of your cognitive capability,  you will know why efforts have to be taken seriously to control what you feed your minds with. You must protect it jealously, process and sieve what you hear, what you read and what you see. Do not feed your heart with junks, corruption, worldliness and sin. Make wisdom you  best friend, study the word of Christ and let Him dwell richly in you. 

Eph.5.18 - Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you.  

Further Readings: Prov.  4:1-23; Eph. 1:11-14; Matt 12:33-45

Prayers:

Oh Lord, give me Your grace,  sufficient to gaurd my heart against all evil manipulation of darkness. Preserve my mind and spirit jealously from every evil imagination that it may yeild the fruits of everlasting  life. I ask through Jesus Christ our Lord and Redeemer.  Amen