My Heart

This verse keeps coming up in my mind and heart again in the last week or so......



So.  I pulled out my bible this morning and just read the text.

Proverbs 4:23-27

Above all else, guard your heart,
    for everything you do flows from it.
Keep your mouth free of perversity;
    keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
 Let your eyes look straight ahead;
    fix your gaze directly before you.
 Give careful thought to the paths for your feet
    and be steadfast in all your ways.
 Do not turn to the right or the left;
    keep your foot from evil.

And I just asked God....what was I supposed to be reminded of and why did it keep coming to mind.

4:23.....How often do I not do this?  But above all else.  My husband, my children, my job, my own well being.  Whatever else there is....MORE than that....I'm supposed to guard my heart.  I think we take our hearts for granted.  I don't mean the physical beating of the organ (although many of us do that too)...but I mean the fullness of our hearts.  Scripture tells us that what comes out of our heart can defile us.  That we are supposed to love our Lord with all of our heart.  Where our treasure is...that's where our heart will be.  Also, we are saved by believing with our heart.  Why WOULDN'T I want to protect this?  When my heart isn't protected....when I've allowed it to become vulnerable....I shouldn't be surprised when I'm wandering or struggling with that old sinful nature.  Guarding my heart isn't about being 'happy'.  It's about being HOLY.

4:24....Ooooo Lord.  Free of perversity.  Well, that's relative I guess.  We definitely aren't talking about what the world sees as perverse.  If that was the case...there wouldn't be much we were keeping our mouth free of.  Some perversion can be easy to name.  As a follow of Christ who desires to allow the Holy Spirit to direct my path....I can read this and easily rattle off things like--pornography, swearing, adultery and the like.  But what about any and all perversion that is against God's will.  Anger. Gossip.  Pride.  If my heart is guarded...keeping these from my mouth and lips will be much easier.  When I do not keep my mouth free of perversity or corrupt talk from my lips...I must confess this to God.

4:25  The world is full of distractions.  There are many things in the world around me that pull on my attention and push my buttons.  But this verse is telling me that I should only be concerned with what is in front of me. When I have my gaze fixed right in front of me...I can see what I am supposed to be concerned with...what God has for me.  Think of someone who holds your gaze and looks directly at you....vs. someone who can't make eye contact, whose gaze is distracted.  Who would you trust?  Do people look at me and see someone who is focused and trustworthy?  Or am I wandering and all over the place....difficult to follow and even more difficult to believe?

4:26  Careful.  Thoughtful. Steadfast.  How many times do I jump first and ask questions later?  I need to slow down.  I need to ask the next question.  I need to be intentional about my movements and where I am allowing my feet to go.  Who am I following?  Do my desires and intention align with my beliefs?  If the Holy Spirit isn't leading me somewhere....why am I going?  I think in our day and time a good example of this is the internet.  We can waste hours.  Hours of time that could be and should be better spent.  Or laziness.  As we sit and 'veg out' for the evening....what am I missing that God might have for me?

4:27  The world is full of evil.  We do ourselves no good by pretending that it's not.  The Devil is lurking at every corner waiting for us to mess up....preying on our insecurities and pain...planting seeds of doubt and discouragement.  What is to my left and right might be very exciting, enticing even....but it will most certainly lead to death and separation from God.  I do not want to be and can't afford to have one foot dabbling.  We so often excuse this as 'curiosity' or a 'mistake' rather than taking responsibility for our decisions and the much too easy way we allow ourselves to lose focus and be drawn to evil. There is no life there.   

My worship.  My relationships. My obedience. My faith.  My growth.  All of these are affected by these verses.  Even in my humanness there is no excuse for not taking these things seriously.  It doesn't mean I will be 'perfect'. That I won't get lazy....that I won't choose sin over God's way....that I won't get off track.  But.

I want to be about these things. 

I want others to see Him through me.

We can't afford to miss a moment or leave our heart open.  The world is counting on us.  On me.  I can't do it alone.  But I'm not alone.  I have the Holy Spirit to help me.

That's what I got today.