Faith That Leads To Obedience
by Bro. Charlie Heath
05/22/2023
Proverbs 4:23 - “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
Strong’s Concordance says that “the heart” is mentioned 826 times in the Scriptures. Because of its emphasis, it must be important. We understand that most times, the heart referred to is not the physical, blood-pumping organ necessary for life. Rather, it is the center of emotion and will. In a sense, it is who we are at our core. It is fascinating that God, through His Word, instructs us to keep it with all diligence. Just like the physical heart is the source of physical life, the spiritual heart is the source of spiritual life. Jeremiah states that our hearts are “deceitful and desperately wicked.” This is a result of the fall in Genesis 3. Every person ever born is born with this type of sinful heart. However, when we get saved by placing our trust in the Lord Jesus, a new Resident moves in. This new Resident is the Holy Spirit. Dr. Scott Pauley puts it like this: at the moment of salvation, a new Resident moves in and brings His own furniture. At that moment He begins to conduct the biggest remodel in history by making us more like the Lord Jesus.
Because of the One who takes up residence in our hearts, we must do our part to keep it with all diligence. I think of our White House with all of its guards. There is never a moment when it is left unguarded. Furthermore, understand that the guards are not guarding the building itself, they are guarding who and what is inside that building. With this same intensity, we must continually have our hearts guarded. What we allow to come in, will always manifest itself outwardly. I heard of one preacher who describes our five senses as “gates to the soul”. Each of us has an eye gate, ear gate, taste gate, smell gate, and touch gate. What we allow to come through these gates affects our hearts for the positive or the negative. Each gate must be guarded heavily to prohibit harmful things to enter. For instance, we must guard what we look at. We must guard what we hear. We must guard what we touch by the places that we allow ourselves to go. We must even guard the things that we taste and smell. When we tell each of these “guards” to take the day off by neglecting our walk in the Spirit, we are sure to fail. We will allow things in our hearts that do not belong there, and thereby we grieve the Spirit.
Live today knowing that the Devil is seeking to devour you. He desires to have you and your family. The moment that we let our guard down is the moment that he swoops in to do damage. Because of this, do not live in fear, but rather live on guard!
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
05/22/2023
Proverbs 4:23 - “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
Strong’s Concordance says that “the heart” is mentioned 826 times in the Scriptures. Because of its emphasis, it must be important. We understand that most times, the heart referred to is not the physical, blood-pumping organ necessary for life. Rather, it is the center of emotion and will. In a sense, it is who we are at our core. It is fascinating that God, through His Word, instructs us to keep it with all diligence. Just like the physical heart is the source of physical life, the spiritual heart is the source of spiritual life. Jeremiah states that our hearts are “deceitful and desperately wicked.” This is a result of the fall in Genesis 3. Every person ever born is born with this type of sinful heart. However, when we get saved by placing our trust in the Lord Jesus, a new Resident moves in. This new Resident is the Holy Spirit. Dr. Scott Pauley puts it like this: at the moment of salvation, a new Resident moves in and brings His own furniture. At that moment He begins to conduct the biggest remodel in history by making us more like the Lord Jesus.
Because of the One who takes up residence in our hearts, we must do our part to keep it with all diligence. I think of our White House with all of its guards. There is never a moment when it is left unguarded. Furthermore, understand that the guards are not guarding the building itself, they are guarding who and what is inside that building. With this same intensity, we must continually have our hearts guarded. What we allow to come in, will always manifest itself outwardly. I heard of one preacher who describes our five senses as “gates to the soul”. Each of us has an eye gate, ear gate, taste gate, smell gate, and touch gate. What we allow to come through these gates affects our hearts for the positive or the negative. Each gate must be guarded heavily to prohibit harmful things to enter. For instance, we must guard what we look at. We must guard what we hear. We must guard what we touch by the places that we allow ourselves to go. We must even guard the things that we taste and smell. When we tell each of these “guards” to take the day off by neglecting our walk in the Spirit, we are sure to fail. We will allow things in our hearts that do not belong there, and thereby we grieve the Spirit.
Live today knowing that the Devil is seeking to devour you. He desires to have you and your family. The moment that we let our guard down is the moment that he swoops in to do damage. Because of this, do not live in fear, but rather live on guard!
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
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