Why do we need to guard our hearts? WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT?

I was a person who does not read the Bible that much before.  I read many bible verses but I did not want to remember it before.. Until the time I chose to surrender my life to Christ, one of the advices I got is…. GUARD YOUR HEART.

I did not understand before the essence of guarding my heart. I was a person who always follows my emotions. Heart over matter. But of course I still used my mind but I preferred FOLLOWING MY HEART.

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1. “But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and it is those things that make a person unclean.” – Matthew 15:18

This verse says it all. Of course, what is inside our hearts will define who we are. If your heart is a grateful heart, it will be shown in your actions. If your heart is bitter, it will be heard through your mouth.  If your heart is angry, it can be seen and heard. IT DEFINES YOU. One of the things I learned in life is YOU CANNOT HIDE THE INSIDE OF YOUR HEART. It will be seen through your life.

“…and it is those things that make a person unclean.” 

YOUR HEART CAN MAKE OR BREAK YOU. It can lead to your destruction in the future. It can lead to healthy relationships. It can lead to sufferings. It can show your character. It can make you show your evil ways. It can define selfishness. It can define bitterness. The list goes on. 

One of the things I learned from my friend who is a Psychology graduate is what is the inside of your heart in the present, can still be brought until many decades from now. It is wise to assess the inside of your heart. One of the things I face in my Christian walk is the more I know God, the more I know my self…. The more I know my heart.

2. “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” – Luke 6:45

Sometimes we always say to people that we are good, but through our hearts, WE can be defined. I was a person who cannot see myself.. But other people can read me. And this passage says it all. Through my mouth, I can be read by any person. And yes, through your mouth, A PERSON CAN READ YOU. You may not see your own self but OTHERS CAN SEE YOU.

3. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” – Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

“Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts.” – Proverbs 4:23 (MSG)

 ^“Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.” – Proverbs 4:23 (GNT)

I typed the three versions so that it would be easily defined and explained. The first translaton says that if a heart is not guarded, it can affect relationships, friendships, character, etc. As I read more the Bible, the best ways to guard my heart is to READ HIS WORD. Proverbs is all about WISDOM. Wisdom will help everyone to be wise in their decisions and actions. Other parts of the Bible also tells about life: your work, your friendships, love, Holy Spirit, forgiveness, following God, etc. ALWAYS LET YOUR HEART BE GUARDED. The enemy/Satan’s ways are TEMPTATIONS, DECEPTIONS AND ACCUSATION. Deception of the enemy is yeah, VERY DECEIVING. There are times Satan will imitate God so that you will not see that it is from Satan. Let your heart be guarded through the Word… Through prayers. Through godly counsel. Through the Holy Spirit. Ask in faith the Holy Spirit for discernment.

The second version says… “..that’s where life starts.” 

One of the quotes I read says, “Your heart defines some of your circumstances.” You may have some enemies because of what is coming out of your heart. You may have some broken relationships because of what is coming out of your heart. You may be a person who is confident and secured because of the inside of your heart. It is where life starts. Some circumstances in our lives are coming from our heart. And also, I am always reminded that if God has a plan, THE ENEMY HAS A PLAN TOO. Seek wisdom from GOD. Pray and converse with him about these things. Because the enemy will always attack your HEART first.. your emotions. 🙂 The enemy may put you in season THAT IS NOT your season.

The third version says, your life is shaped by your THOUGHTS. Uh-oh. Yes, what you think about anything will DEFINE YOUR LIFE. Because your thoughts will teach how to deal with any situation. Your subconscious will really affect your life. So always be careful what you feed in your SOUL, HEART AND MIND.

4. “The human heart is the MOST DECEITFUL OF ALL THINGS, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” Jeremiah 17:9

Deciding to follow your heart must be consulted to God first. Consult the Bible first.. PRAY. Then ask advice from people who have relationship with God. The human heart is VERY DECEIVING because it is what the enemy uses for Satan’s strategies.

We want to follow God.. We want to know His ways. We want to hear from Him. God’s ways are PERFECT. His plans are perfect and good. BUT the enemy’s plans are HARMFUL. The enemy would do anything so that you would be away from God. THE ENEMY DOESN’T WANT YOU TO EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTY OF HIS PLANS FOR YOU. 

BETTER THINK TWICE BEFORE FOLLOWING YOUR HEART. Pray. Ask God. Consult His word. Ask Godly counsel. Only God can read the WHOLE HEART.

Feel free to comment about the article! You can add anything for this article through COMMENTS. I know some people are much, much WISER when it comes to guarding their hearts. Feel free to add anything as long as it is not offensive. 🙂

 

The Two Cats

This morning, I was with my pet cat.. He’s a one-year-old cat. I was conversing to my pet.. “Ikaw lang yung pusa dito sa bahay na hindi nangangagat, hindi nangangalmot, hindi marunong magalit! Tahimik ka lang tapos mahal na mahal mo yung ibang pusa sa bahay. Ikaw lang nakita ko na pusa na ganyan kabait! (You are the only cat I know who is tamed! You are so quiet then you really love other cats! You are the only cat I know that is very good!” While I was saying this to my cat, I suddenly remembered who I am in my old life.. My life before I had a relationship with Christ.

I really like these 2 pet cats in our house.. But they are both different. I can see my old self in my four-year-old cat. I can see how God is changing me in my one-year-old cat. I may not be always like that but that is what God is telling me… To be like my one-year-old cat.

Here’s the table of the difference of the two cats:

 

I am aware that I am still in a work in the progress. As Philippians 1:6 says,  “And so I am sure that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus.” GOD IS NOT FINISHED WITH ME YET. He is doing things in my heart.

As long as I live there would be rebukes, corrections, improvements and changes in my life. As long as I live, I have more time to grow. If I am already perfect, then there would be no growth and changes.

I was a person who is not really good with temper especially I am hormonal (raging hormones). Whenever I get mad before, I cannot control my words.. I cannot say it before in a gentle way. I had lots of insecurities. I wanted to be approved by others. I wanted to be more beautiful. I want to be this… Like this… The list goes on.

As each day goes by, God was revealing to me His message to me by Bible verses in my quiet time…

I want to share these Bible verses that changed me:

“For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” James 1:20 – Okay, God is telling me not to be easily angered..

“You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.” Song of Solomon 4:7 – I am beautiful because God created me. So why should I be insecure? 

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30 – Lord looks inside the heart. A woman can be very beautiful in the outside but doesn’t fear the Lord.

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35 – I am called by God to disciple but I cannot be a disciple without loving others… even the people who hurt me. I learned to love ALL people through Christ.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” Galatians 5:22-25 – I cannot say I live with the Spirit but fights what the Spirit is doing to my heart. The Holy Spirit, as what Jesus Christ left before He ascended to Heaven, is here to feel God’s presence. 

“But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” Romans 8:25 –  I was a very impatient person.. I always rush things. Through Christ, I learned to wait for His timing. I learned how to wait… I am still learning to be more patient.

“Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.” – Ecclesiastes 7:9 – It would be foolish to be easily angered.. It would be wise to be gentle and patient. Foolishness cannot do any prosperity.

“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” – Luke 6:35 – I was a person who is so bitter with people who hurt me. I did not know how to forgive. But through Christ, I was able to forgive. (I am planning to make another post about this topic).

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 – One of my friends told me this… Remove the word love in the verses.. Then put your name like, “Nads is patient, nads is kind…..” Then read it again, ask yourself, am I this person? Then it will be revealed to you that God wants to change some things in your heart 🙂

And one of the bible verses that struck me is..

“Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” Philippians 2:3-11 – Being humble is also considering others in your decisions. Will I hurt others with this decision or Am I the only one who will gain with this? Can I bless others by this? Am I being selfless? As the last verses say, like Christ, even though He is the SON of GOD, He made himself like a servant.. He went down from Heaven to be a human like us so that He can save us for our sins.

I have so many, many, many bible verses to still share but I am praying and hoping that whoever reads this, God will show you more bible verses.

God bless to people reading this! 🙂