📍How do we MANAGE or take care of our real BEING?
We wish to be the BEST we were Created to be the origin of it all is our heart.
The Bible teaches that the heart is the core of a person’s inner life—thoughts, desires, and will—and is the source of all actions, words, and behaviors. Proverbs 4:23 instructs to “guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it,”
Proverbs 4:23 states: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (NIV). This verse emphasizes protecting one’s inner life—thoughts, emotions, and desires—because they directly dictate actions, character, and the overall direction of life.
- Meaning: The “heart” represents the core of a person’s being, including thoughts, intentions, and emotions. “Guard your heart” implies being proactive against negative influences, such as bitterness, greed, or impurity, which can pollute one’s life.
- Significance: It is described as a critical, urgent command because the heart is the “wellspring” or source of all life’s issues and actions.
- Application: Guarding the heart involves:
- Filtering inputs: Being mindful of what you watch, listen to, and read.
- Focusing on Scripture: Filling the mind with God’s truth to align with His will.
- Active Vigilance: Regularly evaluating thoughts and motives to prevent the
while Jesus explains that both good and evil originate from the heart’s abundance.
Key Biblical Principles Regarding the Heart:
- The Source of Actions: Jesus stated in Matthew 15:18-19 (NIV) which states: “But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” Jesus teaches that true defilement is internal (spiritual/moral) rather than external.
Key Details:
The Heart as the Source: Jesus explains that words and actions are merely reflections of the heart’s condition. - True Defilement: Instead of focusing on ceremonial rituals or traditions, Jesus clarifies that sin originating from within is what makes a person unclean.
- The List of Evils: Jesus lists specific sins that arise from the heart: evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.
Context: These verses are part of a rebuke to the Pharisees, who prioritized ritual handwashing over the deeper moral requirements of God’s commands.
These verses are frequently cited to highlight the importance of inner purity over outward appearance. that evil thoughts, murder, adultery, theft, and slander proceed from the heart, which is what truly defiles a person. - The Wellspring of Life: Proverbs 4:23 (NIV/NASB) emphasizes that because the heart determines the course of life, it should be guarded with all diligence.
- Speech Reveals the Heart: Luke 6:45 highlights that “out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks,” meaning words indicate the condition of the inner life.
- A Need for Purification: Scripture implies the need for a pure heart to produce good fruits, often encouraging prayer for God to renew or purify the heart.
In essence, the Bible portrays the heart not as the organ, but as the spiritual command center of life.
We cannot be better than our substance! . Thankfully, God had documented the requirements in His words for us to PUT ON but are we? We read it and listen to it but then often modified it to accommodate our LUSTS, PLEASURES and VANITIES! Who’s totally guiltless of this?
“But BE DOERS of the word, and NOT HEARER only, deceiving yourselves… But he who looks into the PERFECT LAW of LIBERTY and continues in it… will be BLESSED in what he does.”
Jam. 1:22-25.
Reflection: What do you count as BLESSINGS and how do you measure SUCCESS?
The truth? Our attitudes, actions and reactions towards the Word of God are determined by our perspectives about LIFE. A self-seeking man prefers PEOPLE’S OPINIONS to what the Word of God says and so, such never change… A vital message for us!
May the WORDS prosper us, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.🙏🔥