Gatekeeper
Wednesday, May 6
Gatekeeper
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 4:23
Guard your heart, protect what goes in for it leads to actions. This is a phrase we have heard in some way or another throughout life. As the world contuse to battle with the COVID-19 pandemic, most people turn to the media, social media and other sources of information to try to understand what is going on. Most are in a search to catch some glimpse of hope for the future. However, we must be careful with our quest to be informed. As much as staying informed is a good thing, the above scripture gives us a clear guidance for such a time as this. We need to guard our heart above all else. The reason is that what goes on in our hearts determines our lives.
Matthew 15:18 says it this way, “what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart.” It sounds simple yet it is very profound. What goes in in our hearts will determine the course of our lives. The enemy of our souls, Satan, knows this. That is why in times like this full of confusion and uncertainty, he wages war against our hearts trying to take control of the mind. He is working overtime to bring in all sorts of things that should not be there, things like fear (of the unknown, the future, death, and sickness), anxiety, doubts and unbelief, hopelessness, and frustrations. All these things affect our daily communion with the Lord and our ability to trust Him.
God’s Word in Romans 4:18, says this about Abraham, ‘Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!’ Abraham guarded his heart from doubts, anxiety and fear amid uncertainties. He held on to what God had said, His unchangeable promises in His Word.
We too toady are asked to do the same. Yes, there is a lot happening in our world. So much information and misinformation to digest, uncertainty unfolds each day. Yet, amid all of this, we are called to guard our hearts (minds) more than anything else. We can only do that by holding on to what God has said in His Word. What we allow in, will affect how we live (represent) God.
Prayer for today: Father God, in the name of Jesus, please show me how to get rid of that which isn’t for me. May your Holy Spirit help me to decide what should be allowed in and what should be kept out. In Jesus’ name. Amen.