Guard Your Heart Above All Else!

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (Proverbs 4:23 NLT)

We have adopted a culture in which we all find ourselves victims. We are told that we are victims of our upbringing, victims of our environment and even victims of our own emotions. We hear a husband lament, “I can’t help it if I don’t love her anymore.” Or after a serious burst of anger the angry individual excuses his behavior with, “It’s just the way I am!” Perhaps a wife threatens, “I could never forgive him for what he did.” And a child is heard to say, “I didn’t feel like studying.” Or, “I don’t feel like sharing.”

Don’t believe this victim mentality for a moment! Know this, a victim never wins! Never!

When Christ comes into a life he intends to transform that person from the inside out—including the way we think and the way we emote. If we think we are victims of our emotions, we will be! But that’s not God’s plan for us. “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (Proverbs 4:23 NLT)

We may think at times that we fall prey to the whim of our emotions and cannot help ourselves, but that is never really true. You and I control our emotions all the time and we do it with finesse. For instance, when we want something real bad we know exactly what to do to feed our emotions. By the same token if we want to avoid something desperately, again we guide our emotions accordingly. If we don’t care what happens, we let our emotions take us where they will—and that’s a dangerous way to live!

When I was pursuing my wife, I fed my emotions of love and joy over her in every way thinkable. Later in our marriage, we both went through some rough times in which those emotions of love and joy did not flow easily. But we nurtured and fed those healthy emotions by doing loving things for each other and by voicing our desire to love each other. In this way we directed our emotions.

We must submit our will and emotions to Christ and let him lead and direct our lives. “Guard your heart above all else.” Don’t let your emotions run away with you. “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4:8 NLT)

©2009 Rob Fischer