Protect Your Heart

Introduction

Last week:

Proverbs 4:23 ESV

23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Our hearts are the deepest parts of us, that nobody sees, and is where everything we do in life stems from.

God alone can and does look at our hearts.

We have a heart problem: it is stained with sin.

God made a way for our hearts to be renewed by sending His son Jesus to die for our sins.

Placing our faith in Him, we are given a new heart that is undefiled and clean.

This Week

Proverbs 4:23 ESV

23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

We are going to expand on this scripture.

Talked last week about the last half, but this week we will talk about the first half.

Keeping our Heart

Mark 3:24–27 ESV

24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.

Jesus is talking to the Pharisees: they accused him of being a follower of satan because he was casting demons our of people.

Jesus was saying: Guy’s if I you think I am from satan, how does it make any sense that I am attacking his kingdom?

He was making the point that a kingdom, regardless of where or whose it is, if it is divided against itself, it can’t stand.

This principle can easily apply to our spiritual lives.

Although we have a renewed heart, we must be actively seeking to feed ourselves with things that are healthy for us

Things that will lead to growth in our walk with God.

If we feed ourselves with junk, that God does not approve of, then friends our faith will not stand.

Do you want your faith to stand? Then you cannot be divided against it. You must be seeking the things of God then.

You may say you want your relationship with God to grow, and your faith to be increased, but what are you doing about it?

The 3 Gates

Proverbs 4:23 ESV

23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

What are you doing to influence your heart?

Everything you do directly influences and impacts your heart.

It has been taught that there are 3 gates into our hearts:

The ear gate

The eye gate

The mouth gate

The Ear Gate

The ear gate involves what we are hearing.

Whatever you hear goes directly into your heart, and will impact you in some way.

Have you ever been listening to a sad song, and then all of a sudden you begin to think about the saddest things ever like puppy’s who are starving or that time your boyfriend broke up with you?

Or how about when your listening to a song and then you cant get it out of your head?

What enters your ear can directly influence what you think and how you feel. Which means it can influence your heart.

The Eye Gate

The eye gate involves what we are seeing.

Things we see can have a huge impact on our hearts.

If we see movies that are filthy, think about how that affects our minds and emotions.

Have you ever saw something you wish you didn’t and you can’t seem to get the image out of your mind?

You see what enters you eyes, can have a significant impact on your heart and mind.

The Mouth Gate

The first two gates dealt with what goes into us, the last gate to our heart delves into what comes out.

And here is the big secret: What you allow to enter your ear gate and eye gate will come directly our of your mouth gate.

Luke 6:45 ESV

45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Jesus is saying whatever your heart is full of, is what will come out of it.

If we watch filthy movies, listen to filthy music. We will become filthy people.

Don’t think that because you are saved, you are somehow invincible from contaminating your heart again with sin.

Young or old, it does not matter all can fall back into sin.

Your walk with God, will not and does not depend on how many people you pray for, it depends on what you feed your heart.

Remember Jesus’ parable.

How Do I Guard My Heart?

We have talked about how things we do enter our heart, so now how do we guard it?

We look at, hear, read, and intake things that pertain to God.

We read the Bible, listen to Worship music, pray, and we watch what we say.

By doing these things we will not only guard our hearts but also feed our hearts, with the things we need to grow in our relationship with God.

Conclusion

Don’t you see that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand?

Can you see that you cannot love God, and live whatever lifestyle you want?

Do you see that what you do directly affects your heart?

Where is your heart at today?

What are you feeding it?

Psalm 19:14 ESV

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Do the words and meditations of your heart please God, Would He be proud to know what your saying, and doing?

If not come to the altars make it right.