How Do You Keep Your Heart?

Intro

Text - Proverbs 4.23

Proverbs 4:23 NKJV

23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

Title - How Do You Keep Your Heart?

Series - Lesson from the Book of Proverbs

Main Idea

Physiologically, the heart is the most important part of the human body

Spiritually - the heart is also the most important part of the whole person

heart represents the soul, the inner man, the real man

soul is the seat of a man’s thinking, feeling, and willing (will)

are you taking care of your hearts?

sadly, most people take of their hearts after it is already beaten and abused

the human soul can also be abused and beaten

Recognizing its Importance

The first step to keeping one’s heart is by recognizing the importance of the heart

The heart represents the soul

soul is the seat of the human personally

therefore a person is only as good or as bad as the condition of his/her soul

if the soul is abused - fed with evil things…

if the soul is cared and protected from evil things…

The heart is the source of one’s existence

NKJV - the issues of life

CSB - it is the source of life

Proverbs 4:23 CSB

23 Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.

NLT - it determines the course of life

Proverbs 4:23 NLT

23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

NIV - everything you do flows from it

Proverbs 4:23 NIV

23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

NCV - your thoughts run your life

Proverbs 4:23 NCV

23 Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.

The heart is the fountain of all our actions

Matthew 15:19 NKJV

19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.

Filling the Heart with Good Things

Second, if you want to keep your heart, fill it with good things, the right things

The aim of the book of Book of Proverbs is the “heart” of man - to fill it with words of wisdom.

Proverbs 4:20–22 NKJV

20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; 22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.

note - why not the “brain”

Proverbs 2:1–2 NKJV

1 My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, 2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding;

Proverbs 3:1 NKJV

1 My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands;

Proverbs 4:4 NKJV

4 He also taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live.

Proverbs 7:3 NKJV

3 Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart.

Exercising the Heart to Do the Right things

The heart is not only a repository of good ideas, wise words, righteous judgments - It is can also DO or ACT a number of things.

there are ACTIONS that only the heart can do, and MUST DO.

Positive actions

TRUST

Proverbs 3:5 NKJV

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;

Trust is synonymous with faith

LOVE

Deuteronomy 6:5 NKJV

5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

MEDITATION

Psalm 4:4 NKJV

4 Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah

Psalm 77:6 NKJV

6 I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, And my spirit makes diligent search.

Psalm 19:14 NKJV

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

Philippians 4:8 NKJV

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Negative actions

LUST

Proverbs 6:23–25 NKJV

23 For the commandment is a lamp, And the law a light; Reproofs of instruction are the way of life, 24 To keep you from the evil woman, From the flattering tongue of a seductress. 25 Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, Nor let her allure you with her eyelids.

ENVY

Proverbs 23:17 NKJV

17 Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day;

EVIL THOUGHTS

Zechariah 8:17 NKJV

17 Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor; And do not love a false oath. For all these are things that I hate,’ Says the Lord.”

Conclusion

When the heart is properly guided, and protected from evil influence, the results will manifest in our actions.

Proverbs 4:24–27 NKJV

24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. 26 Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. 27 Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.

The goal of gospel preaching is not only to save us from sin,

But also to transform our lives FROM THE INSIDE OUT

Ephesians 5:15–19 NKJV

15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,

Colossians 3:16–17 NKJV

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

SONG - A pure heart