Guard Your Heart (Spirit) Above All Else

(Prov 4:20-23 NLT) My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don't lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

This morning we continue to wind down the " Warrior Spirit" series. Yesterday we learned that your spirit is who you really are, that it is hard to recover from a crushed/wounded spirit, and that one of the ways to maintain a strong spirit is to feed on a steady diet of the Word of God. Today we seek to learn more from Solomon.

These four verses are so power-packed that if I attempted to teach them all I would have to prolong the series. So in an attempt to keep it short and sweet, I will summarize what I believe Solomon is saying and how it pertains to maintaining a Strong/Warrior Spirit.

1. Give attention to the Word: Solomon wants us to take his words (God's Words) seriously. He knows that humans have a tendency to listen without truly listening and to read without truly reading. Solomon urges us to peak up our senses and our attention when we are in the Word of God. He wants us to be in strict listening/receiving mode. Too many believers approach the Word of God with a laissez faire attitude, which results in wasted opportunities to truly learn and receive from God, through His Word.

2. Allow the to penetrate deep into your heart: What you repeatedly allow through your eye and ear gates will get down into your heart (spirit). It's not good enough to wear God's Word ON your heart like a charm on a necklace. God wants you to take His Word and put it IN your heart where it can reside as a rule. So it can become the ruler by which you judge every decision.

3. The Word will produce results in your life: God wants you to be spiritually attuned and attentive, mentally astute and alert, psychologically stable and sound, emotionally under control, and physically fit and strong. This is the type of life that God's Words can unlock for those that find them, apply them, and ascribe to them for life!

4. Guard your heart (spirit) above all else: Solomon urges us to protect our inner man; to put up a wall of defense against the errors of undisciplined conduct. It is utterly dangerous to allow your mind to stray or remain idle, to allow your emotions to fluctuate unchecked, to allow your will to choose what you know is wrong, or to allow your spirit to wander without direction. All these things happen in your heart (your inner man). It is in your inner man that decisions are made at forks in the road, chances are taken at divine opportunities, and 'the-faith-line' is crossed at life-changing moments.

So what does this mean to you ? It means that, in general, all the actions of life flow from the heart, not the blood-pump, but the inner man. So if you want to become the person that God desires for you to be, if you want to arrive at the final destination He envisions for your life, if you want to enjoy Godly success in life, then you will have to develop the discipline required to keep/guard/protect your inner man. It's in your inner man that the course of your life is determined. It's in your inner man that you either thrive or starve in God. It's in your inner man that you either overcome or succumb to the temptations of the enemy and the flesh. You may fool others by being a big, strong, and physically fit imposing specimen, but God looks past the outward appearance and He judges the heart (1st Sam 16:7) How do you look on the inside? How fit is your inner man? How do you look to God?

Father, I thank You for teaching me the importance of both physical and inner fitness! I keep my heart - my inner man - with all diligence, because I know that that's where true discipline is needed. I keep my mind sharp and alert. I read and study to keep it crisp and ready. I ruler over my emotions and keep them in check. I train my will to line up with Yours. And I submit my spirit to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. My inner man is fit, firm, and focused. I will arrive at the final destination You have planned for me! I am confident of this because my heart is right before You. In Jesus' name. Amen.