Guarding Your Heart

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

When the Word of the Lord is sown in your heart through the Scriptures coming alive as you believe and receive them or through the promises spoken directly to your heart by the Holy Spirit in times of prayer and intimacy with Him a battle begins immediately because the devils knows that if you can keep the Word securely planted in your heart it will produce the promises and blessings of God, so he aims to destroy it before it can bear fruit. This is why Jesus said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it,” Luke 11:28.

The direction of your life is directly effected by whether or not you guard heart from the things that can enter in and spoil the soil. In the book of Mark Jesus compares the heart to soil.

The Four Kinds of Hearts

1. No Understanding 2. No Depth 3. Thorny 4. Good Soil

A sower went out to sow…some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. ^ Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” Mark 4:3-8

The Issues of Life

1. The path represents skepticism, a heart that is willing to hear but not ready to believe, a place where many people walk bringing  with them other things that cause confusion and a lack of understanding. If you’re not yet sure about what you believe regarding the Bible or Christ, you make yourself an easy target for the devil to steal the Word of God every time it’s sown into your heart. However, the moment you decide to believe God wholeheartedly he looses the battle.
2. Rocky ground is those who reject the Word when it’s hard to follow; they are easily offended, refuse to walk in love, hold grudges and want their own vengeance. Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,^ bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. ^ Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. ^ As you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” Luke 6:27-29
3. Thorny ground is those who get impatient with God’s timing and allow themselves to by distracted by their own plans, a busy lifestyle, or working toward a form of worldly notoriety and wealth. Jesus said, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” Mark 8:38
4. Good soil is those who guard their hearts from skepticism by choosing to walk in faith and trust God until greater understanding comes, choose to make a lifestyle of love the greatest pursuit of their Christian life, seek the kingdom of God first by making time for the things of God each day and allow patience work in them until their harvest time comes.

The Effects on the Word of God

1. Stolen 2. Rejected 3. Unfruitful 4. Fruitful

^ And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.^ And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, ^ but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. ^ But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” Mark 4:14-20

Beloved, just like a garden your heart will always need tending to keep the junk out and good stuff growing. The responsibility is yours, take care of your heart.