This Day in History: 0000-06-12
June 12 – Proverbs 4: 23-27
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech.
Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.
To live life following God requires vigilance. We are never going to have success in this area by accident. Obedience requires intention, planning, and preparation. Yet so often, don’t we live as if a life in line with the call of Christ on our lives will just happen to us without effort? I think it’s because we don’t want to stand out. We don’t want to be weird. Here’s the kicker, I think we often inadvertently believe that by blending in with the world, we are guarding our hearts. Saving ourselves from embarrassment, or ridicule. But friends, that is a lie from the enemy!
The Bible does warn us to guard our hearts. It tells us to do this “above all else.” But contrary to our sinful instincts, guarding our hearts does not look like blending into the world. In fact, if we’re adequately securing the course of our life, we’re likely to stand out like a sore thumb! Here are just a few of the things the Bible suggests we do to guard our hearts: avoid ALL perverse talk, stay away from corrupt speech, keep to a straight path, don’t get sidetracked, don’t follow evil.
So let’s commit to obedience. Let’s be intentional. Let’s look straight ahead, and fix our eyes on what lies before us. Let’s plan out a path forward that avoids distractions and runs from evil. Let’s know ourselves well enough to accurately avoid the pitfalls that are most likely to trip us up! Let’s commit to staying far away from perverse talk and determine that every word which comes out of our mouths will be pleasing to our Lord. Let’s steer clear of gossip or any other corrupt speech. Let’s ask God for help, knowing He will be eager to protect and guard our hearts.