Day 5 - 40 Days of JOY
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days of JOY
Day 5 | ABOVE ALL ELSE
40 Days of JOY
Day 5 | ABOVE ALL ELSE
ABOVE ALL ELSE
Proverbs 4:23
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (NLT)
This is a great Scripture. It’s not vague. It says: “Guard your heart ABOVE ALL ELSE.”
Why did Solomon, the wisest man ever, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, write this?
Because it is TRUE.
Another verse gives a similar message: “For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7)
The Bible mentions “heart” nearly 1000 times. The heart is that spiritual part of us where our emotions, will, personality, and desires dwell. It is the “core” of our being. Thus, why Proverbs 4:23 puts such a HIGH PRIORITY on caring for – and guarding – our heart.
When a person comes to Christ, it requires a change of the heart. Romans 10:10 says: “With the heart one believes unto righteousness.”
And in Mark 7:21-23: “From within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man unclean.”
Thus, only God can clean our hearts. Psalm 51:10 says: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
So, what does this all mean? It means that we – you and I – must take care of our “hearts.” It is not just important; it has an importance level “above all else.”
How do we do that? By being careful as to what we put into our hearts.
The old adage is: “You are what you eat.” To a similar extent, our “hearts” (our emotions, will, personality and desires) are “what we eat,” as well. What we read. What we watch. What we SAY. Our conversations. The people we hang around. Be careful.
Prayer: LORD, help me learn how to GUARD my heart. I want to be JOYFUL. Please help me become aware of what I FEED into my consciousness and help me be WISE. Amen.
Proverbs 4:23
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (NLT)
This is a great Scripture. It’s not vague. It says: “Guard your heart ABOVE ALL ELSE.”
Why did Solomon, the wisest man ever, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, write this?
Because it is TRUE.
Another verse gives a similar message: “For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7)
The Bible mentions “heart” nearly 1000 times. The heart is that spiritual part of us where our emotions, will, personality, and desires dwell. It is the “core” of our being. Thus, why Proverbs 4:23 puts such a HIGH PRIORITY on caring for – and guarding – our heart.
When a person comes to Christ, it requires a change of the heart. Romans 10:10 says: “With the heart one believes unto righteousness.”
And in Mark 7:21-23: “From within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man unclean.”
Thus, only God can clean our hearts. Psalm 51:10 says: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
So, what does this all mean? It means that we – you and I – must take care of our “hearts.” It is not just important; it has an importance level “above all else.”
How do we do that? By being careful as to what we put into our hearts.
The old adage is: “You are what you eat.” To a similar extent, our “hearts” (our emotions, will, personality and desires) are “what we eat,” as well. What we read. What we watch. What we SAY. Our conversations. The people we hang around. Be careful.
Prayer: LORD, help me learn how to GUARD my heart. I want to be JOYFUL. Please help me become aware of what I FEED into my consciousness and help me be WISE. Amen.
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