Guard Your Heart and Mind(Proverbs 4:21-27)

Guard Your Heart and Mind(Proverbs 4:21-27)

 

21 Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;

22 for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.

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

24 Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

25 Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.

26 Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.

27 Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

Head)

1. Solomon wrote the Book of Proverbs, the book of wisdom.

He said in Proverbs 4:22, “22 for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.” He is telling us that there is something that will nurture our spiritual and physical selves. It is a blessing everyone seeks.

 

2. In verse 21 he said, “Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;” Since it is something so vital, enough to nourish the spirit and body, we should never let it out of our sight and constantly keep it in our hearts.

 

3. So what is this thing that will give us life and health? Verse 23 tells us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” The “thing” we must do is guard our hearts. God tells us, through Solomon, that we must guard our hearts for life (everlasting) and health (physical).

 

But what is our “heart”?

Our “heart” is: 

① a place where emotions, thoughts, and memories are created and retrieved

② our determination and decision to do something

③ our attitudes and our approach to situations

 

4. A rich main built a giant wall reinforced with barbed wire fences and security cameras to protect his wealth. Still feeling unsure, his front doors were triple layered with strong locks. He further guarded his valuables in a safe only he could open. He did all he could to protect his possessions. Yet he failed to guard his own son and ended up losing most of his wealth paying for his son’s misadventures and blunders.

 

5. We all know of a former US president who had the looks and education to take him far, but ruined his career and honor by having an affair with an intern. We often see intelligent and able political leaders in the spotlight for bribery and disgraceful misconduct.

 

6. Even Solomon had once fallen for concubines that worshipped idols and became swept away worshipping idols himself. He had experienced his share and reprimand from God for his mistakes. I believe that he wrote today’s passage out of regret for failing to guard his heart and allowing himself to be easily swayed into idol worship.

 

7. There are homeless people who graduated from top colleges and worked for large notable companies. There are former businessmen who had run small to mid-sized companies. Many of them had a peaceful and happy life with their families.

 

These people certainly have the ability to start over and build themselves up again. But it is because they are not able to guard their hearts they fail to even try. There is nothing more important than guarding your heart.

 

Another crucial reason to guard your heart is because our heart is the source of our life. Suicide is a result of being unable to guard one’s heart. Our morality depends on the state of our hearts. Clean hearts produce clean lives, while corrupted hearts yield corrupt lifestyles. Our heart is like a water spring that provides the water necessary for all other parts to survive; if the source is dirty, so will be the recipients.

 

Our hearts are also the key to eternal life or eternal damnation. If we accept Jesus into our hearts, we will gain salvation and eternal life.

 

Where do we get the faith to believe in Jesus? Paul tells us in Romans 10:10, “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” The only path to everlasting life is to obey the Lord’s commands, believe in Jesus with your heart, and profess your faith with your lips.

(Now, let us take a look at four things we need to be wary of in order to guard our hearts.)

Body)

A) Guard Your Lips

Today’s passage tells us the first thing we must do to guard our heart is to guard our own lips.

Verse 24, “24 Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.” If our hearts are corrupt, so will be the things that come out of our mouths. To “keep your mouth free of perversity” means to keep from saying things with the intent of deceit and malice. Protecting your heart starts with watching what you say. It is easy to look into one’s heart based on what he/she says.

 

The words that come from our mouths should build others up, not tear them down. What we say must be sincere and benevolent. Even verse 2 of the hymn “O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee” tells us, “Help me the slow of heart to move. By some clear, winning word of love; Teach me the wayward feet to stay, And guide them in the homeward way.” We, as Christians, must guide others with winning words of love.

 

An old Korean proverb says, “A few words can repay a $1000 debt.” What we say is incredibly important. Just as a beautiful jewel cannot be appreciated if it is covered in dirt, no one will see a kind heart if the words spoken are harsh and cruel. Practicing graceful language brings grace.

 

Some researchers claim that repeating “I love you” to someone you dislike can bring forth loving emotions. This is how important and powerful words truly are.

 

B) Guard Your Eyes

1. The second way we guard our hearts is in verse 25: “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.” “Let your eyes look straight ahead” and “fix your gaze” means to look at only the just and look towards fairness and righteousness.

 

Where did Adam and Eve’s mistake, which drove humanity to sin, start? It started when Eve “saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”

 

It started because Eve saw the fruit and saw it looked pleasing. Maybe if she had bad vision humanity wouldn’t have fallen to sin.

 

The eyes are the windows to the heart. We “sightsee” by looking at beautiful scenery and enjoy it with our hearts. What we see moves our hearts. Our eyes are also a window to our spirit. Doctors check a patient’s eyes to verify their state consciousness and health. They also check the eyes to determine if a patient is dead or alive.

 

If we associate with delinquents, we too end up following their suit. If we repeatedly associate with kind and gentle people, we slowly start becoming more like them. This is why it is important to choose your friends wisely, especially those with good faith. If we chase what looks good, a life of worldly pleasure and satisfaction, we will inevitably be led to sin.

 

Make the effort to actively look at good things. Look for and look at just and righteous things. Guard your heart by keeping yourself from seeing corruption and evil, especially those disguised as good.  

 

Today’s verse tells us to “fix [our] gaze directly before [us].” We often say that suspicious people have shifty eyes. If people are in on a scheme they exchange glances as a signal to each other. If our gaze is not fixed directly before us, it means our eyes are wandering and hearts along with them. We cannot be shifty-eyed like the dishonest.

 

A sincere and deep conversation is had with two people looking directing at each other, often in each others’ eyes. The same people can talk about the same topic but the same level of intimacy can not be reached if one person is constantly looking elsewhere or closing their eyes.

 

When listening to a sermon, it is best to look at the preacher during the sermon for the message to truly touch your heart. It is the best way receive the grace of the message. Merely hearing the words with your ears is not enough; you must listen with your heart and focus with your eyes.

 

C) Guard Your Feet

Third, the Bible tells us to guard our feet and the path we walk with them. Verses 26 and 27 tell us: "Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.” 

 

In other words, it is important for us to walk a righteous and moral path if we want to guard our hearts. We need to remove all obstacles and walk a just walk. There are roads we can and cannot go down; let us not make the mistake of following a path of sin which God forbade."

 

Many people fall to misfortune because they went down a road they were not supposed to follow. We see many people who took one wrong step and made irreparable mistakes that changed the course of their lives. This is especially true of those who fall victim to cults. Take a look as Islam. Today's society is riddled with war, murder, mass homicide, poverty, sickness, and death. Islam is a religion of heresy that seduces people to make a mistake and fall with lies.

 

Solomon told his children the secret to life (everlasting) and health (physical). But this message also applies to us in the present day. God said, “My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words," and to "guard your heart."

 

Man can only follow the right path if they listen to God's Word and the message of Jesus Christ His Son. There is no other path. But we are of weak will and faith, so we keep looking for easier roads. We're too tired to go to church, we don't want to give up our hard-earned money for offerings, the Bible is boring, the people at church are dull, and the pastor is no good. 

 

This is the problem. We make excuses and take a path different from the one God gave us. Some people hear the pastor's sermon and think, "This doesn't apply to me. I don't need this sermon," and tune out. But this is not true. Of course some sermons may not be directly applicable, but more often than not there is a message God wants us to hear. 

 

Proverbs 16:32, "Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city." If you do not yet have faith, listen close. Isaiah 55:7, "Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon."

 

The sins you have committed thus far is not what is most important. It is most important that you repent, not for every little sin, but for not recognizing the Lord as your Father and the gift of life He sacrificed for us. Believe in Jesus. Know who he was, what he did, why he died on the cross for us and then believe in His power. 

 

Our God is an understanding God who forgives us still today. There's no point in running from Him for He is everywhere. What makes an undutiful and ungrateful son/daughter? Is it because he/she has no parents? No. What makes him/her undutiful and ungrateful is because they do not give their parents the respect and treatment they deserve. 

 

The same concept applies to our relationship with God. He is our Father, our Creator, our Lord. Yet we fail to treat or even recognize Him as such. Serve God as we were meant to. It is our duty to do so.

 

D) Uphold Philippians 4

Philippians tells us the secret to protecting our hearts and minds.

Philippians 4:4-9

“4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

 

Philippians 4 gives us 6 keys to guarding our hearts:

1. Rejoice in the Lord always.

2. Let your gentleness be evident to all.

3. Do not be anxious.

4. Give thanks and prayer in all situations.

5. Be good to others.

6. Live by Paul’s example.

 

If we do this, then we will experience two wonderful effects:

1. The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (verse 7)

2. The God of peace will be with you. (verse 9)

 

Con)

This is the secret to guarding our hearts and protecting our blessings in life. This is the only path. Any other path will only lead you to Satan. Not believing in Jesus, especially when you have the opportunity to, is a greater loss and brings greater consequences than we can imagine. Use this week to reflect and act according to today's message. Let us all guard our hearts, stand firm, and walk closer to God. Hallelujah!

 

Ik sun, Ahn 040216