Guard your heart

It could be said that we all have a heart condition. Our hearts are in a particular condition and as a Christian we need to regularly check our hearts. Things can sneak inside of us and damage it. The quicker that you can detect and sort out the issue then the better it will be. The longer the issue is left unattended, the deeper rooted it will become.

God tests us because he wants us to see what is in us, not him, he can already see deep within us. He shows us inside of us, our hearts so that we can face our problems, deal with them and grow. We will never be made free by living in darkness with the devil. We need to come out into the light where we can move to a new level of freedom.

Proverbs 4:23 - "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." - This does not say God will guard your heart. It says that WE will. It is our responsibility, a full time one. We have no idea what is going to occur in our lives or when someone is going to hurt or betray us so we need to constantly work with the Holy Spirit to keep our heart in good condition. There is nothing more important than our inner life. God's presence within us is beyond valuable and not what he can do for us. External things are not important for the condition of our heart. We can still have a sad heart even if we are a millionaire. There is nothing wrong with having nice things around you, but the real life is the one within you, in your heart. You can be happy and peaceful inside in the lousiest of circumstances if you know how to keep your heart in the right condition.

Matthew 5:8 - "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." -
If you want to know God and his secrets keep a pure heart. The purer it is, the more room for God.

1 Peter 3:3-4 - "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewellery or fine clothes. ⁴ Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." - If we spent as much time checking our heart as we do our hair, makeup and clothes then our hearts would be in a lot better condition. We need to spend time checking our heart. Our hair style and outfit do not interest God or the Devil, what interests them is how we are dressed in the Spirit (in our heart). Our heart encompasses our thoughts, attitudes and mental wellbeing. The spiritual realm is just as real as our life on earth but is of higher importance.

1 Corinthians 3:13-15 - "their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person's work. ¹⁴ If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames." - No matter what good work we do, if we do it with a poor motive then that is not pleasing to God and we will not get any reward for it. Our salvation is based on the grace and mercy of God and the shed blood of Jesus Christ. However we will get rewarded for our deeds when we enter eternal life, but only the ones carried out with a genuine motive. Acts committed with a wrong motive deflect God and attract the devil which should be avoided at all costs. We should not commit acts just to gain acceptance from others or to impress others, this is the wrong motive. Deep down we all want to impress each other, it forms part of our carnal desires. The only way we get a real feeling of freedom is once we only care what He thinks and not what others think of us and our deeds.