It was early in my faith walk and I had no idea that God had a complete picture of my heart. That he saw every sin as it was birthed in my pumping power plant. And that the world saw my character through the words that had just passed through the headquarters of my life.
God taught me later that there are no pretend hearts and it is our true heart that lays down the path we travel and determines how we respond to the blessings and challenges we experience on the journey.
There’s more. He rewards a faithful heart (II Chronicles 16:9) and punishes an idol-laden heart (Ezekiel 14:3-8).
Reading in the book of Proverbs this morning reminded me that we can only present a false heart–like I had done earlier in my life—for a short amount of time. Our authentic heart will eventually take over.
“Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.” Proverbs 4:23 (GNT)
David guarded his heart by careful self-examination, confession, prayer, and worship. God was the light in his life and that is the same power source available to us.
It is foolish to think God does not see every idea and thought of our heart (Jeremiah 17:9-10). He knows me better than me. And he knows you better than you.
In the end, guarding our heart is a binary choice: 1) We either protect it from sin (Romans 13:14); or we steer it toward holiness (Psalm 119:11).
I ask God to help me have a heart like David. A heart guarded by self-examination, confession, prayer, and worship.
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are you guarding your heart today?
