Guard Your Hearts

1 Kings 9:2-9 That the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon. 3 And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. 4 And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments: 5 Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel. 6 But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: 7 Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people: 8 And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house? 9 And they shall answer, Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath the LORD brought upon them all this evil.

Prov 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

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In scripture, the "heart" refers to the inner-most man. It refers to who a person really is inside. It refers to the thoughts, feelings, motives, and what makes you, you. I preached this morning about one of the most common spiritual heart problems, the hardening of the spiritual heart (see the sermon "Harden Not Your Hearts"). That sermon was really only the tip of the iceberg of the Bible's teaching on the heart of a man. If we say that we are Christians and yet our heart is not right before God, then our religious practices will be in vain. Let me take a moment to convince you of the importance of keeping and checking and double checking your heart. You who were in the main service this morning have hopefully already checked to make sure that your heart is tender before God and not hardened to the things of God. But our spiritual "heart check up" goes beyond just the softening of our heart by the Holy Spirit. There is also some maintenance and actions required by us. Simply put, once we have a soft heart toward the things of God, it matters what kind of heart we have!

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 is the most important commandment in all of scripture according to Moses and Jesus. Let me remind you of what is says:

Deut 6:4-5 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Jesus quoted this verse when asked about the most important commandment and it is interesting to note that every time we have recorded that this scripture is quoted, (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:29-30; Luke 10:27) that the heart is always mentioned first! The implication is clear. If you appear to love God with your thoughts (soul) and your outward actions, and yet that religious activity is not based upon who you really are deep inside, then the thoughts and actions will not remain holy for long.

When asked why His disciples did not observe the Pharisaical ritualistic ceremony of washing their hands before eating, Jesus replied:

Matt 15:18-20 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

It is the things that come from the heart that defileth or "dirties" the spiritual man! It then follows that we must be careful what we allow to enter in and remain within our heart! If the spiritual "heart of a man" is so important to our remaining saved and living above willful sin and is the difference between true religion and the false, between salvation and defilement, then we ought to take heed and great care with what we allow in our heart. Whatever happens in the heart of a man, will eventually affect everything about his life.

That's why Solomon wrote in our text:

Prov 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

"The issues" here refers to a spring of water. The New International Version says it like this:

Prov 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. NIV

Guard your heart! And do it "above all else!" Why? For the springs of water that God wants to flow in your life are sourced there. There is a great truth here, for it was a wellspring of water that Jesus used over and over to represent the Holy Ghost. To the woman at the well, He said "if you drink freely of the water that I give, you will never thirst again." To the Jews at the feast, He cried:

John 7:37-39 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

The Holy Ghost is our "lifespring" of life. It is a well of living water flowing within us. Isaiah prophesied about the "wells of salvation" from which we can drink, and so the Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of that promise! But where does the Holy Ghost reside and activate from? From our heart! And so -- catch this now -- the living water of the Holy Spirit that flows from us will only be as pure as our hearts are pure. It will only be as clean as our hearts are clean. And that is why the Holy Ghost -- if you will let it -- tries to "clean up your life" by pricking your conscience about sin and confirming with conviction the preached Word of God in your life. It is trying to cleanse your heart so that the living water of the Spirit can flow freely and purely from you! And so Solomon warned us with a warning that must be heeded because it is so important:

Prov 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. NIV

A heart turned toward God and full of the Holy Ghost is something to be guarded and protected, because it's condition will reflect in the moving of the Holy Ghost in your life. Water will only be as clean as the well from which it's drawn, so if this world is to taste and see fresh anointing and the pure Spirit of God from being around us, then we must -- I repeat, we MUST -- allow the Holy Ghost to cleanse our hearts. We must allow it to remove every bit of contamination from sin and worldliness and then we must -- we MUST -- guard that lifespring with everything in us! We must guard our hearts!

That Solomon likened our hearts to wells needing guarding is no accident. In scriptural days, a well that was left open all the time to everything and anything would quickly gather contamination and the water would soon be dirtied. If you wanted to be sure of fresh water when you needed it then you guarded the well from pollutants. In war time, the wells were the first thing that were fought for because the enemy knew that if he could get possession of that well, then eventually thirst and exhaustion would win even if his physical strength could not. If the enemy could take possession of your well, then eventually you were going to have to give into his demands or die from thirst! Sometimes in scripture an enemy that was raiding through a land would try to fill the wells up to block and stop the flow of water. Especially in the wilderness areas of Canaan, having access to your source of fresh water was vital and of utmost importance!

If our heart is our "lifespring" or the well from which the Holy Ghost flows, then we must guard it against pollution! We cannot leave our inner man open to everything that this world tries to put in it. You'd better guard your well! And when the enemy is trying to get you discouraged or to fall away, the first thing that he tries to do is to take control of your well, and your ability to draw water from it! He begins to work on hindering your praise and worship. He works on your faithfulness to church. He works on your prayer life. If he can't take control of the well, then he will try to fill it up with other things. Everything else will seem more important. There will be a million and one things between you and the water of life! You will come to church and then somebody will offend you or something from your past will begin to bother you again. What's happening? The enemy is trying to throw some "junk" in your well! He's trying to block up your "lifespring!" But you've got to be determined that if you have to dig beyond the surface level and put whatever amount of effort that is required, you are not going to let him win! You are going to guard your well of salvation! You will take care of your heart and make sure that it still flows freely and cleanly! Don't let bitterness or discouragement or unforgiveness to fall in and make the water bitter. Don't let the past or the present block you from the Holy Ghost. Guard your life springs! Guard your well! We must guard our hearts! It is only by guarding our hearts, that we are going to make it in living for God!

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In our first text, we find God talking with Solomon after the dedication of the spectacular temple that he built after the plans given to him by David. The temple of Solomon was one of the most fantastic structures ever built with ornate stone work, jewels in the foundation, and gold covered cedar walls on the interior. It was massive and was something to behold and so many sacrifices were offered during it's dedication that Solomon had to pray for God to sanctify the entire courtyard outside because the huge altar wouldn't hold all of the sacrifices.

During the dedication, God had fallen in a powerful way with the Shekina cloud of His presence descending into the temple so strongly that the ministers and musicians had to stop ministering and just watch in awe. Unlike the temple that Zerrubabel would build later, the temple of Solomon became the habitation of God's presence! In this magnificent structure, God would dwell upon earth and bless His people that came to worship Him.

In our text, we read what God said to Solomon after the dedication was over. God promised to live in the temple and dwell in Jerusalem and bless the people, as long as Solomon didn't worship idols and worshipped Jehovah God, and -- here's the key phrase -- if Solomon walked as his father, David, had with "integrity of heart." In other words, God said "I've responded to your building and your sacrifices and your worship, but I want you to know that my presence and my continual blessing and favor depends upon your heart's condition! If your heart's right, I will remain here, but if your heart turns from living for only me, then I will leave and the heathen will inhabit Jerusalem and the enemy will run roughshod over you." When Solomon wrote in Proverbs for us to "guard our heart," he understood the seriousness of what he was saying, because whether or not God lived in the temple and was Lord of all in his life was tied to his heart condition.

The tremendous lesson in all of this is that the temple of Solomon is a type of shadow to teach us about the current bodies of the temple of the Holy Ghost, our bodies. When you receive the Holy Ghost, it is because you have offered your life as a sacrifice upon the altar of repentance and as you praised and worshiped, God's Spirit has descended into your body, making your body the temple of the Holy Ghost! God has come to reside within you! What a privilege! What an awesome experience and thunderstruck revelation when I realize that the God of the universe who created the stars and the heavens chooses to live within me! But never forget that with the experience also comes the conditions and the responsibility that Solomon had. And that is God will live there and be Lord of your life, as long as your heart is right. As long as you walk in "integrity of heart" God will abide in your life, but if your heart ever turns away from God, then you are on dangerous ground. If you ever start to lean toward the sin of this world with your inner man, then realize that you are treading on "thin ice" because you flirting with the conditions of God staying in your life!

What are you saying preacher? I'm trying to impress upon you the importance that you'd better guard your heart with everything in you. Don't let the love of the world contaminate it. If some bitterness or hurt falls in or is thrown in by the enemy, then you'd better clean it out! Guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life! And it is what God looks at to see if He is still welcome in your life! We must guard our hearts!

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Now that I have impressed upon you the importance of keeping a pure and right heart before God, let's move on and do a little "heart diagnosis." By looking at Solomon's guide to life, we can find many different types of hearts that people have in the Spirit. We'll only list a small sampling of the possible hearts, because the book of Proverbs alone mentions the heart 81 times! Listen to the broad diversity of hearts in existence according to the book of Proverbs:

A scheming heart - 6:18a

A cunning, sensual heart - 7:9-10

A wise heart - 10:8

A deceptive heart - 12:20

A hurting heart - 14:13

A tranquil heart - 14:30

A righteous heart - 15:28

A glad heart - 15:30

A haughty heart - 18:12

A heart of rage - 19:3

A pure heart - 22:11

An envious heart - 23:17

Obviously we want to guard our heart from some of these things, and then others we want to emulate. I want a pure heart, a glad heart, a righteous heart, etc..., but we must avoid and envious, a deceptive, a haughty hearts or having a heart of rage.

Luckily, we don't have to guess about what kind of heart we have, because the Great Physician's medical book, the Bible gives us definite tests to see what kind of heart we possess or are developing. All of our hearts are growing right now, and, according to scripture, the type of heart that you truly have or are working on having is revealed by three simple things:

1. Your thoughts.

Prov 23:7a For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:

What do you constantly think about? Only you and God can answer that. The devil doesn't know it. Others don't know it. But whatever you constantly think about reveals to you what kind of heart you have. Someone with a "heart of rage" will continually think evil toward others. A cunning, sensual heart will think continually of lustful things. A deceptive heart will always think upon the negative traits of other people and ways to exploit them. On the other end of the spectrum, a person with a "righteous heart" will always think of Godly things. A wise heart will always think of Godly principles and scripture. A glad heart will think of the positives and joys of life and other people.

How important is your thoughts? Someone said it best when they said:

Sow a thought, reap an act. Sow an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap your character. Sow your character, reap your destiny.

We must work to control our thoughts and bring them in line with the Word and Spirit of God! For what we allow ourselves to think upon today, will be what we do tomorrow, and what we do tomorrow is what we will continue to do, and what we continue to do will determine who we are, and who we are will determine our eternal resting place!

2. Your speech.

Matt 12:34-36 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

The words that you choose to use. The tone of voice that you adopt. The ideas expressed in your speech and the things that you talk constantly about all reveal to you (and everybody else) your true heart and it's direction. Whatever's the most dominant part of your heart, your mouth will tell you. So think about it: what kind of heart does your speech reveal to you? Do you always voice the negative about somebody or criticism, or are you always talking positively? Does your mouth spring forth vulgarity and lewdness, or is it wholesome praise and conversation? What does God's heart diagnosis tell you about yourself?!

3. Your money.

Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

You can tell more about the direction that your heart is headed by your money and what you value than anything else! If you were to take a look at an expense report of what you spent your money on each month, the areas of the highest investment beyond the necessities of life would tell you were your priorities are and what your heart is set upon. And your money goes for your priorities too. Those with God in first place will pay their tithing and offerings first before the bills and before the fun and before the things that you want to buy. But if God gets the leftovers, then you are revealing a heart that's priority is elsewhere from where it should be.

This scripture is also talking more about money. Your "treasure" can also be something that you value highly. One of the most precious currencies you have to spend is your time. How do you spend your time? What does it reveal about your heart? Hopefully, spending time with God and your family are somewhere in that list. Hopefully they are somewhere near the top. I know that you can't spend more time in the house of God than anything else, but I'm asking about your priorities. How valued is it to you to be in the house of God? To find time to pray? To organize your life so that you have time to read God's Word? In a particularly busy day, what do you always find time for and what falls away? Do you always have time to watch your favorite show, but if you are really busy, prayer slips? What is that saying about your heart? Did you have time during your busy schedule to gossip about somebody but didn't have time to talk to the Creator? What's that saying about your heart? We must guard our heart!

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This morning we discussed the most common and dangerous "spiritual heart disease" that exists: the gradual hardening of your heart. But there are other spiritual diseases that can prove fatal in the heart and against which we must guard against. The book of Proverbs lists many of the most common heart problems that we must watch out for. For the sake of time, we will only list the worst of the worst. More times than not, a heart that is not like what God desires is suffering either from a gradual hardening or one of these four symptoms:

1. A heart that despises correction.

Prov 5:12-13 And say: "How I have hated instruction, And my heart despised correction! 13 I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me! NKJV

This is the voice of a rebellious son, but how many "sons of God" has the same attitude? The scripture doesn't just expect you to obey correction from the Word of God, but it insists that you not "despise it." A truly wise person, learns to appreciate Godly correction, because they realize that it will save them heartache and that it is only the truth that will set them completely free. And according to scripture, the fool despises correction and hates it. How can you tell if you have such a heart? Remember the three-part diagnostic test of God: your thoughts, your speech, and your money. A person with a heart that despises correction, will think evil and rebellious thoughts when corrected by the Word of God, will vocalize that animosity and rebellion about the person whom God used to deliver the correction, and will never submit their money or time to the principles of the Word of God! It would be funny if it were not so true: a person with a heart that despises correction will always have trouble correctly responding, controlling their mouth about authority, and will never be faithful to church or in tithing and offering.

2. A heart bent on sensuality.

Prov 6:23-25 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: 24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. 25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

Prov 7:24-27 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. 25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. 26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. 27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

Lust is a heart problem according to these scriptures. Sexual sin begins in your heart. Because of the lax of morals and extreme public nudity and the accessibility of ungodly material in all forms, this generation has a problem with sexual purity unlike any other. But such a heart, the scripture says is "the way to hell." A heart bent on sensuality will destroy your walk with God. It will remove all sensitivity to the Holy Ghost. It will block your path to walking after God. David saw Bathsheba unrobe from a distance one time and fell into sin, but this generation sees more flesh everyday than David ever saw. And so we must guard against a heart bent on sensuality with utmost care. Put the test of God to your heart and see if your heart is in this direction. It goes for male and female. What of your thoughts? What of your speech? What of your money and time? A heart bent on sensuality will show definite signs of lust in all three of these areas!

3. A heart filled with anxiety and gloom.

In our minds, we think maybe this one is sort of out of place. But the book of Proverbs is replete with scripture that indicate the dangers of a heart that is always down and negative and gloomy and worried. Listen:

Prov 12:25 Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.

Or to read it in the New International Version:

Prov 12:25 An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up. NIV

Prov 18:14 The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, But who can bear a broken spirit? NKJV

Prov 14:30 A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

Prov 15:13 A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. NIV

Prov 15:15 All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast. NIV

Prov 17:22 A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. NIV

I understand that you will have some days worse than others, but if you are more often or not negative, gloomy, depressed, down, worried, anxious, etc, there is a heart problem! Born again Christians ought to be the happiest people on the planet! There ought to be a smile on your face even in adversity, and I'm not talking about a cheesy fake smile. If you really trust God in everything and have prayed about it, then even on the worst day, you've got the promise that everything's going to be alright! But maybe some of us don't really trust God in every thing and maybe we don't pray as we should and that's why we battle worry...

The diagnostic test works here for you to be able to see if your heart is becoming an anxious heart. Are your thoughts always thinking the worst? Does your mouth always voice the negative? Does your mind get so overwhelmed with worry over things beyond your control that it consumes your ability to even function normally? Do you spend your money and time defensively, trying to cover "what ifs?" It's okay to be prepared, but it's not the will of God for His children to have a heart filled with anxiety and gloom.

4. A heart that needs no more instruction.

Prov 18:2 A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.

Prov 18:2 Fools have no desire to learn; they would much rather give their own opinion. CEV

This is, in many ways, one of the worst hearts to have. It is the attitude of "knowing it all." It is the attitude of needing no more instruction and therefore not needing to improve or change anything. I've unfortunately known people who were fools like this. They didn't need instruction in any area because they already had all of life figured out and all they wanted to do was to tell you how things should be. Such people have a heart that needs no more instruction. It is rare for someone whose heart is completely consumed by this disease to live for God, but Christians are in danger of having it affect one area or another. All of us are less than perfect, therefore there is not an area of our life that any of us don't need correction and instruction in. That is true for every area in all things!

Let's quickly apply God's heart diagnostic test to check for such a disease. If someone brings up a certain subject, do you automatically think "I already know all of this already, and tune them out?" If you ask a question, do you wait to listen to the answer, or do you spout off what you think and disregard whatever the answer might be? Do you refuse to spend money and time to improve any area of your life? I've known good Christians that could have used help, but they refused to admit that they needed help. Such people are fools, or at least that's what the scripture calls them! My daddy used to call this kind of heart the "know-it-all" disease. The scripture says:

Prov 21:2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes : but the LORD pondereth the hearts.

We don't need ways that are right in our own eyes, we need hearts that are right in His! Therefore we must guard our hearts! We must zealously and actively guard our hearts from being turned from what God desires!

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Since none of us are perfect, more than likely in this simple and yet needed message, you have come to realize an area of your heart that needs a spiritual scrubbing. If you haven't realized something that you need to change, then you are either asleep, or have a heart that needs no more instruction, so you can come repent of that! There is a solution, and it is found in the prayer that David prayed after realizing that his heart was bent on sensuality and immorality. He said:

Ps 51:10-12 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

This prayer says it all! For the hardened heart, it asks for a renewal. For the heart that is bent on sensuality, it says "create in me a clean heart, O God." For the heart that needs no instruction, it say "cast me not away from thy presence," in other words, "I need you, God." For the heart that is filled with anxiousness and worry, it says "restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free spirit!" The fact that David was praying this prayer after the prophet Nathan had rebuked him for his sin, indicates the proper response to a heart that despises correction is to pray! Let's ask God to create in us a "clean heart," and to give us the power to "guard our hearts!" We need our hearts to remain "upright" before Him!

Ps 86:11 Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

We can't have our hearts divided between two types, righteousness and unrighteousness! We need to pray for God to "unite my heart!" Let it beat only for You!