Guard your heart - Mark Cerfonteyn

The Rock - Paarl

(Proverbs 4:23) Solomon instructs us to “guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Our lives go in the direction of our heart and it’s up to us to protect it.

There are four aspects to the heart that we need to understand in order to be people who guard our hearts.

1️⃣ Our intellectual capacity

How we think about ourselves, our purpose, and even about God will determine the direction we are going to go.

2️⃣ Emotional capacity

Emotions are important, but we can’t let them direct our lives.

Q - in what ways can you protect the emotional capacity of your heart?

3️⃣ Volitional capacity

This is your will. The determination when you set your heart to move in a certain direction. It’s that inner resolve that refuses to quit.

4️⃣ moral capacity

That is the value system you have to determine right from wrong (Mark 7:21). The moral compass is part of what makes up our heart.

When Solomon tells us to guard our heart he is referring to protecting all of these areas and that it should be our top priority to guard our heart. The enemy wants to take you off course. We need to maintain an intensity in protecting our hearts.

Solomon gives us the blueprint to do this.

1️⃣ Control our tongue

(Proverbs 4:24) What we say has the power to bring life or death. Pay attention to what comes from your mouth, because it all comes from the heart. The same is true for our texts and what we say through our messages. Be careful of gossip (Proverbs 11:13).

Be aware of your tone when you speak (Proverbs 15:1). Our words are a reflection of our heart.

2️⃣ Fix our eyes

(Proverbs 4:25) Make sure you are paying attention to what has your attention. There are many things we can do with our eyes. We could be looking back to what has happened. Living in regret and focusing on the mistakes that were made. We could be looking around us and comparing, but comparison is the thief of joy. Instead let’s look forward and fix our eyes on Jesus! Stay focused on what God has called you to.

Q - what are some of the things we can do to help us fix our eyes on Jesus?

3️⃣ Watch our steps

(Proverbs 4:26-27) We need to keep moving in the direction that God is calling us to walk in. Walk into those areas where God moves your heart. Predetermine to submit your steps to Him.

Q - what does it look like for you to submit your steps to God?