Keep your heart

Have you ever noticed that when your heart is in the right place, everything else in life flows?

The other day I started the day off badly. I chose an extra 20 minutes in bed instead of having quiet time before the kids woke up (as I so often do…), started the day grumpy and out of sorts, scrolled on my phone presumably hoping for some sort of mood boost, instead ended up allowing negative emotions to take hold of my mind and surprise surprise, the day did not get off to a good start.

And of course it wasn't just me who was affected but those around me who I am responsible for loving, caring for and being an example to- none of whom had chosen for my attitude to affect them in this way.

Eventually I got a grip, repented and with great effort managed to get my heart back into the right place.

But it would have been far better if I’d never let it get off track in the first place.

This propensity for our hearts to go adrift is why the book of Proverbs instructs us to ‘keep [our] hearts with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life’. (Prov 4:23)

What does it mean to ‘keep’ your heart with ‘all diligence’?

The word ‘keep’ in Hebrew is ‘nasar’. This can be translated as ‘guard’, ‘watch over’, ‘preserve’, ‘guard from dangers’, ‘observe’.

As if that wasn’t a strong enough analogy, the word ‘diligence’ actually refers to a place of confinement, such as a prison, jail or guard-house. It’s a place where somebody or something is being monitored very closely. Think guards of the Crown Jewels, a body guard working for an important person or a soldier working on the defence line. Someone focusing all their attention to ensure nothing and no one can come in and steal whatever or whoever is under their watch. Nothing can get in and nothing can get out without their say so.

On October 7th 2023, soldiers were keeping watch over the border between Gaza and Israel. Unfortunately, all diligence was not shown and in the blink of an eye there was a breach of security as terrorists infiltrated and flooded in through the border. Tragically, thousands of lives were lost through heinous acts of murder and the effects of this are still felt today.

As horrific an image as this is, it clearly illustrates what can happen when someone does not ‘nasar’ - keep - what has been put in their trust diligently enough. The enemy can swiftly break through the defence lines and bring devastation. The same thing can happen to our hearts if we do not watch over them with all diligence.

If we allow ourselves to become lax and treat our heart as an open border where anything can infiltrate, sin and destruction are very quickly going to enter in and wreak havoc on our lives.

It may be seemingly small things: unedifying TV shows, comparison to others on social media, unforgiveness towards those who have wronged us, jealousy and bitterness when we focus on what others have, laziness in our marriage and parenting, gluttony, sexual sin, harsh words spoken in anger, lack of trust in God’s goodness, disobedience towards what He’s given us to do…the list goes on.

Sin comes in many forms but it’s very often subtle and sneaky and can creep in under the radar if we are not constantly alert and keeping a watchful eye for it.

The reason that Proverbs gives us for keeping our hearts is that ‘out of [it] are the issues of life’.

What are ‘the issues of life’?

The Hebrew word used for ‘issues’ here can also be translated ‘source’. Think of it as the source of a river or stream. Out of our hearts flow everything else. It’s the source of all our thoughts, actions, words - our very being. At the very core of who we are is our heart.

This is why God commands us to watch over it with such diligence.

But how?

Well, the Bible talks a LOT about the heart (unsurprisingly) and gives us clear instructions on what we should and shouldn’t do with it. Here is a non-exhaustive list of some of what it has to say. As you read it, ask the Holy Spirit to bring revelation into your life of what He is putting His finger on.

What the Bible says about the heart:

Don’t:

• Don't let your heart be deceived (Deut 11:16) or deceive your own heart (James 1:26)

• Don’t let your heart be turned away by other things (1 Kings 11:2)

• Don’t despise others in your heart (1 Chron 15:29)

• Don’t harden your heart from turning to the Lord (2 Chron 36:13; Prov 28:14)

• Don’t set your heart on riches (Ps 62:10)

• Don’t regard iniquity in your heart (Ps 66:18)

• Don’t test God in your heart (Ps 78:18)

• Don’t have a heart that devises wicked plans (Prov 6:18)

• Don’t lust after people with your heart (Prov 6:25)

• Don’t let your heart envy sinners (Prov 23:17)

• Don’t trust in your own heart (Prov 28:26)

• Don’t take to heart everything people say (Ecc 7:21)

• Don't backslide in your heart (Is 57:17)

• Don't lift your heart up (Ez 28:2)

• Don’t think evil in your heart towards your neighbour (Zec 8:17)

• Pray and don’t lose heart (Luke 18:1; 2 Cor 4:1; 2 Cor 4:16; Gal 6:9)

• Don’t let your heart be troubled (John 14:27)

• Don’t go astray in your heart (Heb 3:10)

• Don’t shut up your heart from those in need (1 John 3:17)

Do:

• Seek God with all your heart (Deut 4:29; Ps 119:2; Ps 119:10; Jer 29:13)

• Love God with all your heart (Deut 6:5; Matt 22:37)

• Serve God with all your heart (Deut 10:12)

• Incline your heart to God (Josh 24:23)

• Follow Him with all your heart (1 Kings 14:8)

• Turn to the Lord with all your heart (2 Kings 23:25)

• Praise God with your whole heart (Ps 9:1; Ps 111:1; Ps 138:1)

• Speak to God in your heart (Ps 27:8)

• Trust God in your heart (Ps 28:7; Prov 3:5)

• Pour out your heart before Him (Ps 62:8; Lam 2:19)

• Praise Him with your heart (Ps 86:12)

• Keep/hide God’s word in your heart (Deut 11:18; Ps 119:11)

• Observe God’s commands with your heart (Deut 26:16; Ps 119:34; Prov 3:1)

• Walk in the law of God with all your heart (2 Kings 10:31)

• Apply your heart to understanding (Prov 2:2) / knowledge (Prov 22:17) / instruction (Prov 23:12)

• Diligently keep your heart (Deut 4:9)

• Have a tender heart (2 Kings 22:19; 2 Chron 34:27)

• Rejoice in your heart (1 Chron 16:10)

• Prepare your heart to seek the Lord (2 Chron 19:3)

• Speak truth in your heart (Ps 15:2)

• Cry out with your whole heart (Ps 119:145)

• Keep your heart with all diligence (Prov 4:23)

• Guide your heart in the way (Prov 23:19)

• Obey from the heart (Rom 6:17)

• Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead (Rom 10:9)

• Do the will of God from the heart (Eph 6:6)

• Love from a pure heart (1 Tim 1:5; 1 Pet 1:22)

• Refresh one another’s hearts (Phil 1:20)

In terms of what this might this mean for us practically, this is going to look different for each person, and I would encourage you to ask the Lord what He is specifically saying to you through these scriptures, but here is a list of ideas that spring to mind:

Ways to keep your heart diligently:

• Evaluate what you are watching/reading. Is it life giving and does it align with the exhortation of Philippians 4:8-9 to meditate only on what is praiseworthy and of good report?

• Consider what you spend most of your time thinking about. Does it come from a place of contentment and joy in God’s goodness and provision or is it mostly focused on comparison, negative emotions and ungodly attitudes?

• Think about the impact that other peoples’ words have on you. Are you rooted in your identity in Christ or do other peoples’ opinions of you have more sway over you than the One who created you?

• Is your worldview being shaped by God’s word or by what society says is true? Are you filtering what you see through the lens of scripture?

• Ask God if there are any breaches in your heart’s defence line. Are there any unconfessed sins you need to deal with to repair that breach?

• What do you set your mind on at the start of each day? Is your first impulse to pick up your phone and fill your heart with the pressures and anxieties of the day or are you taking time to set your heart on the Lord before the day begins?

Maybe you feel as though the walls of your heart have been breached too many times and that your heart is beyond hope. How wonderful, then, to know that God is the one who creates in us a clean heart (Ps 51:10), enlarges our hearts (Ps 119:32) and is the strength of our hearts (Ps 73:26).

As we begin to keep our hearts diligently, God will incline our hearts to His testimonies (Ps 119:36), put gladness in our hearts (Ps 4:7) and then put things on our hearts to do (Ezra 7:27).

So then, let’s be those who guard, keep a careful watch over and protect our hearts, not allowing the enemy to infiltrate in and steal the most precious part of our being. Let’s set our hearts on the Lord, seeking Him through His Word daily. Just as we make time to keep other things- our homes, our appearance, our friendships, our marriage- let’s ensure we devote time and attention to keeping our hearts, for out of it flows everything else we do!