Guard Your Heart

Psalm 4:23 "Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it comes the issues of life."

Life can be full of hurts and disappointments. Do not hide away from people for fear of getting disappointed or hurt again. This keeps you from loving others as God has commissioned you to do. To love as God loves, you have to always take risks.  God wants you fully dependent on Him, but He also will place people in your path for a purpose, whether it be for a long period of time or for just a season. Refusing to acknowledge them may cause them to miss out on great blessings, and an opportunity to learn of and experience the love of God through you.  You also can miss out on what the Lord has for you and what He may be trying to teach you.

When hurts, disappointments and offenses come, do not receive them! Stay prepared for when those times come. You have the power through God to stop it!  It all starts with a thought.  Take every thought captive and cast them down before they even have a chance to take root.  Keep your heart guarded.  Give it to Jesus, forgive, move on and love them anyway.  This will keep you on the right path with God and it is also very liberating!  

Fear of disappointments or hurt can cause you to miss out on some good friendships and some divine appointments set up by God. Guard your heart because it determines the course of your life.  What you allow in your heart eventually shows on the outside through your actions.  A large part of guarding your heart means learning how to control your thoughts, your words, disposition and general outlook.

The answer for past hurts and disappointments that you have already allowed to settle in the heart is to FORGIVE.  If you do not take care of your heart, instead of your life affecting others in a good way, it will start infecting others in a bad way and begin destroying your own life. Making the choice to forgive breaks satan's power over you in that area and God's healing touch is free to move.

In order for you to love others as God loves them, you must first learn how to forgive, for it is impossible to love if you are bitter and harboring unforgiveness in your heart.  When hurts and disappointments come, guard your heart and let forgiveness flow!!

You achieve inner health only through forgiveness - the forgiveness of not only others but also of yourself.  You will find that it can be hardest to forgive self.  Having the ability to forgive is an admirable quality.  Choose to forgive so the healing can begin and the pain can die.  Be determined today to live to forgive.  Then do your best to stay prepared by guarding your heart!

Psalm 4:23, 2 Corinthians 10:13,  Luke 6:45, Hebrews 12:15