Taken from Elyse Fitzpatrick, Idols of the Heart
Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep you heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life, (ESV).”
Here Scripture says that we should keep our heart, some versions say guard your heart, because everything we do flows from it. Perhaps that is why God wants our entire heart. When Jesus was asked about the most important commandments, He said to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind (Matthew 22:27).
Obviously our “heart” is very important to our Creator. But also important is our soul and our mind. Biblically the heart applies to our inner being: our soul, spirit, will, and all that goes on internally in our “heart”.
What does this mean? God loves us but he wants to be our only God. He is our Creator and because of that He knows us best. Included in what Scripture refers to as the “heart” is our mind, affections, and will.
Our mind refers to our thoughts, understandings, beliefs, judgment, etc. Our affections include our desires, feelings, emotions, and longings, and our will includes our actions. God is very concerned with our heart. Why? Because it out of our hearts that we do everything.
Look at Luke 6:43-45 – “43) For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44) For every tree is know by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45) A good man out of the good treasure of his heart beings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks, (NKJV).
When our hearts are seeking the Lord, the actions that we do will please Him. If our hearts are anywhere else other than focused on the Lord, the evil actions will flow.
It is amazing how many things that come before serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We must always be mindful of that fact. Different things can creep in and become our focus. But with our Father’s help, we can focus on Jesus. We need to help of the Holy Spirit to remind us when we are following a bad path. He will gently remind us that we have strayed.
Have you strayed? I know it is easy for me to be led astray. Life can get in the way. Raising children, our jobs, our home, our comfort. All of these things can easily become more important for us. Focus on Jesus.
James reminds us in 4:2 says,“2) You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.” So if we ask the Holy Spirit to remind us to keep our focus on trusting in the Lord, He will do so. He will do so because when we ask that we know that we are asking His will.