Guard your heart

I try to remind myself that we really have to be careful what we say. Regardless of where I am or who I may be with, others are listening, and my statement, that which comes from my mouth, may be the only testimony, the only witness, that person may ever get from me. I certainly don't want to bring a reproach on my LORD.

The other thing I remind myself is that "from the heart, the mouth speaks." If you truly want to know what someone cares about, where his/her true loyalty lies, listen to what they talk about. If they spend more time talking about themselves and little time talking about GOD or others, it becomes obvious who is number one to him/her.

Today's word is Proverbs 4:23, NIV, which reads, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."

As I told the youth in our group many times, "Trash in equals trash out." Whatever we put into our hearts, will eventually come out of our hearts. If we continue to listen to and read and watch bad things, we will eventually say and do and act out bad things. You can't eat trash all the time without eventually spewing trash. We must guard what we take in.

Why? Because everything we do is influenced by what, or, more important, by Who, is in our hearts. If we allow the Holy Spirit to reside and guide our hearts, we will say good things and do good things. While I have done a really poor job of relaying it, the important thing to remember is that we have to diligently guard what we take in, for it will influence everything we do.

Be Blessed,
Mickey T