GUARD YOUR HEART!

                                                                Proverbs 4:23-27

INTRODUCTION: The directions given here are invaluable as our safeguard. We are all

assaulted at each one of these points. Every inlet of sin must be strongly guarded, the heart,

the mouth, our eyes, and our feet. We must cherish a humble dependent spirit: Proverbs 3:3-

8. We must live in the atmosphere of the Word of God always being our truth: Psalm 119:9-11;

Psalm 119:105. We must resist the admittance of an evil world into our hearts even in ways we

might think of as good for us: Judges 8:22-23; 2 Kings 5:5, 16. Our hearts are fickle and easily

led away from commitment to our Lord: Romans 12:1-2; Proverbs 4:23. Satan watches your

heart. You might ask: “Why would Satan watch my heart? “. Because Satan knows your heart is

the source of everything you do, spiritually and naturally.

I. OUR HEARTS ARE THE SOURCE OF ALL OUR ACTIONS!

Our hearts are the source of actions, and the center of both the principles of sin and of

holiness. Matthew 12:34-35; Matthew 15:19. A purified heart is “a well of living water: John

4:14; John 7:37-39. As we guard our hearts we will be guarding our speech: James 3:5-12. We

must commit both our hearts and our mouths to Divine discipline: Psalm 19:13-14; Psalm 141:3-

4. We must put perverse lips far from us: Proverbs 4:24. Perversity is turning away from what is

right and good! Ephesians 4:29.

II. TO CONTROL OUR HEARTS WE MUST CONTROL OUR EYES!

We cannot look at just anything if we desire to truly guard our hearts: Proverbs

4:25. Jesus said our eyes are the light of our whole body: Matthew 6:22-23. So often for each of

us one of the greatest temptations to our hearts comes from what we look at: Genesis 3:6;

Genesis 6:1-2; Genesis 39:6-7. Perhaps you have heard even some people you respect tell you

that it doesn’t hurt to look at things: Matthew 5:27-30; 2 Peter 2:14. We just like Job of old must

make a covenant with our eyes: Job 31:1. We must learn to put our eyes under heavenly

restraint: Psalm 119:37. If we desire to truly please our God with our life we must keep our eyes

on exactly what our Lord is leading us to look upon: Hebrews 12:1-2. We have many examples

of those who let their eyes wander from what their Lord warned them of: Philippians 3:12-14.

III. WE MUST GUARD OUR FEET!

We must be very careful how and where we chose to walk: Proverbs 4:26-27; Psalm

119:105; Psalm 119:9-11; Psalm 37:23-24; Psalm 119:129-133; Ephesians 4:15-17. We are not

to walk in the way of unbelievers. We must be very careful because the evil one sets many

traps for us: Daniel 1:8; Daniel 6:3-5. We must learn to never forsake a plain commandment of

our Lord for a doubtful path laid out by this world: 1 Kings 13:8-10; 1 Kings 13:18-22. Here we

have a clear command from the Lord and a doubtful message from an angel. Which do you

think we should obey? We must never turn from the straight way to avoid a cross! Proverbs

6:16-19. You can truly have beautiful feet in the eyes of the Lord: Romans 10:14-15. Our steps

must be directed by our God: Jeremiah 10:23.