Heavy Guard Detail

As a young child, my family and I did a lot of traveling. One of our funniest remembrances is going to visit a particular fort. While my mind doesn’t remember all the details, I DO remember my Dad rolling down his window and asking a gentleman where the fort was. The man kept saying, “You’re in the fort.” Apparently Dad wasn’t convinced because he kept re-asking the question, “Where’s the fort?” The man kept on saying “you’re in the fort.” By the time he convinced Dad, Mom and everyone else in the vehicle was rolling with laughter.

We thought the valuables in their fort would certainly be guarded with more care. They certainly didn’t have a very heavy “guard detail.” We were inside the fort and didn’t even realize it. It has been such an easy entrance the guard had to work at convincing my dad we were really there.

The more we grow in our Christian walk, the more we realize that the most valuable things in life are not temporal. It is so easy to get swept up in the mere existence of living and forget the absolute necessity of guarding our soul.

Picking up my Bible recently, I found myself in Proverbs 4. Verse 23 jumped out at me, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Guard our heart . . . so how do we do that?

Well, guards are usually set at doors of places for two reasons. Watch who comes in, and watch who goes out. That’s the way it is with our hearts. The avenues to get to our hearts are our minds, our ears, our eyes . . . so, we guard the avenues. We fill our minds with God’s Word, praise music, good thinking patterns. What are we doing? We are setting up a guard!

We choose to rejoice, choose NOT to worry or be anxious – but take “EVERYTHING by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving” – presenting our requests to God. What happens then? We have a guard! “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7

We ask the Lord of our lives to help us with “guarding.” In Psalm 141, David shows us how. He says, “Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies.” (Psalm 141:3-4)

We certainly need to set up a better “guard detail” than they had at that fort! We don’t want any “sneak ins.” The living of our lives springs from our hearts. What is valued to us will be spoken out by our living, and in the living of our children and grandchildren.

Anything questionable – even hinting of sin – keep it out! Anything negative – hinting of tearing down another or negatively affecting – get it cleansed! Anything full of His Word, His love, His Power, embrace it mightily and let Him pour Himself back out through you.

Today – let’s guard our hearts!

By: Janene A. Dubbeld/FGG

Take it With You

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)