Good morning! Well it was an early morning again because of basketball. Oh the things that college students do to support their team! Especially at KU.
This morning, whenever I read the Proverbs passage, immediately all of these thoughts came to me.
The passage was from Proverbs 4:20-27
"20 My child, pay attention to what I say.
Listen carefully to my words.
21 Don’t lose sight of them.
Let them penetrate deep into your heart,
22 for they bring life to those who find them,
and healing to their whole body.
23 Guard your heart above all else,
for it determines the course of your life.
24 Avoid all perverse talk;
stay away from corrupt speech.
25 Look straight ahead,
and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
26 Mark out a straight path for your feet;
stay on the safe path.
27 Don’t get sidetracked;
keep your feet from following evil."
Guard your heart.. Hmm.. Interesting concept. Have you ever heard that phrase "She wears her heart on her sleeve"? People who "wear their heart on their sleeve" are known to fall in love easily, to get easily attached to things. That's not only disappointing in the long-run, but it goes against scripture.
Whenever we encounter men or women, we aren't supposed to share our whole life stories, our deepest concerns and fears-essentially our hearts. We are supposed to guard ourselves, protect ourselves, and keep our hearts safe for that one person. God tells us "don't get sidetracked," yet how many relationships do we have before we meet the right person? Getting sidetracked here is equated with evil. So why do we keep on going with this whole dating game? It's a secular trick that the enemy has used to deceive us. The world is our garden and dating/popular music/popular movies (cultural fads) are the fruit from the tree of knowledge.
Girls are deceived into thinking that their self-worth is derived from their boyfriend, they way that they look, they clothes that they have, the material items that further the consumerist mentality. Boys are deceived into thinking that they won't be accepted with their peers if they haven't slept with girls, lots of them. In college, men and women get drunk on the weekends, dress in an immodest manner, have physical relationships with the opposite sex... Really?? The enemy has penetrated deep and impregnated these ideals into modern society. Material worth derives happiness, the latest trends are equated with success, and many relationships are deemed the norm.
But God says, "Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path." The secular world tells us to look around and follow whatever is popular, but God says to stay on the straight and narrow. Put on your blinders and focus on what HE has in store for us in our future. The road to salvation and biblical principals is the only safe one out there, because every other way is corrupted.
Matthew 7:13-14 "“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it."
Guarding our hearts is VITAL in our relationship with God. Guarding our hearts, focusing on what the Bible instructs us to do with our lives is the only way to discover the hidden passageway to salvation. But the best part is, God wants us to find it. He gives us maps, he holds out flashing signs, he gives us guides... But you know what, we are too distracted on the way to this pathway by the temptations the enemy throws at us.
We are supposed to "Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech," but instead we listen to secular music, and follow the instructions the enemy puts in them. We look towards Hollywood for our role models and listen to what they tell us about how we should look, act, and dress. We listen to our peers, MTV, and other ridiculous modern "role-models" for instructions. We succumb to the corrupt speech, the corrupt sight, and the distorted standards that the enemy has distracted us with.
Guarding our hearts is not just meant for relationships or for secular norms, but it's to protect ourselves from the deceit of the enemy that leaves us hurt and destroyed. It leaves us separated from God, ashamed, and it leaves us with a void in our hearts. This void can't be filled with more purses, shoes, the best make-up, name brand clothes, the "rockin'" bod, the hottest boyfriend, the most money... But rather "Don’t lose sight of [God]. Let [him] penetrate deep into your heart, for [he] brings life to those who find [him], and healing to their whole body"
God heals everything. Only God can fill that void that the enemy has left. Only God can give us peace. Only God can bring us happiness. Only God.
Keep your sights narrow, don't look left and right, avoid the fruit from the tree of knowledge, and let's live our faith!
God Bless,
Lauren
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