Guarding a Valuable Possession

I sat in my garden, enjoying the variety of flowers, colors, and scents. The butterflies were playful, the hummingbirds drank sweet nectar, and the melody of the birds was heard in the distance. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves and refreshed me. The sky was soft blue with passing clouds. As I observed my surroundings God reminded me that all of this was the result of His spoken word; “Be” caused the beauty that I encountered. His word was a container of creative power then and remains so today.

Abraham knew the power of God’s Word. He said that God was mighty and able to keep His Word and to do what He said. Abraham fathered a child at the age of 100 because God had spoken this promise. (Romans 4:17-21) Mary said, “Let it be to me according to Your Word” (Luke 1:38). She experienced the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Through Scripture we learn that the Word is “alive and full of power”; “sharper than a two-edged sword” (Amplified Hebrews 4:12). Proverbs 3:8 confirms the Word, the wisdom of God, is “health to your flesh, and strength to your bones”. If we meditate on the Word our way will be “prosperous and we will have good success” (Joshua 1:8). God confirms that His Word is like fire and a hammer that breaks things to pieces (Jeremiah 23:29). Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Why would we not be persuaded by something so powerful? We should not harden ourselves to what God has said when we hear the Word. But we must listen, and be zealous, exerting ourselves, diligently pursuing His truth, listening and believing what He has said (Hebrews 4:11). As our hearts are filled with the Word of God, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speak (Luke 6:45). God instructs us to “guard our hearts” (Proverbs 4:23) because His life-sustaining Word is kept there. What does it mean to guard your heart?

Some commentary suggests that the heart is the central part of a human being, where emotions, reasoning, spiritual matters, and our consciousness of God are located. I believe Scripture instructs us regarding the guarding of our hearts. It begins by informing us this way: “Dear friend, listen well to My Words; tune your ears to My voice. Keep My message in plain view at all times. Concentrate! Learn it by heart… (The Message Proverbs 4:20-23)!

Proverbs says, “Put away a deceitful mouth” (verse 24) when speaking about guarding the Word. Don’t speak contrary to God’s Word. Life and death are in the power of your tongue. You will live by the fruit of what you speak (Proverbs 18:21).

Guarding the Word makes reference to our thoughts. Be careful what you think about because your thoughts run your life (Proverbs 4:23 NCV). That is why we are instructed to “set our minds on things above, not on things of this earth” (Colossians 3:2). Paul gives us a list in Philippians 4, specifically noting what we should consider: “whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things” (verse 8).

We should keep focused on the Lord through His Word. It should not depart from our attention. Our gaze should be fixed with purpose upon Him (Amplified Proverbs 4:25). It could also be stated this way: don’t be distracted from Jesus (Hebrews 12:2)! This will help to guard the Word in our hearts.

God has a plan for each of our lives, plans to prosper us and not harm us (Jeremiah 29:11). He has prepared a safe path. The Word helps us to watch our step, being steadfast and established, and well-balanced on our journey. (Proverbs 4:26) This assists us to keep our hearts with all diligence.

As we remain focused on truth, it helps us to avoid departing from God’s instruction (Proverbs 4:27). It is easy to go astray if we look to the world, but this leads us into trouble.

These are the ways Scripture directs us to guard our hearts. We are told that “out of our hearts spring the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23), which emphasizes the importance of guarding what is extremely valuable and extremely powerful. If the spoken Word of God created the earth, the universe, and everything in it, then this magnificent gift of the Word should prompt us to treasure it as our vital necessity!