heart guard
HEART GUARD
clay nesmith | october 8
Your heart is the essence of who you are. What you feed your heart determines everything about what you live out. And God wants us to have a heart for Him and a heart to display Him to the world. Proverbs 4:20-23
My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
We live in a world where it seems like every day, a new tragedy has happened. Set guard over the valuable wisdom and understanding that God has placed in your heart, because if you don’t, something else will take over. Like a guard dog who is on high alert at all times, protect your heart and what God has deposited into it. So how can you guard your heart above all else?
1) With Your Ears and Mouth Proverbs 4:24
Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech.
We can’t always see or feel what’s going on in our hearts, so we need some gauges to tell us its condition. Otherwise, we’ll find all kinds of ways to justify our actions. We can examine the condition of our heart is by looking at how we spend our time, energy, and resources, and by looking at what we’re listening to and what’s coming out of our mouths. What flows out of your mouth is what your heart is connected to. If we don’t continually fill ourselves with the Word of God, the world will suck us dry.
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HEART GUARD
clay nesmith | october 8
2) With Your Eyes Proverbs 4:25
Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
What captivates our attention is what’s in our heart. You can find out what your heart is set on by realizing what your eyes or your vision is set on. And something is always trying to steal your attention. There are lots of distractions, so look straight ahead and focus on Jesus. Keep your eyes on the prize and remember that He is the solution, so don’t focus on the problems.
3) With Your Mind Proverbs 4:26
Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Mark out with your mind a straight path. Think before you do everything, because everything will compete for your time, energy, and resources. God hasn’t called any of us to do everything, but He has called each of us to do something
4) With Your Stance Proverbs 4:27
Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.
We keep our feet from following evil by making sure our life is built on something solid— by making sure our stance is strong. Stand on the Word of God and get your strength from who He says you are. 1 Samuel 16:1, 7
Now the LORD said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king” … “The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
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HEART GUARD
clay nesmith | october 8
God had a person in mind to be the King of Israel. He wanted someone whose heart was in the right condition, and who stood on who God was and who knew who He had made them to be. And God is looking at what your heart is connected to. He has called you to accomplish a particular purpose with your life, but you have to pay attention to what guards your heart. Acts 13:22
God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, “I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.”
David had a willing heart, and would take a stance because he believed God and who God had created Him to be. He wasn’t scared of being willing to do what God called him to do in every circumstance. A willing heart begins with trust, and builds on what supports it. Plant yourself in the house of the Lord and have a willing heart for God’s kingdom. Guard your heart; let it flow and grow, because it determines the course of your life.
Group Questions Look at all your heart guards: your ears, mouth, eyes, mind, and stance. Which is your strongest defense? Which is the most vulnerable? What can you do to strengthen your weaker guards? Is there anything you need to change or remove from your life to do so? How does the way we spend our time, energy, and resources reflect the condition of our hearts? How can we support each other as we work to guard our hearts above all else?
Page 3
clay nesmith | october 8
Your heart is the essence of who you are. What you feed your heart determines everything about what you live out. And God wants us to have a heart for Him and a heart to display Him to the world. Proverbs 4:20-23
My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
We live in a world where it seems like every day, a new tragedy has happened. Set guard over the valuable wisdom and understanding that God has placed in your heart, because if you don’t, something else will take over. Like a guard dog who is on high alert at all times, protect your heart and what God has deposited into it. So how can you guard your heart above all else?
1) With Your Ears and Mouth Proverbs 4:24
Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech.
We can’t always see or feel what’s going on in our hearts, so we need some gauges to tell us its condition. Otherwise, we’ll find all kinds of ways to justify our actions. We can examine the condition of our heart is by looking at how we spend our time, energy, and resources, and by looking at what we’re listening to and what’s coming out of our mouths. What flows out of your mouth is what your heart is connected to. If we don’t continually fill ourselves with the Word of God, the world will suck us dry.
Page 1
HEART GUARD
clay nesmith | october 8
2) With Your Eyes Proverbs 4:25
Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
What captivates our attention is what’s in our heart. You can find out what your heart is set on by realizing what your eyes or your vision is set on. And something is always trying to steal your attention. There are lots of distractions, so look straight ahead and focus on Jesus. Keep your eyes on the prize and remember that He is the solution, so don’t focus on the problems.
3) With Your Mind Proverbs 4:26
Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Mark out with your mind a straight path. Think before you do everything, because everything will compete for your time, energy, and resources. God hasn’t called any of us to do everything, but He has called each of us to do something
4) With Your Stance Proverbs 4:27
Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.
We keep our feet from following evil by making sure our life is built on something solid— by making sure our stance is strong. Stand on the Word of God and get your strength from who He says you are. 1 Samuel 16:1, 7
Now the LORD said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king” … “The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
Page 2
HEART GUARD
clay nesmith | october 8
God had a person in mind to be the King of Israel. He wanted someone whose heart was in the right condition, and who stood on who God was and who knew who He had made them to be. And God is looking at what your heart is connected to. He has called you to accomplish a particular purpose with your life, but you have to pay attention to what guards your heart. Acts 13:22
God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, “I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.”
David had a willing heart, and would take a stance because he believed God and who God had created Him to be. He wasn’t scared of being willing to do what God called him to do in every circumstance. A willing heart begins with trust, and builds on what supports it. Plant yourself in the house of the Lord and have a willing heart for God’s kingdom. Guard your heart; let it flow and grow, because it determines the course of your life.
Group Questions Look at all your heart guards: your ears, mouth, eyes, mind, and stance. Which is your strongest defense? Which is the most vulnerable? What can you do to strengthen your weaker guards? Is there anything you need to change or remove from your life to do so? How does the way we spend our time, energy, and resources reflect the condition of our hearts? How can we support each other as we work to guard our hearts above all else?
Page 3
