Guarding Your Mind

As you may already know, this blog points a lot of attention to Proverbs 4:23, "Above all else guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."  This verse tells us that our heart is the most sacred of all places we hold inside ourselves.

From this treasured spot flow our thoughts and desires, which then lead to our words and actions.  Our words and actions are what make up our character.  They have the ability to glorify God or commit sin (Mark 7:15, James 3:8-10.)

Matthew 12:34 says, "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks."  and Romans 12:2 tells us to "be transformed by the renewing of our minds" so we can test and approve God's will, and 2 Corinthians 10:5 says we are to "take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ."  These are strong powerful truths that can help us break the bonds Satan has been wrapping around us with his web of lies.

We need to realize that not all of our thoughts come from us.  Many of them come from our sinful nature, a.k.a. Satan.  Paul talks about such spiritual warfare in Romans 7.  Though we are set free in Christ, we often times still struggle with the temptations of the flesh.  Because Satan is the father of lies, he begins tempting us with a lie  (John 8:44.)

These lies are first brought to us through a thought in our head that comes from Satan.  When you catch yourself thinking something that doesn't exactly glorify your maker, it is your choice what to do at that point.

• Option A) You can feed off of this lie and run with it.  Let your imagination carry you wherever it wishes.  Fantasize about that man, dwell on the anger that relative caused you, or build up your frustration so you can let it all out.  Though this is the option we naturally and most commonly take, it rarely ever ends well.
• Option B) You can stop this web of lies immediately by calling out Satan and reminding him that you are a child of God who has been set free from all these childish games (Romans 6:6, Galatians 3:26, 1 Corinthians 13:11.)

As I explained in Preparing for War pt. 2, God gives us all the tools we need to fight against Satan, in Ephesians 6.  Not only that, but Philippians 4:6-7 tells us that if we would only pray to God about anything and everything, our MINDS would be guarded by the peace of God.  Yes, our minds, this means that we can learn to control our actions and words by protecting our minds from believing lies Satan throws at us.  This idea is reinforced by 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Matthew 26:41, and Ephesians 6:18.

The next time you catch a negative thought entering your mind, try praying a prayer that goes something like this,

Father, I know without a doubt that this thought is not from you.  It is negative and sinful and know it is a lie.  Your word says if I pray to you, you will protect my mind from such things.  Please God, take this thought out of my head and help me focus on your Word instead.  Renew my mind so that I may test and approve your will.  In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

THEN, take out your verse of the week and recite it to yourself.  Quoting scripture is always a good way to reinforce the holy thoughts bouncing around in your brain.  Even Jesus used this tactic (Matthew 4.)

...And KEEP Guarding That Heart!

I'm starting to think I could write a book on this subject.  I hope all of this babbling is making sense.  PLEASE post questions and comments if you don't understand.

Today I want to look at Luke 12:22-34

In this passage Jesus is instructing the disciples not to worry about anything.  Worrying about what to eat, what to wear, who to marry, how to dress...it's all meaningless!  Jesus tells us to examine the birds.  They are so carefree and at rest with their surroundings.  Sure they don't have a house, a promised meal, or even certainty that they will survive the day, but they don't care.  They joyful live life at rest with God leading them every step of the way.  That's how we ought to be.

"And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; 

do not worry about it.   

For the pagan world runs after all such things, 

and your Father knows that you need them.  

But seek his kingdom and these things will be given to you as well."

This verse reminds us that worrying our hearts out about things we can't control is like telling God we don't trust him.  The passage also explains to us that these things we worry about do not effect our eternity anyways, so why do we care?  If food is what you worry about, that shows that you treasure food.  If finding a boyfriend is what consumes your mind, then that is your treasure.  If pursuing the things of God is all you think about, that is your treasure.  

Verse 31 pointed out that if we pursue God first, all of our other worries will be taken care of.  Why? Because God is truly the only thing that matters.  Focus on the eternal things.  Food, relationships, popularity, your figure...all of that will surely fade.  But God and God's word will never fade away.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  Luke 12:34

Where is your treasure?  Where do you spend your time?  Does this reflect your pursuit of God first or does it reflect the worries of the world?

The desires of our heart control how we act and respond in situations.  Every circumstance is either helping us obtain that desire, or standing in our way of what we want.  What you worship controls you.

What's in your treasure chest?

Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands talks a lot about this issue.

More on Guarding Your Heart

The effort of guarding your heart is a conscience decision.  It is not natural, neither is it fun.  It's a mature thing to do in your Christian walk.  Consciously protecting your heart will effect every other area of your life.

Chapter 4 of Proverbs alone tells us about learning to control our body.

• Verse 24 warns us to guard our mouth and lips
• Verse 25 tells us to fix our eyes on what is in front of us (guarding our eyes)
• and Verses 26-27 warns us about guarding our feet and our paths
• But again, above all else we are to guard our hearts

Matthew 12:34 says, "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks."  In other words, what comes out of your mouth is a direct reflection of what is in your heart.  Therefore guarding your heart will help guard your mouth and lips.  This is why we are to guard our heart above everything else.  It is the root of everything that flows from us.


Verse 35 goes on to further explain, "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him."  Again, out of of heart everything else flows, our speech, our thoughts, and our actions.

In Matthew 15 Jesus explained that breaking a religious rule does not make us sinful, but the motives in our heart behind it does.  Verses 19-20 say, "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.  These are what make a man 'unclean'..."


     This thought is reitterated in Mark chapter 7, which explains that what comes out of a man is what makes him "unclean," or sinful, not what goes into him.  Therefore meditating on lust and pornography isn't the sin, it is the motives of your heart behind that action that makes you unclean, and because your heart is warped when looking upon such things, your actions will therefore reflect that.  And so, these actions, attitudes, and behaviors are what "come out of a man" and so they "make him unclean." 

Guarding Your Heart

Proverbs 4:23

"Above all else, guard your heart,

for it is the wellspring of life."

By now you've probably heard me mention this verse and guarding your heart many times, although it was recently brought to my attention that many people do not understand exactly what this means and looks like.  That's what this post is for.

First of all, let's look at the word heart.  The Hebrew word originally used was leb, which is defined as the heart, the feelings, and the intellect, or in other words, the center of everything. (Strong's Bible Dictionary) The Wesley commentary describes the heart as one's thoughts, will, and affections.

Taking all this into consideration, I would describe the heart as a person's passions, desires, and emotions. So these are the things Solomon is telling us to guard when he says "guard your heart."  But why is this so important?

• In Job 31:1, Job talks about the importance of "keeping," or training your eyes not to look at things that cause you to sin, such as lustful looks towards a woman.  (Matthew 5:28-29 go further into detail about this.)  Point being: we guard our eyes.
• Ecclesiastes 5:1 tells us to "guard our steps" when we go to the house of God, in other words, be careful.
• Psalm 34:13 "Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies."  We are told to guard our lips and tongue from evil.
• And above all of this, God tells us to guard our hearts.

The NIV Study Bible says, "Our heart--our feelings of love and desire--dictates in a great extent how we live because we always find time to do what we enjoy."  The caution in this verse is to keep healthy boundaries on those passions and desires.  Make sure these feelings are pulling you in the right direction, and not away from God.

My plea to the guys...

As I sit here praying for the male friends and family in my life my hearts absolutely breaks.  Not just for them, but for the women in their life.  They don't realize that what they do causes years of pain and hurt like nothing else.

Guys: When you date a young woman, you are responsible for her heart.

Because I have many male friends, I know they don't understand this, but I pray oh so hard that they would at least try to understand.  There is no "dating for fun" when it comes to dating women.  What may just be a time filler for you, is oh so much more to her, even if she doesn't say it or show it.

You see, men battle with lust at the same intensity women battle giving their heart away.  Guys say lust is the hardest battle because it's all around them, always tempting them--immodest clothes, sex on tv, porn, and anything else the devil can use.

Women on the other hand, are engaging in just as big of a battle, it's just not as well known yet.  The Genesis 3:16 curse says that women's desire will be for her husband, and Satan of course has turned it into an all out war.  Women are just as surrounded with this desire as men are with lust.  Romance movies, love songs, Facebook statuses, and even other couples.

When you date a girl, she is undoubtedly already thinking about marriage in the back of her head.

I know this is really hard for guys to understand, but I try to explain it in a real way.  Girls can back me up on this.  Okay, let's say you see a cute girl across the room.  She catches your attention, so you smile at her and lock eye contact for a few seconds.  That may have been all you wanted to do.  You may or may not have had any intent of even talking to her, but that's not what went on in her mind.

She's standing there gabbing with her friends about Stacy's new boyfriend and how perfect they are for each other, when suddenly she catches your stare.  As you lock eyes for 3 heart-pounding seconds, her breath increases, her pupils dialate, and a picture flashes in her mind, a picture of you and her holding hands in public together.  Innocent enough right?

Wrong.  As she explains to her friends what just happened, they make the situation worse.  Do you think he likes you?  What if he asks you out?  Do you know what kind of job he has?  All these questions spin through her head as she begins to put you together.  When she goes home that night she tries to reassure herself that it was just a glance, nothing happened...yet.  But then her mind begins to reel as she pictures all the fun times you'll have together, she pictures the hang out spot you two will share, the song you play at your wedding, what color the dress will be, how many months you'll be engaged...and on and on and on.  The madness never stops.  It's a crazy cycle that girls have to train themselves for years to get out of.  

This is where conterfeit bonding, or emotional attachment comes in.  In this scenario, you can see that this young girl has already given you a piece of her heart, and she knows absolutely nothing about you.  I can't even explain how much worse this gets as you begin dating her.

So please, don't date a girl unless you have a strong interest in marrying her someday.

Paul tells us in Romans 14:21 that it is better to not do something if it causes your brother to stumble.  In other words, if dating, texting, or "talking" causes a young woman's thoughts to be consumed with you, or causes her heart to be put out on the line, the godly thing to do is to lay it down at the foot of the throne.  

Guys: Are you playing with a woman's heart?  Is God showing you the depth of the wounds a woman's heart endures?  Is there something you need to change? What and how?

Girls:  Did you even realize you were wired like this?  If so, how have you been guarding your heart lately?  What do you need to do differently?  Have you been letting Satan control your desire for a husband instead of trusting God?

Expect more on guarding your heart soon... 

I Will Wait for You: A Poem

A friend of mine shared this with me yesterday, I thought it was very powerful and full of the truth of the Word of God.  Hope this encourages you today. :) God Bless

Samson's Consequences

So I was going to call this post “Samson’s Second Mistake,” but then I realized I am kind of out of order with the story.  The real order of these posts should be like this:

Samson’s First Mistake
"Should I tell my boyfriend everything??"
This one. (Samson's Consequences)

Sorry for my silly confusion!  Anyhow, continuing from yesterday’s post, we know that Samson ignored the warning signs that Delilah was trying to kill him and decided to stay with her because he was “in love.”  This was his first mistake.

His second mistake was talked about in "Should I tell my boyfriend everything??"  I discussed how serious of a mistake it was for Samson to tell Delilah “all that was within his heart.”  I didn’t however discuss the consequences he faced because of that action.

Going back a step
In Judges 16, Samson finally breaks down and tells Delilah his strength is in his hair.  This was both a mistake of pride and a mistake of sharing too much of his heart.  Pride because he had the idea in his head that he was indestructible and telling a woman his weakness wouldn’t hurt him any.  How wrong he was. 

This was also a mistake of sharing too much of his heart, and we know that because Proverbs 4:23 and Micah 7:5-7 tells us that there are parts of our hearts reserved for God alone. (Read "Should I tell my boyfriend everything??" for more information.)

What happened?
So Samson makes the mistake of telling Delilah his weakness.  Of course, she calls her Philistine buddies in to test the theory—lo and behold it worked!  She woke him up saying, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”  He awoke and tried to rise and fight, but verse 20 says “But he did not know that the Lord had left him.”

Ouch.  Do you know what it feels like to have God leave you?  Did you blame God?  Get mad at him?  Scream to his face?

Or 

Did you stop and think, "where did I push him away?"  When did my pride step in and start taking control?  What did I do to disobey my heavenly father?

Taking the second approach can lead you back to God, repentance, and life.  This is a humble man’s attitude towards God, realizing that He his sovereign over all and we are mere humans who screw everything up when not in God’s perfect and pleasing will.

The first choice, however, can lead you to depression, destruction, and ultimately death.

Samson’s Choice
If you go back and look at the first part of "Should I tell my boyfriend everything??" I briefly discussed Samson’s arrogant personality.  Because he was very cocky and powerful, do you think he chose the first choice of hating God, or do you think he chose the humble man’s approach?

Sadly enough, Samson through a pity party instead of humbling himself.  After his head had been shaved and his strength (God) had left him, the Philistines wanted him to come entertain them; so he did.  He entered the arena with rage and hatred, screaming to God, “Please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.”

Then Samson reached up and grabbed two pillars holding up the temple and pushed them up so that everything came falling down, crushing him and many others.

More Consequences…
Then the bible says, “Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.”  Basically he committed suicide and killed more people by doing that than he had while he was alive (which was a lot considering he won many battles.) 

I think suicidal thoughts creep in when we focus too much on ourselves.  Like Samson, we struggle with pride and often try to make all things about us, rather than God.  Suffering: for example. So a loved one dies, our natural tendency is to throw a poor me party and cry, blame God, become depressed, and eventually talk ourselves into possible suicide.  This is not at all God’s plan.

Even death and suffering is not about us.  If we make it about us the outcome will most definitely be miserable like Samson’s story proved.  And we will also negatively affect more people than almost anything else.

On the Contrary
On the flip side, if we chose to live our lives for something far greater than ourselves or any human establishment, we will see the hope, love, and mercy that God has shown us all.  Therefore rejoicing in his grace and passing it on to others, sharing the joy of true life with them.  Do you see now why God wants the best for you?  Do you see how he wants to include you in his wonderful plan?

What are you mad about?  What have you blamed God for that has been hurting you?  Perhaps you need to spend some time sharing that hurt and pain with God and letting him know how you feel.  Then lay down “you.”  Turn upward and focus on God.  Ask him to show you HIS great plan over yours. Tell him to show you how life focused on Him is far better than life focused on you.

"Should I tell my boyfriend everything??"

Its funny how often times we try to run from God…and it never works out.   

About a month ago I had decided to read about Samson and Delilah; I began the story and then went off to camp and forgot to finish it.  Well today in my quiet time I was asking God about a completely different topic and of course, he led me to Samson and Delilah.  He has the best sense of humor sometimes…Anyhow, what I learned in Judges 16 turned out to be very valuable and so I thought I would share it with you all. 

If you go back to Judges 15, you can understand a little bit more about Samson’s character—for time’s sake I will give you a brief summary.  In my opinion, I picture Samson as being that tough guy-popular-jock-man from high school.  He is super buff, very liked by the people, and he wins every election or award.  Now, this isn’t the super hero star athlete, this is the cocky/bully stud that walks around thinking he owns the school.  Everyone loves him because their scared of him!

In fact, after Samson won a battle he bragged about his victory and demanded God reward him with water!  Wow…yeah, he’s that guy.  As the story goes, we know that that guy always gets the girls, and whoever they want mind you, therefore bring in Delilah.

Delilah was gorgeous, mysterious, and to be honest—a tad bit manipulative.  Anyhow, she got Samson to fall head over heels in love with her.  After they had been, umm.. we’ll say dating,  for some time, Delilah was offered big bucks to find Samson’s weak spot.  So she did what women after the fall do best; she nagged and manipulated.

“What’s your weakness darling?”  She asks him one night.

He  quickly come up with a lie and tricked her into believing it.  Then while he was sleeping, she tried to capture him, using what he had told her.  However, because it was a lie it didn’t work.  

“No really babe, what’s your soft spot?”

He lied again.  She tested it and was made a fool again.

Finally after begging him and begging him until he was “Tired to death,” as the bible literally says, she says, “Samson, if you really love me you’ll tell me your weakness.” 

Ahhh…the killer line!  How many times does that line come up through the teenage years!  We all know what happens next..

Judges 16:17  (NASB)

“So he told her all that was in his heart…”

Worst mistake he ever made. 

I have had girls ask me many times, “Should I tell my boyfriend everything about my spiritual life?” thinking that that will bring them closer together…but the answer is NO.

There are certain things a woman must keep secret in her heart.  1 Kings 8:39 says only God knows our hearts.  Other people can only know what we tell and express to them..they will never fully understand our hearts—not even our husbands. 

Also, Micah 7:5-7 tells us not to put our hope and trust in friends, family, spouses, or neighbors—but to trust fully in God and eagerly expect him to deliver us from whatever our present troubles may be.  Too often we run to our husbands for assurance that this job situation will work out, or we beg with our boyfriend to marry us so we can have some type of security in our life.  But the truth is these men aren’t God!  They’re just human like you and I.  They will mess up, they will scare us, and they will let us down.

You’ll save yourself a lot of grief and heartache if you put your whole trust in God and God alone, then no matter what change is thrown your way—you know without a doubt that the God of all gods is holding you tightly in his hands, and not only that, but he understands your heart.  He gets the very core of your being and existence, and he wants to help you every step of the way.  He wants to love you into security and joy and life. 

Stop telling every man you get into a relationship with your heart secrets.   

Those are for you and God to treasure together. 

Further reading:
Judges 16
Psalm 146:3
Psalm 145:16
Living Chocolate 

"Living Chocolate"

Last night I was hanging out with a girlfriend of mine when we started discussing what we as women go to for comfort rather than God. Obviously the first thing on our list was men!

You know the feelingof security and protection you get from being around a man—whether he is a good man or not, the fact that he is a man speaks something to a woman’s soul. It’s like we need that stability of someone stronger than us in our life, and so we run to the first thing that halfway fits that description.

Because of this action, our hearts and then mutilated and shattered when that man shares his protection with other women, or when he takes away our security by moving around to a different female.

Second on our list was chocolate. I think we all know what I’m talking about. After your heart gets stomped on by the fake security of a man, who’s the first person you turn too—before your best girl friend even…CHOCOLATE!

Where the idea that chocolate makes you feel better came from, I have no idea—but I’m not going to fight it. We all know how that sweet taste of Hershey’s tastes when you need it the most. Like heaven in your mouth, everything gets a little bit better…for about 30 minutes. Then you wake up and realize you still feel like crap, your heart isn’t fixed, and on top of that now you’re gaining weight!

…At this point in our conversation we were supernaturally hit with the best t-shirt design/ life quote EVER!! “Living Chocolate.” John 4:14

Some of you may have instantly understood that, others of you are probably looking at this computer as if it were a middle school boy telling a joke that isn’t funny. Either way, let me explain. In John chapter 4 Jesus is at the well with a woman who has seen more heartache than a soap opera.

This woman was similar to many of us women today; she never found her security. All her life she fled from man to man, searching for that protection, that fulfillment, that something to give her happiness and meaning. However after 5 husbands and 5 divorces she was still completely miserable and unsure of what true love looked like. Her whole life had been fed with lies, pain, and heartache. If she were with us now I’m sure she would tell you she had more than her share of double chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream (which obviously never helped much either.)

It is at this point in her life where she reaches true desperation. She searched everywhere, tried everything—and now she’s at the end of her rope. No husband, no money, no meaning in life. She bottled all of her misery up inside her and continued in her daily routine as if nothing was wrong.However it was in her dreaded daily routine that something amazing happened.

As she was miserably pulling up a heavy bucket of water so her thirst might be quenched, a man from the other side walked up. She sees this man and knows it is against social rules for a woman from Samaria to speak to, or even associate with his kind. Decidingly, she keeps her head down and once again hides her shame and pain. But at that moment the man opens his mouth and says, “Will you give me a drink?”

Confused, she snaps back with the phrase, “Why are you talking to me?? You’re a Jew; I’m a Samaritan...ew.” With a heart breaking for her Jesus replied, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

Not understanding the power of his words, she begins to ask questions—frustrated with this man interfering with her daily routine. She had finally gotten this part of her life down. Show no emotion, share no feelings, and do the daily routine—now why was this guy trying to complicate things? The last thing she needed was a lawsuit for talking to a Jewish man!

In reference to her confusion about the “living water,” Jesus points to her bucket and says, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

After further debate and discussion the woman began to understand. She got it. Broken hearted and sobbing with a desire for righteousness, she looked up to Jesus and said, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” And Jesus went on to heal her and give her true life.

You see, as humans we tend to put our heart, life, and meaning in the hands of other humans—which always leaves us hurt and disappointed. Then we try to fill that void with shopping, food, or of course chocolate—which only helps temporarily. But the good news is that Jesus wants to be your everlasting comforter. He wants to be the water that fully satisfies you forever. He wants to be your “Living Chocolate”—a chocolate that satisfies eternally, heals your hurts, and eventually brings others to the goodness of its powers.

Not a day goes by that God doesn’t look at our broken hearts and say, “Daughter, let me hold you. I want to fix the broken pieces for you. All you have to do is ask me and I will.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-4a

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles…”