“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23 NIV
“Why did I say that?!” The toothpaste words that had just come out of my mouth hung in the air, and I was horrified. Jesus said that what is in our hearts comes out of our mouths (Luke 6:45, Matthew 12:34). What had just come out of mine startled me into reflection and unpleasant revelation. Have you ever had those kinds of moments? Before you even realize it, you’ve said something you wish you could take back. Your words have revealed something you didn’t want to know about yourself and now reality is staring you in the face and you find yourself asking, “What do I do now?”
If what comes out of the mouth reveals what is in the heart, as you look back over the last few months, what have your words uncovered about you? There’s a good chance that your words have revealed something you need to deal with. It’s important that you do. You have more influence than you realize and your influence matters.
What comes out of you matters because it affects those around you. You impact so much more than you think. There are people in your world you touch that I don’t touch, that the most intelligent teacher, the most famous preacher, the most powerful politician in the world do not touch. Your influence matters.
So, as you consider what is coming out of you during this time of pandemic, also consider how what is coming out of you is influencing the people in your world. Are you afraid? How is that influencing your family, your friends, your neighbors, the gas station attendant (yes, your reactions really do affect those small, seemingly random, encounters as well).
How are your reactions affecting your physical health? Are you angry? How is that affecting your blood pressure, your food choices, your exercise habits?
What comes out of you affects what you choose and how you interact with every aspect of your world. How are you spending your money? Are you hoarding? Spending as “retail therapy”? Sharing? Giving to church and charitable organizations?
Above all else. Jesus hit the nail on the head, didnt he? What comes out of the mouth reveals what is in the heart. The heart is the core of who you are, not who you imagine yourself to be or who you wish you were. Who you really are is who others see and hear. It’s been said that we evaluate ourselves by our intentions, but others by their actions. We justify our self-centered and self-protective behavior. We see ourselves as we want to be and that skews how we interpret our own actions. Why is it most important that I guard my heart? Because my heart guides every thing else. My words, my actions, my unfiltered reactions. Every response originates within my heart. An unchecked, unexamined heart often overflows with a whole lot of ugly, spewing out unkindness or fear or selfishness. Have you taken any time lately to prayerfully examine your own heart in God’s presence?
Guard your heart. What does it mean to guard? It means to actively protect. To guard something takes commitment and effort. it doesn’t just happen. If you are not being intentional about evaluating your heart and eliminating all that pollutes its purity, then be assured, it will not happen. “The human heart is deceitful above all things...” (Jeremiah 17:9) It needs active engagement. If you don’t decide to manage your heart, it will most certainly manage you.
You need a plan. The best place to start is by being in the Word of God every day. Wash yourself with the water of the Word. (Ephesians 5: 26) Let the Word shape how you see life and give you God’s perspective. Even on those days when you feel like you are getting nothing out of it, the Word of God is living and active. (Hebrews 4:12) It penetrates who you are and influences your thoughts and feelings. A daily diet of the Word will nourish your soul and guard your heart. Prevention is always the best medicine for toothpaste words and other unexpected ugly. Guard your heart!
Everything you do. Everything you do. Everything starts on the inside. Every action starts as a thought. Every behavior demonstrates what you really believe, What you say does matter because it is a big port of what you do. What is inside comes out. Like my unexpectedly revealing utterance. Ugh! That’s something you and I don’t have to work on. It happens. And sometimes it will surprise you in good and bad ways.
Reflection is something that we have to work into our lives intentionally. We usually don’t slow down enough to really know ourselves or to listen to those things that God wants to highlight in us. He has some things to show you and me during this strange and unexpected time. Why? Because each one of us makes a difference in our own sphere of influence. Each one of us has a part to play in His redemptive purposes on the earth. Yes, you are important in what God wants to do on the world! Really! You are! That’s why slowing down and taking time to reflect in God’s presence is one of the most important things you can do to guard your heart.
Thinking quietly may not seem productive. Americans are hung up on productivity and that has influenced the American church. What you and God talk about together will affect everything else your life, everything you do. You may not DO more, but what you do will be more effective for Him. You will find yourself freer to focus on what really matters. Isn’t that what you really want? To live for what matters and let all the rest of it take it’s rightful, less important place? Isn’t what you really want to live for God’s glory? To please Him in all things? To complete the mission He has for you? I know it is.
Taking time to evaluate your own reactions and choices is one of the most “productive” things you can do. You will hone your influence on the people you most care about and the people you meet in seemingly random ways. When you are in touch with yourself, you become more in touch with God. His Spirit is the One who leads you into all truth (John 16:13), even the truth about yourself. And when you know that truth, you become free to hope and free to be a person who influences others with hope. (John 8:32).
So, my Friend, the most important thing you can do to guard your influence is to diligently protect the purity of your heart. Let God help you deal with and erase the ugly so that what comes out of you looks more like Him and makes a positive impact in your sphere of influence. Isn’t that what you really want? Of course, it is!
Key thought: What comes out of you matters because your influence matters.
A Scripture to consider: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23 NIV
A YES challenge: Determine where and when you will take time for reflection in God’s presence. As you sit quietly with Him, allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the things that are negatively impacting your influence and work on them with God. This is going to take some practice, but be assured, He really wants to help you!
Prayer: Father, I really hate those toothpaste words! I hate what they show about me and what is in my heart. I know that I cannot change my inside alone. I truly need Your help. Guide me in learning how to take time for reflection in Your presence so that I can make guarding my heart a priority. I can’t do it alone. I need You and trust You to help me. Amen.