Keep Your Heart with Diligence

If you take your Bibles, turn if you would to Proverbs chapter four. Proverbs chapter four. Proverbs four beginning, we'll begin reading in verse 20. Keep your heart with diligence. Proverbs chapter four beginning in verse 20.

I spoke on this passage on a Wednesday night or Sunday night a few years back. I don't think I preached it on Sunday morning. If it seems somewhat familiar, it may be. Hopefully, it's familiar just because you've been reading the word of God. That it is a very relevant and vital passage I think.

That Christians need to hear today. Proverbs four verse 20, my son, attend to my words, incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes, keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them And health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence.

For out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on. Let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet and let all thy ways be established.

Turn not to the right hand nor to the left. Remove thy foot from evil. Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more. Lord, thank you for this day. Thank you for your word.

Thank you for the powerful sword of the spirit that it it is and Lord, we pray that it would not return void this morning. Pray Lord that you would work in the heart of every individual here as you have already done in mind this this week. Lord, I pray that you would turn our eyes and our hearts toward Christ and that you would help us to see the great importance it it is to guard our heart against things that would bring confusion, corruption, and bitterness into the lives of your children. Those things Lord have no place there and a heart that should be full of joy and peace and faith and hope in Jesus Christ. Lord, I pray that you would help us allow you to make us more like you this week and Lord that you would do a mighty work this morning as we exalt the name of Jesus Christ and the word of God.

In Jesus name, we do pray. Amen. This passage beginning back in verse 20 emphasizes something very important. My son, attend to my words, incline thine ear to my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes, keep them in the midst of thine heart, for they are life unto those that find them in health to all their flesh.

This passage begins with a plea, a plea by the writer under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, a plea from the Lord to heed his words, to heed his instructions, to retain them in our hearts and minds for they are life giving. They are life giving. Consider the words of the Psalmist here in Psalm 19 in verse seven. It says, the law of the Lord is perfect. Converting the soul.

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart, the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold.

Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is thy servant warn and in keeping them, there is great reward. There is nothing of greater value on this Earth than this book. The words of almighty God are the words that change people's lives forever. They are the words that change people's lives today.

They are the words that can change the direction of nations and communities and peoples. They are the words in which we learn about our God and how we can have a relationship with him for all eternity. They are more valuable than all the gold in the world because all the gold in the world can't give you life, eternal life, abundant life, a life full of joy and hope but God's words can. They are of far greater value. Thus, our passage begins with a plea from God to heed his words, to embrace his words, to follow his words because in keeping them, there is great reward.

And then in verse 23, he commands us to keep or guard our heart diligently and vigilantly. The heart that is filled with the word of God. The heart that is changed by the power of God. Still needs to be guarded against the enemies of God. That we might grow to be more like God in every area of our life and experience the joy and reward that is found in him here and for all eternity.

What are we told to do? We are told first of all to keep that word in verse 23, keep It it carries with it two connotations. The first one is this, the word means to guard. It means to set a watch like a watchman or guard to protect that to protect what is inside by keeping it from being attacked from that which is outside. So today, if you have a business, you might hire a guard to guard the business so that robbers and thieves don't come and break in and take that which belongs to you.

In olden days, these cities were often walled cities. They were walled up for protection. The people would go out of the city during the day and they would work their fields at night. They would come back inside the city walls for protection and there were gatekeepers and there were watchmen that stood at the top of the walls and the watchmen would round the clock be on lookout for those who might come into the city to harm the residents or armies that might be coming to attack the city. They were very important people.

For if the watchman failed, the city would likely fail and fall as well. We are told to guard our hearts, to put up a wall around it, to keep on guard against those things that would enter our heart and mind that would do it harm. The word also means to protect, to protect, or to preserve. We protect or preserve that which is highly treasured. Some of you have safes in your house.

Why would you have a safe in your house? Because you want to keep something that is very precious, what? Safe. That's why it's called a safe, okay? Because you want to keep it safe.

You want to preserve it. You want to preserve it from harm. You want to preserve it from being stolen. I have yet to live in a house that had a safe because I just didn't don't have a lot to put in a safe. So, no need to get one but when I was growing up, we had a basement.

Now, I know if you've lived in Florida, you may not know what a basement is but they dig a hole under your house and there's a place you go down the steps and into the basement. I'm just kidding. I'm, you know, know what a basement is but we don't see them around Florida very often, do we? Because if you have a basement here, it's full of water. It's more like a swimming pool under the house but anyway, we had a basement.

The basement was there was part of it that was what you might call the cellar and it was dark. It was cool. And we would put things in jars. My mom called them preserves, okay? And she would can and put vegetables and particularly fruit and jams and jellies in jars.

She would seal them up. We would take them downstairs and they would be preserved, sealed in this jar until which time we needed it. It was to keep it fresh. It was to keep it preserved. Today, you go to the most of us don't have jams and jellies preserved in our basement but we go to the store and we buy stuff that's been sealed and has stuff in it that keeps it preserved.

Why do you want to seal it up? Because if you don't seal it up, what's going to happen? It's going to it's going to spoil, okay? We want to make sure that we don't let heart what? Spoil.

Spoil. It needs to be preserved. Now, praise the Lord. We're not in this alone. If you know Jesus Christ, who is helping to preserve our soul and our heart?

Our savior Jesus Christ. My soul is preserved as is a place in heaven for me one day. But my heart as we'll talk about my the seed of my emotions, my will, my desires. I also have a part in preserving that. I am to help to keep that pure.

Keep it from corruption. Keep, guard, protect, preserve, like you would protect and preserve your family. Like you would protect and preserve your physical health. We also need to pre protecting and preserving our spiritual health. We hear a lot about our physical health today.

We hear very little about our what? Spiritual health today. That's what these verses are talking about. We need to guard and protect, to preserve our spiritual health, our heart. Says here to keep your heart the seed of your desires, your mind, your will, and your emotions.

That is your heart. What does the Bible have to say about the heart? Well, to start out with, it doesn't sound very appealing. The Old Testament, we read in Jeremiah this, it says, the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?

Doesn't paint a very pretty picture of our heart, does it? Our heart is the heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Isn't that a sad testimony to the heart of mankind? Our heart is born twisted by sinful desires. Desires that will lead us astray if we blindly follow them.

How did those desires come to be in the heart of mankind? When you go back to Genesis chapter three, God created Adam and Eve. Innocent, put them in the Garden Of Eden. Gave them one command. He said, just one, just one thing you cannot do.

Don't eat from this one tree and everything will be fine. Just don't eat from that one tree. For in the day you eat thereof, you will what? Surely die. But they listen to the enemy.

They listen to the serpent. They listen to Satan and they partook of the tree and man became a what? Sin. Sin entered into, sin entered into mankind's heart. Man became a sinner.

Twisted in his desires, in his mind, his will, and his emotions by sin and separated from almighty God. This is why the phrase follow your heart is not really usually good advice. How many times have you heard somebody say, well, just follow your what? Follow your heart. Well, if the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, should you follow your heart?

Probably not. Probably not. Not when it is led by sinful desires and lust That do not take into account the consequences of your actions or more importantly, the will of your what? Of your creator. It says in Proverbs sixteen twenty five, there is a way which seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof are the ways of death.

If we go on our merry way in life and ignore our creator, our heart is going to lead us into a life of misery, but more importantly, into an eternity of judgment. That's what God's word says, and that is the truth. There is a way which seems right unto a man, unto mankind, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Why? Why is that?

Because man's heart is deceitfully wicked above all things. Therefore, don't follow your heart Follow your God and let him change your what? And let him change your heart. Something needs to change. That that needs to change is our heart.

In Jesus's day, he spoke to the pharaoh. He spoke to the people in the sermon on the mount and he spoke of the Pharisees and he said, to his disciples, unless your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the the Pharisees and the scribes, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Nobody was more pious and religious than the scribes and the Pharisees. At least publicly. But there was a problem with their what?

With their heart. Their heart needed to change. And what changes and leads the human heart in a positive direction but the word of the word of God. The word of God which is quick and powerful. It is the sword of the spirit.

It brings conversion through faith in Jesus Christ. The focus of God's word. God's plan of redemption through Jesus Christ. That's what this book is about and if you put your faith and trust in the God of this word, then he will change your life. He will change your eternal destiny.

That's what this word has the power to do because it is whose word? God's word. There's some saying today, they use this phrase declare and decree that seem to in religious circles say, hey, if you declare it and decree, if you say this is going to be, then, it is going to be because your words have what? Power. But really your words do not have power.

Whose words have power? God's words have power. You didn't create this universe by the words of your mouth. God did. You won't destroy this universe as he will one day by the words of your mouth.

God will. You cannot change the weather by the words of your mouth. But God can. That is why we do not tell the weather what to do but what we can do is we can cry to our father in heaven in prayer and ask him to do things that we cannot because his words are what? His words are powerful.

That is why when we come on Sunday, we do not come together merely to listen to my words but if you come here on Sunday, you're going to get a whole lot of what? This word because this word can change your heart and life. It can bring salvation to the lost. It can bring enlightenment to the mind and to the heart with the wisdom of the heart and mind's creator. It says in Romans 10, faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

Psalm one nineteen nine and eleven. Say this, wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy word. Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee. You want to have victory over sin and Satan in your life? Then, you need to get into the word of God and the word of God needs to get into you and your heart.

He will save your soul. He will change your life. He will guide you life, your life. He will strengthen you against the attacks of the enemy. He will give you victory.

All who come to God through faith in Christ as his word says, are changed. It says in second Corinthians five seventeen, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, a new creation. All things have passed away. Behold, all things are become new. A change with his which is both immediate and yet also progressive.

Some things change immediately. When you come to Christ in faith, in his word, and in his promise, you become a child of who? A child of God. Right there and then. You receive the gift of the Holy Spirit who seals you until the day of redemption.

You are pardoned from sin's penalty in hell. You are freed from its bondage. You are given everlasting life. When you come to Christ in faith and you believe in his word. Yet, other things take time.

We are told to desire the sincere milk of the word that we may grow thereby. You see, you have to relearn some things. Your mind is filled with wrong things and we have to let God get rid of the wrong things and put in the what? The the right things. God reveals to us things that we are doing that are not pleasing to him and he empowers us to confess and to forsake them.

God changes our desires so that we desire not the things of the world but the things that are of the Lord and we can do this because we are a new creation in Christ Jesus because things have changed by God's power. He changes our heart. We have a new influence in our life, the spirit. We new have a new outlook in life, faith, and hope. We have new desires, desires to please our God in heaven.

We have new thoughts, the mind of Christ revealed in his word. We knew have a new love. Our new loves. A love for God that we had the world does not know and a love for our brethren in Christ Jesus. A new hunger and thirst for righteousness, a new wisdom that is from above.

God is in the business of changing your heart and mind but it must be nourished through his word but it also must be what? It also must be guarded against those things that would be hindrances to our growth. Things that would pull us away from the path that God has set before us. Things that would destroy and rob us of our joy and peace and our testimony before the world. We must guard our heart.

It is a precious commodity. It is keeping. It is in keeping that from the world which would once again corrupt it and feed the old desires. And once again try to take the throne in our heart that Christ deserves. There is so much said today about protecting our health.

We should be concerned and careful how we take care of something so important. What we put into our body affects our health, does it not? So, today, we constantly hear, be careful what you put into your body because it will affect your health, your longevity, your quality of life. We're told to be careful to get enough rest. You need to get rest.

So, your body can heal as you rest and be reinvigorated. There's a word, reinvigorated. As we rest. You need to get enough rest. You need to get exercise.

You need to exercise the body. Something I'm afraid I don't get as much of as I should and it tells. You need to exercise. It's important to the health of your body but what about your heart? And I'm not talking about the thing that pumps right here and that's not what God's talking about.

God's talking about our spiritual health. Our our our character. The the seed of our mind, will, and emotions. What about your heart? We focus so much on the outward, on the physical.

We also need to focus on our heart. How concerned are you with what goes into your heart, your mind, and what desires are fed and stimulated by it. We need to keep and embrace the good. We need to keep our eyes fixed on that which is good. It says in verse 25, let thine eyes look right on.

Let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet. Let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left. Remove thy foot from evil.

Let thine eyes look right on. Look straight ahead. Who are we looking at? We're looking unto Jesus, the author, and the finisher of our faith. For the joy that was set before him endured the cross and now is seated at the right hand of God, the father where he is our advocate on high, where he's preparing a place for us.

This life is not the end. This world is not all there is. There is eternity to come. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus Christ in eternity and the things that are of eternal value. You will be blessed.

Your heart will be kept on the right path. Embrace the good avoid the what? Avoid the evil. Keep the bad out. Do not let the bad what?

In. We put locks on our homes. Some of us put security systems in our homes. Some of us have guard dogs in our homes. Why do we do that?

Because we want to keep the bad what? We want to keep the bad out. We want to keep the enemy out. We want to keep the robber and the thief and those that would do us harm out of our house. They do not belong there.

They do not have a place there. That is for our family. That is for that which is good and right and blessed. There's something of great value There's something great value in you, your heart, your mind, your will, your emotions. As you are so concerned about keeping the evil out of your house, we need to be concerned about keeping the evil things out of our what, out of our heart and mind, and and do not be deceived.

The world is hard at work trying to fill our mind and heart with things which are wretched and corruptive. And wicked and vile. You can't turn on the TV set. You can't listen to worldly music. You can't hardly drive down the street and look at the the boards or see the commercials without realizing the world is doing their best.

To defile our conscience. We have an enemy out there. Like Adam and Eve had an enemy in the Garden of Eden. He's trying to deceive us by putting things into our mind and heart that are not true. By filling our heart and mind with wicked things.

Why is it that Christians so struggle today? To honor the Lord in their life, to be holy because we are constantly filling our minds with things often that are vile. And that's why we struggle. We are not guarding our what? Guarding our heart.

Psalm one zero one three, David said this, I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes. I hate the work of them that turn aside. It shall not cleave to me. David said, I'm guarding my heart. I'm not setting wicked things but there I I won't let them in because if I let them in, what are they going to do?

They're going to destroy me. They're going to corrupt me. They're going to hinder me from being the testimony to my God I should and what happened? Well, David didn't keep this all his life, did he? And one day on the top of the roof of his palace, he was walking around and he looked upon wicked things.

He looked upon something he shouldn't have and it got in his heart and it got in his mind and corrupted his ways and it brought death to his family, brought death to others, and brought misery and pain because he did not guard his what? Did not guard his heart. Don't be deceived. You think, well, never happened to me. It can't happen to me.

Don't be deceived. One day, when you stand before God in heaven and you are like him and these sin, this old nature is gone completely out of our life. We won't have to worry about sin and temptation anymore but that day is not yet. That day is not yet. There's a battle going on.

We need to put on the whole armor of what? God, that we may be protected against the wiles of the devil for he is hard at work trying to corrupt our heart and our mind. Particularly the mind of our young people. Think on those things that are pure and dressed and lovely. Why is it we have all this violence going on in our streets today?

It's because people's what? Heart and mind is full of hate and and anger. On every side but that doesn't have to be in your life. It can be full of love and joy and hope. In Jesus Christ.

Keep your heart with all what? With all diligence. With all diligence. In other words, you you gotta you gotta take this what? You gotta take this seriously.

It's serious business. If you're a parent and you have children and you're fighting this battle trying to help them fight this battle in their life, you realize how serious it is. But it's also serious in your life and in mine. No matter what your age is, your our heart can still be affected. By the things of the world.

Or rewarded by the things of the Lord. You must take it seriously. The Bible says in first Peter five and verse eight, be sober, be vigilant because your adversary, the devil. As a roaring lion walked about seeking whom he may devour. He already has our lost world.

He wants who? Who does he want? He wants us. He wants you. He wants to destroy your testimony.

He wants to destroy your joy. If he could, he he wants to destroy your salvation. Praise God. No man can pluck us out of the father's hand who know Jesus Christ as savior but I don't think Satan's convinced. And he's still trying.

But in the least, he can steal your joy. He can ruin your testimony. He can make you ineffective on this Earth for your savior. As salt without flavor or savor. That's what Satan is trying to do and he is taking this very seriously and we need to as well.

With all effort and zeal, paying very close attention to what goes in and out of this mind of ours and this heart of ours. We need to be paying close attention. Ephesians five fifteen uses a word we don't often use very often. It's called circumspect. It's a see then that you walk circumspectly not as fools but wise.

It means to have your head on a swivel, okay? As you walk through this Earth, as you go through your day, your head needs to be on a swivel. You need to be watching out. You need to be on guard. You need to be vigilant because your adversary, the devil, and his minions and your own old nature that you still pull around like a ball and chain.

They're not your friend. They're your enemy and we must be on guard. Our children are very special to us. So, we protect them diligently. We keep an eye on them.

We we put baby monitors in their rooms when they're little. We're very careful who they hang out with. We try to protect and guard them and so we should. But you should also protect and guard your heart as well. What monitors do we place on our heart to help and guard what goes in and out?

I'm afraid for many Christians and the unsaved world in particular, there are no monitors, there are no guards, there is no filter. We just let it all pour in. We're not careful what goes in today and what goes in affects who you are. We're all so consumed about what we drink and what we eat, what goes into our body, some of us more than others. But we are unconcerned.

I want what goes in our eyes, what comes in our ears. There's a little song I used to sing with the kids, oh be careful little eyes what you see. Oh, be careful little eyes. Watch you see. Oh, be Oh, be careful little ears.

Watch you hear. Oh, be careful little ears. Watch you hear. Lord, the father up above is looking down in love. So, be careful little ears, what you hear.

Why? Because what comes in through your eyes and your ears affects your mind and your heart. And so, the Bible tells us, keep your heart with all diligence. Take this seriously. Put a filter, a monitor, on what you hear from others, who you hang out with, and what you allow yourself to consume.

What entertainment you watch? What teaching you listen to, and how you filter what you are taught. There are many good things that we have to learn from the educated people of the world but there are also false things and we need need to be able to discern between the good and the what? The good and the bad. Put too much of the wrong thing in or too little of what is good and our hearts will want will spoil or sour.

Like that jar that my mom put in the cellar that wasn't sealed all the way. And I went down there a year or two later and what was supposed to be beautiful grape jelly was an interesting shade of green. What happened to it? Well, it wasn't sealed and the bad stuff why? Got in and it began to grow.

The fester. Put too much of the wrong thing in or too little of what the right thing in and our hearts will sour. They will become bitter. Have you ever met a bitter Christian? I have.

Should a Christian ever be bitter? No. Christians should never be bitter. We have Jesus Christ. We have the spirit.

We have the word. We have the hope of eternal life. Christians should never be people that you don't want to be around because they're always negative and bitter in their heart and if that's you, get rid of it. Doesn't belong there. Guard your what?

Heart and if bitterness is there, it's a sin. Confess it. Forsake it. Do not let it have sway in the heart, in your heart. It does not have to.

We put all the wrong stuff in our our heart become may become confused. You ever met a confused Christian? Yeah, I've met some of them. The world lives in a haze of confusion but Christians, that shouldn't be true with us. We have the truth right here.

You shall know the truth and the truth shall what? Set you free. We don't have to live in confusion. That's why it is so important that when young people are saved or or or older people that are saved, that they get discipled and they get taught from the word of God because there's a lot of confusion. The world has put in our heart and it needs to be flushed out.

It needs to be replaced with the truth of God's word. Else, you you end up with a generation of Christians that are confused. Why? Because they haven't put in what's good and they haven't kept out what's bad. Guard your heart or your heart may become complacent, complacent, uninterested in the things of God.

It should that ever be true of a Christian? No, it shouldn't but yet you can knock on door after door after door of people and ask em, do you know Christ? And many of them will tell you what? Yes and the next answer to the question, where do you go to church will be what? I don't.

Why is that? Complacency, bitterness, confusion. What happened? One of two things. Either they never knew the Lord Jesus Christ as savior in the first place or number two, they did and they didn't guard their what?

They didn't guard their heart. It's full of stuff that shouldn't be there. God is trying to work. The holy spirit's trying to work but he's not getting a lot of help. The word of God is the sword of the spirit but if you're not putting any of the word of God in, then the holy spirit doesn't have a moth to work with now, does he?

The word of God washes and cleanses our heart but if you're not putting it in, it's not helping to cleanse the bad that's in there. You need to keep your heart with all diligence. Why are we to do it? Because out of it flow the issues of life. Our heart determines who we are.

I am not what you see this morning. I am my character. That's who I am. Now, some of that may be reflected on the outside but man looks on the outward appearance but God sees the what? The heart.

He knows who you really are. You can fool me. You can fool others. You cannot fool God. And what matters most is not how well your hair is done or or how well you're dressed today.

What is most important is what condition is your heart in? Who are you really? Who are you really? That's what God cares about most. Our heart is the source of who we really are.

Our thoughts, our attitudes, our decisions, our behavior, our actions, our love, they all stem from our what? From our heart. And what you do in life, what you say in life, who you are in life, that's determined by your heart. So you need to guard it seriously. You need to put the right stuff in.

You need to cast the bad stuff out. You need to not let it in in the first place. Question this morning is this, who are you? Who are you? Are you a child of God?

Have you come to him in faith to receive? A new heart, a changed heart, a new eternity, forgiveness for your sins, and everlasting life? He's the only way. He's the only way. Have you come to him in faith?

Have you trusted in him as savior? If not, then your heart is still what? Full of corruption and wickedness but it doesn't have to stay that way. God can change it. God can change it.

If you'll come to Jesus and the second question is this, who are you becoming? Child of God, who are you becoming? Who should you be becoming? More like who? More like Jesus.

For him, he did foreknow. He also did predestinate but to to be conformed to the image of his son. God wants you, saved you, to change you into the image of his son. How does he do that? He changes your heart.

By his spirit and by his word. He changes your heart. You can either help that process or you can hinder it. You can either embrace the good or you can just let the bad flow in. Who are you becoming?

Romans twelve two says, and be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Christian, if we're letting the wrong stuff in, we need to stop it. We need to guard our heart. We need to take it seriously. We need to let the word of God wash it out every day.

Strengthen us. Mature us. So that we can be to the praise and the glory of one who gave us life in him. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for this day.

Thank you for Jesus Christ, our savior. Thank you for what you did for us on Calvary's Cross. Thank you from your word that tells us about what you did for us on Calvary's Cross. Thank you that it is the power of God and salvation to everyone that believe it and I pray Lord if there's anyone in here this morning who doesn't know Christ as savior has not been saved. Through faith in Jesus Christ that they would come as we give this hymn of invitation.

They would humble themselves before you. Though they not let pride or or anything else stand in their way but they would come as we sing and we might show them how to be saved and know it today and I pray Lord for your children. As so often, we haven't taken this business seriously about guarding our heart. I pray that we would repent. I pray that we would starting today by your grace fill our heart with your word each day and put up a wall, a watchman against that which is evil and do a better job of guarding our heart.

In Jesus name we pray. Amen.