Guard Your Heart, part 3

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."

(Proverbs 4:23)

This is part 3 of an ongoing theme I was recently led to write on, to, "Guard Your Heart."

Having spent some time in prayer and study on what it means to guard your heart, I've inadvertently neglected to attempt to relate from Scripture, just what the "heart" is.

So, it is with a heart that is prayerfully open before God, seeking Him and His wisdom on this topic, that I now feel led to share what I discovered when I received the word with all readiness, and searched the scriptures daily to see if these things are so. (See Acts 17:11)

I have to start by saying, throughout my walk with Christ, I've read certain books that really spoke to my heart, and shaped my views on things like the Rapture, the end times, the new heart, and walking with God. I definitely have a handful of favorite authors whom God has used to speak into my life. And He's given me a lot of counsel over the years, in pivotal moments in my life. And through His Fatherly wisdom, has 'righted the ship' when I got off track.

But what I've also been convicted of, and more recently than before, is, am I testing the Bible by other men's writings? Or am I doing what I really should do, and testing other men's writings by the Bible? The Bible is the God-breathed Word of God. It's not merely "inspired." It is literally God-breathed.

We're commanded to, "test all things; hold fast what is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

The Bible is the living Word of God; the Word of the Father who sent Him, according to Jesus. It is the Divine litmus test, the eternal plumb line of Truth, that all other supposed truths and doctrines must be measured by—the Heavenly sifter, through which all other men's teachings and writings must be poured.

So, what does the Bible say the heart is? In Ezekiel 36:26?

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” 

If we want a clearer understanding of what a biblical word means, looking up the word used in the original Hebrew or Greek language is a good place to start. In Strong's Concordance, the Hebrew word for "heart" is H-3820, 'leb'—"the heart; feelings, the will, even the intellect; the center of anything; understanding."

Reading the passage with the literal Hebrew definition of the word, it could read:  'I will give you a new understanding, new feelings, new desires, and put a new mind in you.' The Hebrew word used for "spirit" here is, in part, defined as the "mind". (H-7307, 'ruwach')

In the New Testament, the word "heart" is often defined in the original Greek language as, "The thoughts or feelings: (mind)." (G-2588, 'kardis')

Also in the New Testament (see Ephesians 2:3), a Greek word often used for "mind" is G-1271, 'dianoia'; "deep thought; disposition, imagination, mind, understanding." Another NT word for "mind" is G-3563, 'nous'—"the intellect; mind--in thought, feeling, or will; meaning mind, or understanding."

“For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16)

What does the heart do? For one thing, it believes.

“For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:10)

From the heart we are also commanded to forgive. We love from the heart, have compassion and show mercy. We are to be thankful for all things, from the heart.

What are some of the things that come from, or are in the heart?

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27)

“For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” (Matthew 15:19)

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:38-39)

We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. And the rivers of living water than will flow out of us are the Holy Spirit—not any perceived goodness we may have in our new heart/mind. 

What about our desires? Where do those originate?

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)

“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” (James 1:14)

So, upon looking closely at, and comparing these scripture verses to gain a better understanding of what the "heart" is, and what its functions are, I pray God will enlighten my understanding.

It seems true in scripture that the "heart" is the place where we believe and have our deepest convictions. That it is the place in us where desires come from; whether those desires are pure, or evil, is a matter of our choosing which of our two natures we will listen to. That it is the part of us where we see its fruit in the words we speak, whether good, or bad. That it is our deep innermost part where our feelings, thoughts, desires, intentions, understanding, choices and intellect truly emanate from. And this is understood, at least to me, by the very words used in scripture, as defined in the original languages God Himself saw fit to have the scriptures recorded in.

As we already know, our mortal Enemy, Satan, is constantly attacking us, tempting us, trying to trip us up, and steal, kill, and destroy the joy, hope, peace and faith that God has given us. No question. And apparently, he can put impressions in our minds, dangle the bait, and even mess with us in our dreams. But none of us can say, when we are tempted and we sin, "The Devil made me do it!" Satan cannot "make" you do anything. And besides, God promised us:

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

The biblical fact is, we have two natures within us; the old man (fleshly, sinful, human nature). And the new man (the new nature/heart/mind we received when we were born again). And these two natures (old man and new man) have two extremely different desires and intentions. 

The old man seeks to please self. Seeks to love self at the expense of others. Is self-focused, and self-idolatrous. Sees himself as the captain of his own salvation. Does not see his need for God. Is rebellious. And cares not for the things that God cares about. He is comfortable in his sin and does not see it as sin. The old man is thankless, and takes credit for everything he does that seems good to him. He is prideful and the fruit of his life shows it.

The new man wants to please God and love Him and love others. Though the new man still does not do all these things perfectly, and he, like the apostle Paul wrote, fails at times and occasionally makes bad choices, he hates it when he allows his old nature to come through, and he repents and asks God to help him do better. He is sick inside when he fails God and tries to do things in his own strength and wisdom, instead of relying on God and His strength and wisdom. The new man humbles himself before God, and is thankful to Him, praising Him, giving Him all the credit and glory for all good things. He is the exact opposite of the old man.

The old man and new man can be illustrated as two wolves; a dark wolf, and a light wolf. We all have both wolves inside of us. Which one grows and thrives?  —The one that you feed.

"Nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh." These were the words Paul the apostle wrote to the early church. Paul was not relying on his new man, or new nature for hope, or salvation. Paul saw the constant struggle we all face between the flesh and the spirit. He lamented as such. The things he desired to do, he could not seem to find. But the very things he loathed, those things he practiced. (See Romans 7:15-25). Paul sums this up in verse 25 by saying, “So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”

The new heart (mind, feelings, thoughts, willingness, understanding) Paul received at conversion, desires to serve God. But his old nature, the body of sin; the flesh, wants to serve the law of sin.

The age old battle of the dual natures.

But again, he makes it clear that he doesn't serve God perfectly. It's part of our walk with God in this life that, frankly, will remain a mystery. But this much seems very clear to me; when we are commanded to guard our heart because all we do flows from it, upon examining all these scriptures that teach us about the heart and our dual nature, I am led to believe we must guard our hearts from Satan and the world on the outside—and guard our hearts from the sinful desires and thoughts of the old man on the inside. I presently can't see any other conclusion to arrive at. But in all areas where I am mistaken, I know that God will teach me correctly.

Only God fully knows why He allows us to retain both natures, even though our two natures battle each other daily.

But I will say, one day, many years ago, in desperate exasperation, I cried out to God; "Lord! Why do you leave us in this condition? You could change me in an instant, and I would never sin or fail again! Why Lord?" And then He clearly, gently impressed upon my heart:

"So you'll stay close to Me."

As my friend and I agree, knowing Jesus is central. He is our only hope.

My hope or trust is not in my new heart and mind God gave me. The new heart and mind He gave me only prove to me more and more each day just how desperately I need Him, and how insufficient I am. Jesus said, "Without Me, you can do nothing." If we were now in our heavenly, eternal bodies, bright and shining like angels, I am convinced that we would likely become like Lucifer, and would not see any further need of God. We would pridefully want to ascend to the place of God and be God.

So I am humbled and thankful to God that He has designed us and put us in a place where, even though born again, cleansed by His blood, and sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise; we are still totally dependent on Him for our eternity, provision, peace, health, fruitfulness, and to abide in Him, and remain forever in His love.

Who is our only hope? Paul writes in Colossians 1:24-27:

“I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is:

"Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

—God is Love and Love Never Fails.