Why Is It Important to Guard Our Hearts?
Recently, during this troubling time of exposure after exposure, I heard the Lord say that it is paramount we watch over the purity of our own hearts. In his wisdom, Solomon wrote to his son in the book of Proverbs, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it" (Proverbs 4:23 NIV).
What is the significance of guarding our heart? Why is it so important?
Our heart can be described as a lens through which we see and experience life. Whatever we have allowed to cloud, smear, or muddy our lens becomes the filter through which we experience life. Our perceptions of life events, our relationships, or even how we think of ourselves, are all influenced and shaped by the purity of our heart.
Have you ever stopped to ponder what Jesus wanted to convey when He spoke in Matthew 5:8 in the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God"? In this verse, pure is the Greek word "katharos," meaning "clean" or "clear" (Strong's G2513). The thought is of someone free from the stain of sin, guilt, or corrupt desires. This person is free from mixture or anything false. Their heart lens is clean or pure, allowing an unhindered perception or ability to see God. Pause a moment to take that in. Our ability to see or perceive God is directly affected by the purity of our own heart.
Clouded Hearts That Missed the Messiah
Think how many of Jesus' actions offended and angered individuals of His day. Their hearts were clouded and muddied by their religious lens and opinions, causing them to miss what God was doing through His Son, the Messiah. Whether Jesus was overturning tables in the temple, eating with sinners, or ambushing the stoning of the woman caught in adultery, it was only those who were pure in heart that could see God in His controversial actions.
We must cry out for discernment and pure hearts in these current, turbulent times so that we can rightly discern the way forward and truly align with what the Father is doing. We need an upgrade in our spiritual awareness of how the enemy works to cloud and dirty our hearts, and then we need personal battle plans and strategies for guarding our own heart's purity. We were never meant to live with cloudy, dull hearts but hearts that have been cleansed, redeemed, and fully awakened so that we can live as discerning and victorious sons and daughters of our King Jesus.
There is a familiar story in Mark 3, where Jesus went to the synagogue on the Sabbath and encountered a man with a withered hand. Some people looked for a reason to justify their biased beliefs about Jesus, so they observed Him closely to see if He might violate the law by healing the man on the Sabbath. Mark 3:5 gives us insight as to what Jesus was thinking during all of this: "He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn [hardened] hearts, said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored" (Mark 3:5 NIV, brackets mine). (Photo via Pexels)
It is not often we hear that Jesus was deeply distressed about something, but the hardness of the hearts of those who were choosing to condemn and accuse Jesus of showing mercy to this suffering man did distress Him. They were standing in direct contradiction to what God wanted to do. They chose law over grace. The arrogance and blindness were unthinkable, and it was all because of the state of their hearts.
The word for hardness in Mark 3:5 is "pórósis," meaning "the covering with a callus" or "obtrusiveness of mental discernment, dulled perception" (Strong's G4457).
Jesus, the Messiah, stood in their very presence and miraculously healed and restored a man's withered hand, yet their dulled, callused hearts could not perceive righteousness. Instead, suspicion and accusation, born out of their own jealousy and insecurities, caused them to miss the moment. Their response and lack of discernment inevitably created even thicker calluses on their hearts and even duller perceptions.
Keys to Overcome Disillusionment
I have been part of intercession groups where we have felt led to pray for God to expose sin and unrighteousness, not only in our government but also in the Church. We are now seeing those prayers answered. I felt led to release this word because I have felt grieved not only for those who are being exposed and for who have been deeply hurt by their sin, but, in some instances, over the way things are being released.
Thousands, if not millions, are receiving the reports through social media, even if they had no prior knowledge of the leader, their church, or their movement. Some individuals will have the maturity or purity of heart to handle the information they are viewing, but others will not. The carnage and fallout when a Christian leader falls can be devastating. Those attempting to process their pain, without being anchored firmly in the Word or without strong support systems, can become very disillusioned.
I know, because I experienced my own disillusionment with Christian leaders years ago. It took me a while to make my way through the pain of that season, but God in His faithfulness brought me to some conclusions and truths that allowed my heart to overcome and heal. One key truth is that God is the only one worthy of my total allegiance and trust. We can admire, learn from, and even follow Christian leaders, but we are never to put them on a pedestal and believe that they hold all truth or revelation. We need to have a sober awareness that leaders, along with everyone else, are not invincible. Any one of us can fail, and those in leadership are targets of the enemy, partly, because their failures have the ability to devastate many.
Another vital key I learned from my own journey of navigating disillusionment is the importance of keeping my heart free from judgments. Judgments, along with unforgiveness, will plug up our wellspring faster than just about anything else. (Photo via Unsplash)
Satan tempts us to walk in offense, knowing that our resulting judgments will cripple our hearts and stop us from clearly hearing, perceiving, and seeing God. As we walk through this time of exposures, we must guard our hearts from entering into judgments about others. We must let God be God, humbly pray for those who have been hurt through others' sin, and pray for the fallen to be cleansed and restored.
The Fear of the Lord
The Lord is releasing a fresh work of the fear of the Lord in His Church today. The recent exposures of sin are bringing a renewed awareness that holiness, obedience, and godly lifestyles matter. Proverbs 9:10 tells us, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight" (ESV). Another favorite is Proverbs 14:27, "The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death" (ESV).
I found it very significant that Solomon refers to our heart as "the wellspring of life" in Proverbs 4:23, and the fear of the LORD as "a fountain of life" in Proverbs 14:27. Could it be that walking in a godly, reverential fear of the Lord is our best means of guarding our heart's purity as we desire to be those who rightly see and perceive God?
Even in this turmoil, we are believing God for a great harvest of souls and revival in the Church. We often look at the Church in the book of Acts as an example of what God can do with just a few committed Believers who ardently followed Him.
May God have His way in the Body of Christ today, bringing to fruition all that is in His heart for His Bride, the Church. May she rise as she was meant to, a Bride spotless, unblemished, and holy. May we humbly guard the purity of our hearts so that we are better able to hear the heartbeat of our King, seeing and perceiving His ways as we follow Him.
"Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers." (Acts 9:31 NIV)
Whatever you do, don't miss another ELIJAH LIST email! Subscribe at this link: elijahlist.com/subscribe.
Sylvia Neusch
True Life|The Hundredfold Woman Ministry
Email:Â click here
Websites: www.sylvianeusch.com | www.trueliferr.orgÂ
Sylvia Neusch is a wife, mother, pastor, author, prophetic voice, and prophetic blogger. Sylvia operates with an anointing to sense the times and seasons and encourages the Body of Christ in stewarding the current and coming move of God. Through her writing and teaching, Sylvia has a passion to encourage and equip people to discover their true God-given identity, to mature in Christ, and to walk in their God-given destiny. Sylvia and her husband, Richard, are the apostolic founding leaders and elders at True Life, a non-denominational church in Round Rock, Texas. Sylvia recently started a prophetic mentoring ministry for women called The Hundredfold Woman. Sylvia is the author of two books: Rags to Royalty, and Abba's Song: A 49 Day Journey with the Father into Healing, Identity, and Destiny.
To receive more words like this in YOUR inbox, subscribe FREE to the Elijah List at this link: elijahlist.com/subscribe.
Thank you for making the always-free "ElijahStreams" possible. To partner with us, click here.
Your donations truly help us keep these emails free for you. Donate at:
Find us on:
* Facebook click here
* XAPiT click here
