God desires for us to have a clean, pure, honest, and repentant heart. He longs for us to have a heart that loves all, just as He does. Whatever issues we allow in our hearts affect our thoughts, attitudes, and the deepest part of us. Being aggressive in protecting our own heart, ensures that we are being sensitive to things that could cause damage to its overall condition. Since daily life proves to be unpredictable, we have to be ready at all times to protect our heart. We never know what someone may say or do that can hurt us, disappoint us, or let us down.
When we notice wrong things in our hearts, the best defense is to quickly recognize the wrong thoughts for what they are and then immediately ask for forgiveness from God. God is so merciful that he gifts us the forgiveness right away! Our job then is to turn away from that wrong thought or attitude, which allows us to choose good thoughts of love and compassion instead of negative thoughts and behaviors.
With so much darkness and turmoil going on in the world today, we can still be happy, loving life, and peaceful. While it is true that we cannot control circumstances, we can control how we react to them. We never know who is watching to see how we behave and what effect our words and actions could have on someone else. Keeping our heart in good condition allows us to live a joyful life no matter what things around us look like. When our heart is clean, we also gain the ability to hear from God with clarity.
God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
for they will see God. ( Matthew 5:8 NLT)
We all have the capability to guard our own heart and to show love and compassion to everyone. Having a clean heart that is pure and in good condition puts us in the perfect position to overcome any obstacles that may try to come our way with the Lord by our side.
Additional Verses for Further Study:
“You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.” (James 4:2 NLT)
“Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.” (1 Peter 3: 3-4 NLT)
Prayer Starter:
Lord, You are good. Your ways are perfect and there is no one like you. Thank you for another day to live for your glory! Help me to consciously guard my heart so it stays in good condition. I want a clean heart that is lead by You. I strive to love everyone I encounter day to day, just as you do. I ask that you bring any wrong thoughts and behaviors to my attention and give me strength to replace them with good thoughts and good behaviors that are pleasing to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Wishing you all a great week,
