Heart

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23 (KJV)

 I was a counselor at a camp a couple years ago and the theme was “Guard Your Heart.” We focused on Proverbs 4, especially verse 23. I know that the sermons were aimed at the youth, but I learned quite a bit myself. Unless you attend my church or one like it, you may not hear that much about guarding your heart anymore. Many Christians have chosen to follow a more compromised path. And it is not just about remaining pure, your heart can be easily persuaded by impulses or feelings and lead to bad decisions in many areas of life beyond relationships. Genesis 25:27-34 tells how Esau gave up his birthright for some stew. He made a decision based off of impulse and short-sightedness; it was all about what he wanted at that moment, and he had to live with that decision for the rest of his life. We cannot see what is down the road, but “the heart wants what the heart wants” is not a good enough reason to steer your course in the wrong direction.
 

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I am currently participating in the Blogging from A to Z April 2015 Challenge. My theme is life lessons from the Bible. You can find more information about the challenge by clicking on the badge to the right or click here for a list of participants. It has been an interesting experience so far and I have enjoyed finding and visiting other blogs. If you are a fellow participant, thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment!

Armor

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Ephesians 6:11 (KJV)



What better way to start off this month and this blog challenge than to put on our armor? Armor is used as protection or defense from outside penetration. Without armor, we are left venerable during an attack. Those of us who are Christians are under attack by the devil every day and we need the armor of God listed in Ephesians 6:11-18 to protect us from these attacks. It’s a choice we make each morning, do we start the day in prayer that we can stand in truth and righteousness and take up the shield of faith and the sword of the Word of God, or do we carry on with our own business and go out ill-prepared? I know from personal experience that it is far better to seek God and put on His armor from the very start of the day than to look back on a day full of regrets or bad decisions. So, my challenge to you today and each day this month is to put on the armor of God that we find in Ephesians.