Your Heart, Where is it?

The heart. Four chambers working together to pump blood throughout the whole body. Without a strong, healthy heart, our body cannot receive the oxygen and nutrition it needs to keep functioning. The heart is the center of our life force, and the blood within it, is the key to our existence. However, the heart is more than merely an organ; it goes beyond the physical and into the spiritual. The bible tells us in Proverbs 4:23, "Above everything else guard your heart, because from it flow the springs of life." Clearly, our heart is the source of life, the source of our existence. So today I ask you, what flows within your heart?
As I thought about this for weeks, Guard my heart, I wondered what God meant. How do I guard my heart? I feel pain, joy, sorrow, anger, and so many other emotions. To me, that is what the heart holds, emotions. When it comes to emotions, I have several. I am an emotional basket case you can say. However, throughout the weeks, God showed me that guarding my heart was more than that. During a youth conference with Jonathan Shuttlesworth, God clearly pointed out to me how to guard my heart: you must guard what you hear and you must guard what you see. 
Anytime, I permitted myself to hear gossip. I was allowing my heart to be poisoned. The same applied when people judged or criticized me. I took their word to be true when clearly, the only word that is truth and life is that of God. When people tell you, you are not worthy and will not amount to anything, you need to rebuke those words to guard your heart. You must guard what you hear, so constantly be hearing God's word for your life. God says, you are fearfully and wonderfully made, so if someone is telling you the opposite, clearly, those are not words of truth or life and those words will only bring death to you. Do not let it be so. Furthermore, guard what you see. If you are seeing or even reading subjects that tempt you and cause you doubt what God has called you to be, which is a saint, then I recommend you stop allowing that to be part of your life.  God called you for great missions, and allowing your life to be filled by trash is something you want to avoid. Therefore, what are you permitting yourself to hear and see? If it is not edifying and helping you in your walk with God and personally, then there is no need to hear or see it. For one must guard their heart, and one does this by guarding also their thoughts. 

Now, yes, it is important to know how to guard the heart, but also to know why. Like we saw earlier, from the heart springs life. The bible says in Matthew 6:21, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Where is your heart? For a long time, I gave my heart to the wrong persons. And for years, my heart was trampled on. My past "relationship" not only broke my heart but also poisoned it. I did not guard what I heard, which was negative and condensing remarks, such as me being like a cancer. I did not guard what I saw, which were constantly reading those lies about myself. It tainted my thoughts and heart with false truths that God had never said about me. I gave my heart to the wrong man, and for that, my heart, my life was suffering. For me, it was this man for a long time. However, for you, it can be anyone. Where does your heart lie? Who have you given it to? What are you allowing your heart to see and hear? 

Wherever you heart is, I will tell you this: if your heart is not in God's hands, then you are not guarding it correctly. The greatest treasure we can have in our lives is Jesus Christ. When we give our heart to God, it is in the best hands. Why? God is love, and there is no greater, unconditional, and perfect love like His. At times, we do not realize this until our heart has been shattered, but if you have placed your heart in the wrong hands, there is still time to place it in God's hands. It was in His hands that my heart was mended and healed. I know that God will never hurt me, so I do my best to guard and give him my heart. I am not saying it is easy, but I am saying it is best. I vowed to guard my heart and to love Him above all things because I know that my heart is better in His hands than mine. I exhort you to do the same vow today. Think about where your heart is and what you are allowing to go into it. From your heart springs life, and a life without God, is simply a life without love, peace, and happiness. So make the right choice and allow God to be the holder of your heart. Trust me, you can never go wrong with God. 

<3 Claudy