12.16.2015

Wellspring of Life

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23

Our hearts are a keepsake, reserved and special. It is the beat to our step, the life in our bones. It is at the center of all of life. When living in sin, our hearts become dirty and cluttered. The dirt of a heart cluttered with impurities prevents us from the very life we are called to live. 

But when Jesus comes along...something beautiful happens. The beauty of a special meeting with Jesus is that He takes all of our sins, all of the clutter, impurities, and dirt covering our hearts, and He cleanses it. His blood washes it new. His righteousness covers our own unrighteous-filled heart. He took the blame for our sins so that we could have a relationship with a holy God. Our hearts would always be dirty, if a Savior didn't come along and cleanse with blood. His sacrifice makes us new.

Image via Pinterest

That doesn't mean that we no longer sin. It just means that we no longer have to suffer the consequences of our sins, because He suffered the consequence for us on the cross. Yet we no longer live in consistent sin, for the purpose of our sinful tendencies and selfish ambitions. Once we give our lives to Him, He now has the source of life: our hearts. Our hearts are no longer our own. He has our hearts. He has our lives. When our hearts become His, we begin living for a higher purpose, and that calling is to bring glory and honor to Jesus in all of our lives. Our hearts become dead to sin, and alive in Him.


The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9

The world says "follow your heart". Yet our very own hearts can be deceiving, as we battle between our sinful desires and the will of our Lord. Place your heart in the hands of the One who knows you better than you know yourself. Trust in the will and ways of Him, for He will not deceive. His plans for us are good. His ways are rooted in love. 

There are no safer hands for the Keeper of our hearts than the One who created it in the first place. He knows every hair on our heads, every word ever spoken, and every desire and dream. He truly cares. 

There is no one or nothing else worth living for. He is the Only One worth living for.

So guard your heart! Lock its doors, and give the key to God and God alone. When distractions, sin, or any impurity come creeping into our lives and advance upon the doors of our hearts, don't hand the keys over! Keep the keys in the safe hands of our Creator. He is the only One who knows our future, who knows our hearts. He is the Only One whom we can trust. He wants what is best for us. 

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Psalm 139:23

When sin knocks on the door of your heart, keep it shut! Deceit may come. Fear may fill us. Pride may try to knock down our hearts' doors. Even distractions from a heart fully focused on God, such as giving our hearts to a guy or girl at the wrong time, may come. Don't open the doors. Don't take away the key from God. Focus on Him fully. Allow God to search your heart. Let Him test daily for impurities, and let His grace wash over your sin-filled heart on an everyday basis.

Our hearts are the wellspring of life. Our actions, our words, our thoughts, everything we do comes from the condition of our heart. Jesus wants our hearts. He wants our lives. When you put your heart in the hands of our loving Lord, we can live in the grace and love that He willingly gives to us daily. We will begin to resemble Him.

And to look like Jesus is a beautiful thing. 

3 comments:

  1. Alyssa so good to know you through your profile on the blogger and the blog post. I am glad to stop by your blog post and I am so encouraged about your thoughts on guarding our heart. Very encouraging devotion on Guarding our heart. I think you have given me a nice topic to preach on coming 1st January 2016. Thank you so much for your sharing. I am blessed and feel privileged and honored to get connected with you because of who you are in the Lord Jesus Christ. I am a Pastor from Mumbai, India and love to get connected with the people of God around the world to be encouraged, strengthen and praying for one another. I have been in the Pastoral ministry for last 36 yrs in this great city of Mumbai a city with great contrast where richest of rich and the poorest of poor live. We reachout to the poorest of poor with the love of Christ to bring healing to the broken hearted. We also encourage young and the adults from the west to come to Mumbai to work with us during their vacation time. We would love to have you come with your friends to Mumbai to work with us during your vacation time. I am sure you will have a life changing experience. My email id is: dhwankhede(at)gmail(dot)com and my name is Diwakar Wankhede. Looking forward to hear from you very soon. God's richest blessings on you, your family and friends. Wishing you a very blessed and joyous Christmas season and a bright, prosperous and Christ centered New year.

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    1. Wow, I am absolutely honored to meet you! Thank you so much, I am so glad God used it to encourage you!! Your heart for the poor and the brokenhearted is so inspiring. Visiting India for a missions trip would be such an exciting opportunity for me. While right now I am unable to do it, I will definitely be praying about it! Thanks again for stopping by and for your encouraging words! Have a blessed Christmas!

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  2. Alyssa so good to know you through your profile on the blogger and the blog post. I am glad to stop by your blog post and I am so encouraged about your thoughts on guarding our heart. Very encouraging devotion on Guarding our heart. I think you have given me a nice topic to preach on coming 1st January 2016. Thank you so much for your sharing. I am blessed and feel privileged and honored to get connected with you because of who you are in the Lord Jesus Christ. I am a Pastor from Mumbai, India and love to get connected with the people of God around the world to be encouraged, strengthen and praying for one another. I have been in the Pastoral ministry for last 36 yrs in this great city of Mumbai a city with great contrast where richest of rich and the poorest of poor live. We reachout to the poorest of poor with the love of Christ to bring healing to the broken hearted. We also encourage young and the adults from the west to come to Mumbai to work with us during their vacation time. We would love to have you come with your friends to Mumbai to work with us during your vacation time. I am sure you will have a life changing experience. My email id is: dhwankhede(at)gmail(dot)com and my name is Diwakar Wankhede. Looking forward to hear from you very soon. God's richest blessings on you, your family and friends. Wishing you a very blessed and joyous Christmas season and a bright, prosperous and Christ centered New year.

    ReplyDelete

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