Thursday, 02 April 2009

• Guard Your Heart...

  At a recent Bible study, we ended discussing Proverbs 4:23 just a little bit. It was discussed that the term popularly used was heart, but that it is actually referring to your mind. I thought it would be a good idea to expand that discussion in this blog, so let's take a quick look at it.

  Proverbs 4:23 (AMP) - Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.
  Proverbs 4:23  (CEV) - Carefully guard your thoughts because they are the source of true life.

  In the original Hebrew, the word used for heart is "labe" which means:
  The feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the center of anything (center of our thinking)
  Did you notice that the feelings = the emotions, the will and the intellect = the mind? In other words, mind, will and emotions...

  We can see that the CEV used a more accurate term. Let's clarify it by defining the mind:
  The mind contains all of these: the thinking processes (what we stereotypically refer to as the mind), the will and the emotions. This comes from what I've found on the mind in the New Testament where mind, soul and heart are often interchangeable terms.

  I like to subdivide things like this, just to help make a distinction:
  The mind = thinking the reasoning
  The heart = thinking with the emotions

  Now if you have ever considered it carefully, you will find that when you are influenced by your emotions, that you actually have a thinking process to it. It might not be a very clear thinking process, but it does exist. This makes it evident that emotions are not separate from the mind.

  Both the "mind" and the "heart" as described above are important in the thinking process. The reasoning (mind) being the practical side and the emotions (heart) being the abstract side. That's my view on things.

  A real important question exists here - what is influencing your thinking? In Romans 8, it is plainly spelled out for us that we can walk in the mind of the flesh or the mind of the spirit. Do you want your thinking to be influenced by natural carnal inputs or spiritual inputs? Do you have a battle of the mind going on inside where these two sides are fighting it out? You know you can't go with the fleshly carnal mind. Tell it to shut up, go on a fast, discipline it, anything you can do to quiet that voice. Then do things to strengthen the spiritual voice. Read the Word, pray, meditate, worship, praise. When it comes to getting spiritual strength quickly, I have found worship to work best for me.

  What works best for you?

  Focused on the high calling...
  Philippians 3:13-14

  truth.passion.excellence

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