Today’s devotion comes from Proverbs 4:23
Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life.
In this instance I believe that the ‘heart’ referred to here includes both the soul and the spirit. Your spirit and your soul [your inner being] is ‘kept’ by continually feeding it the living Word and by continually drinking the living water of the Holy Spirit. We have to ‘keep’ or ‘take care of’ our hearts with diligence because all issues concerning life flow out of our inner beings.
A neglected spirit and soul is deadly – a neglected, malnourished heart leads to the flesh taking over and the powers of darkness reigning through the flesh. Anger, frustration, irritability and negativity are all signs of a heart that has been neglected and has not been ‘kept’.
Philippians 4:8 says, ‘Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s Word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart]. (Philippians 4:8 Amplified Bible - AMP)
We have to plant truth into our hearts, we have to plant the Word into our hearts, we have to PLANT things that bring peace into our hearts… Philippians 4:8 details the things that we have to plant into our hearts continually to ‘keep’ our hearts.
On the one hand, if it is not in Philippians 4:8, do not meditate on it, do not talk about it and do not do it – on the other hand, Philippians 4:8 is not so much about what not to think, say, or do, it is about being proactive! Proactively PLANT thoughts of past blessings, past encounters with God, past miracles - whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s Word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise… proactively plant these things into your spirit and soul!
2 Corinthians 10:4-6 is a ‘take captive’ thoughts scripture – it tells us to take captive thoughts and reasonings that are not in line with the anointing or with the Word – Philippians 4:8 is a proactive ‘doing’ scripture that tells us what to do proactively to keep our hearts – keeping our hearts involves both 2 Corinthians 4-6 and Philippians 4:8
Keep your heart, for out of it flows the issues of life!
Make this confession of faith - say this out loud with me…
“John 17:17 says that I am sanctified and set apart by Your truth - Your Word is truth - Your Word absolute truth – the Word is for me to walk in, to accept as final truth and for me to stand on, to declare by faith and for me to do – I am who the Word says that I am - I can do what the Word says I can do - I can be who the Word says I can be - Christ in me can do all things – I can do all things through Christ - I have absolute POWER over ALL the Work of the enemy – nothing shall by any means harm me – I have power to raise the dead – I have power to heal the sick – I have power to do the works of Jesus – I have total authority over all of the works of His hands in Jesus Name! – the power and the authority of the creator of all things is on the inside of me – when I speak by faith, I ALWAYS have what I say – As I speak the Word, the Father ALWAYS watches over it to perform it – The Father loves it when I expect Him to ALWAYS perform His EVERY Word! – I always expect the Father to bring to pass every word that I speak according to His Word – God is not a man that He should lie – His Word is literal, His Word is truth and His Word is final!”