KEYS TO A PEACEFUL HEART
Guard your Heart
Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
How do we “guard our heart”? There is no lack of bad news floating about today. The news media seems to lean more towards bad news than good. They spew out accounts of wrongdoing and warnings of more wrongdoing to come. Listening to the news for an extended period of time, can rob you of your peace. I know, for I have experienced this. I like to stay informed of the things that are going on in the world, yet, I find that watching the news too much can cause me to lose my peace of mind.
We can internalize too much bad news. One reason to listen to the news is to know what to pray for. I pray for situations where I want God’s intervention. God is not going to intervene where we do not want Him to. He has given man free will. It is important to ask for His intervention, where needed. Wouldn’t it be great if stations like CNN, MSNBC and FOX said after sharing a bad report, “let us pray”. “Let us ask God to intervene in this situation.” That would be great, but I must confess I do not see that happening.
It is up to us to fill our minds with positive things. One way to do that is to be thankful. When we are thankful it causes us to look at all the good things that are taking place in our lives. Reading our bible is another way to fill our minds with positive things. We can bring to mind all of God’s promises of protection and provision as shared in the New Testament. These promises are not based on who is in the White House. God’s promises transcend politics. It is important to consult God when we cast our vote. Only God can truly know the heart of a person. We tend to find out the hard way whether a person is true to their word or not. The bible tells us to “pray without ceasing” …Not only for ourselves but for others and for our country.
Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.” To meditate means to think deeply or carefully about something. The things we meditate on will become a part of us. David said, “thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee”. The mind has a connection to the heart. We have a responsibility to let in those things that will lead to faith in God, peace and hope for the future.