Heart Guard

One afternoon I walked into the living room and beheld a picture of loveliness: not one item out of place -- no newspapers on the floor, no shoes, no empty dishes left behind! Having taken a vacation day, Mr Bill had cleaned the living room. What a guy! Less than 24 hours after that what-a-guy feeling, I scratched my head in wonder: in the floor lay three pairs of shoes, used dishes, empty cups, newspapers, and clean laundry piled so high I could only speculate a couch was under it all! How did this happen? When did it occur? I didn't recall seeing it happen!

Isn't that how Satan gets a foothold in our lives? He discretely inches his nasty, bad, weasely self in justifying his ugliness in our heads, threatening to change our way of thinking; soon we don't even recognize his handiwork. Consider this: that television show which started out as good and wholesome begins to slip in a few adult situations, less-than-moral ideologies, a few bad words. Here’s the voice-of-reason, “we're adults -- we know right from wrong; it won't effect us.” Scripture warns, "Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn away from it and pass on ... The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble ... Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you ... Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established ... Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil." (Proverbs 4:14, 15, 19, 25, 26, 27). It just doesn't get any plainer than that! Don't go there -- Don't look at it – Don’t listen to it – Don’t talk to it – Don’t walk with it – Just don't do it! Guarding the heart is the root -- a clean and pure heart is the spring to righteous living. What does it take to be clean & pure in daily living? Keeping the spring pure -- guard your heart!