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The heart needs guarding because of its natural bent as a part of our fallenness. And this is true even of those who have been regenerated by the Spirit of God through faith in Jesus Christ. While believers possess the new nature and the capacity to know God and discern spiritual things, and while they have received the enlightening and empowering ministry of the Holy Spirit, they still possess the old nature or the wretched capacity for evil and selfish pursuits by which they can independently strive to handle life on their own apart from God. The Old Testament laws covered every aspect of life, including holiness, purification and sanctification. “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully” Psalm 24:4. (NKJV). These rules and regulations were all concerned with holiness though, and their motivation was intended to stem from a desire of pure heart and righteous spirit. So, that they could please and emulate God’s will for their plans and purpose. “For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth” Leviticus 11:44 (NKJV). In other words, the outward rituals were supposed to reflect the inner attitudes of the heart. At the time of Jesus, many of the teachers were putting the emphasis in the wrong place. They thought that holiness could be attained simply by obeying a whole lot of rules that concerned outward behavior and actions, rather than heartfelt obedience towards God. “And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices” Mark 12:33 (NKJV). Holiness is not a matter of outward appearance, for it becomes a matter of the heart.
Here are Seven Reasons the Heart needs Guarding:
(1) The heart needs guarding because we do not naturally think and look at life like God does. We are inherently ignorant of His mind and His ways. We desperately need the wisdom and direction of the Lord to know His ways and to know our own heart and its wicked ways. The Scripture warns us that our foolishness subverts or perverts our way. “Perverts” is the Hebrew word, “salaph”, “to twist, pervert, overturn,” which means that the heart is corrupt, deceptive and wicked. “The foolishness of a man twists his way, And his heart frets against the Lord” Proverbs 19:3 (NKJV).
(2) The heart needs guarding because, like sheep, we are prone to wander from God in our hearts. “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord [a]has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” Isaiah 53:6 (NKJV). We want to live independently to control and direct our own affairs, but this can’t be fruitfully and successfully without the aid or help from the Lord. We want to be in charge of our own destinies. Oftentimes, some want to trust God with getting us into heaven, but we would too often prefer to direct our own affairs down here on earth partly because we are so committed to our own desires. To completely follow His directions means we may be called on to give up something that we think we must have in order to be secure or happy. Thus, it is much safer to be in charge ourselves, so we think. Man is inherently rebellious by nature as a result of the fall.
(3) The heart needs guarding because the heart is not just deceitful, it is more deceitful than all else. “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9 (NKJV). We can’t trust it because of its natural selfishness, self-centeredness, and self–protective ways and devices. “But My people would not heed My voice, And Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, To walk in their own counsels” Psalms 81:11–124 (NKJV). But to experience God’s way we must first repudiate our self-trust or reliance upon those devices we use to protect ourselves. Then, in the place of self–trust, we need to learn to rely completely on the Lord regardless of how things appear. Rather than lean on our own understanding, we trust the Lord to direct our path. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding” Proverbs 3:5 (NKJV). Out our heart flows bitterness, grief, hatred, hostility, strife, and troubles, because of our fears and selfish concerns, deceives us through its vain rationalizations and we want to turn to our own solutions.
(4) The heart needs guarding because the heart is darken spirit and dreadfully sick, it’s incurably dark. “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened” Romans 1:21 (NKJV). The NIV translates this “foolishly corrupt.” Remember that the word “heart” may be used for the mind, the emotions, the will, the whole inner man, or as here, of the sinful nature that is a part of the inner man. The sinful nature cannot be eradicated, it cannot be improved, or changed for the better. Human reformation doesn’t work on the heart of man. So again, he who trusts his own heart is a fool! The pull of this old nature is always there to deceive us.
(5) The heart needs guarding because the heart cannot be understood by our own wisdom. Only God can reveal and lay bare our hearts to us. “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve” Jeremiah 17:10 (NKJV).
“Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous and probe the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance on them, for to you I have committed my cause” Jeremiah 20:12 (NKJV). It is hard to know our own motives and reasons with an unclean and impure heart; this is why it’s very important to follow the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit. We are naturally skilled at deceiving ourselves.
(6) The heart needs guarding because the heart is the wellspring of life; the fountain of attitudes, values, beliefs, aspirations, and pursuits. “But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them” Matthew 15:18 (NKJV). Because of this, we must guard it, or we develop those of the world, and this will always lead us astray. Your heart is the most important leadership tool you have. It is not your experience, knowledge, or skills. It is your heart that matters most of all. God told us to guard our heart and all the issues that come from it because your heart as value and worth. Since, our heart is extremely valuable, for we don’t guard worthless things. It is that part of you that connects with God and other people. Just like your physical body, if your heart, for your spiritual heart, so if it dies, your leadership dies.
(7) The heart needs guarding because, as is the fountain, so must be the streams that flow from it: the eyes, the mouth, the feet, words and actions. The means for guarding the heart will come as we study some of the other needs of the heart. “I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You. O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the intent of the thoughts of the heart of Your people, and fix their heart toward You. And give my son Solomon a loyal heart to keep Your commandments and Your testimonies and Your statutes, to do all these things, and to build the temple for which I have made provision” 1 Chronicles 29:17–19 (NKJV). But to balance out character, we need to do more than guard our hearts. Your heart is the essence of who you are. It is your authentic self., for it is the core of your life. It is where all your dreams, your desires, and your passions live. Therefore, if your heart is unhealthy, it has an impact on everything else. It threatens your family, your friends, your ministry, your career, and, indeed, your legacy. It is, therefore, imperative that you guard it. “My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me” 1 Corinthians 4:4 (NKJV).