Gaurd your heart!

Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23 NASB

What do you fill your mind with each day?  

You don't?  Oh I would say you do.  Either it's thoughts to do with you or thoughts to do with God.  

Granted a percentage of your day has to do with the day to day things.  Many to do with work. But what about the rest of your day?  

Do you 'make the most of every opportunity'?

Ephesians 5:16

Or are you of the opinion that your time is 'your' time?  Are you aware of the passage that says to avoid every form of evil? 1 Thessalonians 5:22-24 "abstain from every form of evil.

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass."

How would you avoid something that you don't understand, if you are not in God's Word to learn?  

Yes, there's a chain of learning here.  To understand what's going on in our Spiritual world we need eyes to see and ears to hear as Christ has said to have.  To have those required time with Him. It still does. 

It's not about what we think we need.  

It's not about what we think we deserve. 

It's not...well...to take up your cross...it's not about you.  It's about what God is doing in your life.  It's about whether or not you are obeying His Word and will for your life.  It's about self examination.  Guarding your heart against things trying to set themselves up as idols in your life.  We live in a world replete with idols of every shape and size and style.  

If we will indeed, as Scripture says, give an account of everything we have done in the body, what are you going to say about yours?

Romans 14:12 "So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God." 

Matthew 12:36 "So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God."

Every careless word spoken.  Every moment of your life.  Think about how you spend your time, your life.  Are you honoring God or honoring yourself in your decisions? Those are the only two options.  The same options that Adam and Eve had.  Honor God and His Word or honor themselves.  You face the same. 

So do you honor God in how you spend your time or are you honoring yourself?  Is your time spent making sure you feel good at the expense of others, or the time you could be spending with Him learning to be as He wants you to be?

Oh you're not that bad!  You go to Church!  You go to Sunday School!  You occasionally read your Bible! You pray!  Really?  If your heart were in the Spiritual life that you are in...wouldn't you try to do more, KNOWING that you will give an account before Him with whom we have to do?

If your toes hurt at this message it's not from me.  I am a messenger that has to examine his own life.  But the question is, what will be seen in the review of your life?  Only the works you have done in the body for Christ will survive the test of fire it will go through. Works do not save anyone but God has works for us to do AFTER we come to Christ.  Is a playback of your life going to be filled with sporting events?  Which will be burned up and accounted for nothing before God? Are you going to be seen as one who obeyed or one who was selfish?

Consider your thoughts, actions and activities. 

What are you spending your time, energy and efforts doing?  A Believer is going to be tempted to spend their time on themselves.  Because in doing so it weakens their walk with God.  The way to learn the manual for the Christian life is to be in that manual, the Bible.  The way to learn it is to be speaking to the writer of it.  The way to live it is to put it into practice.

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.