Issues of the Heart ~ Part 3

Issues of the Heart ~ Part 3

By Pastor Gary Wayne

Text: 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Proverbs 4:23

What is the #1 thing God is after more than anything else in your life? Your heart.

I want to do a short word study for the first part of this verse.
“Keep your heart with all diligence…”
The word Keep = to guard, to protect, to maintain.

The word diligence = similar to posting a guard at strategic places and maintains alert attention.

I want to focus on how to set a guard over my heart, and to maintain my heart the way God instructs me in scripture.

Difficulties are going to happen in this life. They JUST DO!

Most of those times you don’t feel the Lord’s presence or feel like He’s listening.

It’s in those times when I have to be “militant” about guarding my heart.

Protect / guard what you allow to access your heart / mind / soul.
Be careful about what you allow through your eye gate, your ear gate.
Read the internet, watch movies, listen to music with the dove of the Holy Spirit on your shoulder.

If I want to live with a dove on my shoulder, I live carefully. I move different.

When the dove starts getting fidgety, I pay attention and listen.

Preach the Gospel to yourself Each Day.
Pray Scripture over yourself / over your family Each Day.(Eph.1:17-19, 3:16-19, Phil 1:9, Col.1:9) Rom.12:2”…be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

In doing heart maintenance, often I need to quiet myself before God, and physically rest in His presence. Quiet music and meditate on His Word.

Keeps no record of wrongs. 1 Cor.13:5 “It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”

Guard against bitterness Heb 12:15 “…looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled…”

The best defense is a good offense – the best offense is a good defense.

Develop a Polar Bear Alert!

2Cor.10:3-5

When I recognize I am coming under attack, I use something called a: “Polar Bear Alert” as my battle plan.

When I am being attacked from Satan or from Gary, I quote scripture.
For me, the “yellow caution light” that flashes a warning on my mental dashboard is when I am having a heated conversation with someone and they are not there. In those times, my reasoning is flawless and powerful, I WIN!

Here is how to do a Polar Bear Alert.

Close your eyes and don’t think of a White Polar Bear.
What did you think of? A White Polar Bear.

Why? Mainly because you didn’t have anything else in your mind to think about. Also you were unprepared for this test and didn’t have a battle plan.

This time, cause the thoughts of White Polar Bears to make you think of Pink Elephants.

Now close your eyes and don’t think of White Polar Bears. What happened?

First you thought of White Polar Bears, then you thought about Pink Elephants.

White Polar Bears didn’t stay in your mind as long because you had something to substitute the White Polar Bears with.

It’s called “The Principle of Substitute Thinking.”

Without a spiritual battle plan, when our imagination comes in conflict with our will, it’s our imagination that will win.

There is a difference between initial thoughts, and our imagination – what we allow our minds to dwell on.

I will end up doing a variation of that which I think about the most.
Pro. 23:7 “…as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”

The word “thinks” = to open, to act as a gate-keeper.

In order to take captive every thought, we need an alarm to go off, so when a flock of wild thoughts come flying over, we need an alarm to sound a “Polar Bear Alert!”

This is the way to take captive our thought life and bring our thoughts into obedience with Christ.

This is exactly how Jesus defeated Satan when Jesus was tempted.
Jesus had a “Polar Bear Alert!” “It is written…” He quoted SCRIPTURE!

Ps 119:11 “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!”

Deut 11:18 "Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul…”