We all have times where we are just going about our day and we are getting tasks done but then we make one mistake and we say something like, “oh good job, that was dumb” …yep you just talked to yourself in a way you wouldn’t let anyone else talk to you.
When the Bible talks about guarding your heart it is in all things.
Proverbs 4:20-26 - My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path.
So often we pay attention to the negative things that are said and not the positive and when we do get a complement, we don’t believe it. I am absolutely guilty of this. I don’t take compliments well and most of the time I am the one who says the worst things to myself. That’s what the enemy wants, so we are then no paying careful attention to what God is telling us.
But the scripture above tells us to pay attention to what God says and to listen fully to Him. We are listening but then we also listen to other things and people and le those be louder and then we can lose sight of the good God is telling us.
I saw this quote and it says, “Once it is out of your mouth it’s believed. Your heart then understands it.”
So basically, once we have said it, we have agreed with it. I don’t want to focus on words that are not true and that are harmful more or often than not we do.
I was watching a competition cooking show, and the food was made and the cook to the food to the judge. The judge gave good and bad critique’s…. The cook focused on the bad more than the good. Now I know that sometimes when we get criticism that can make improvements and that is fine if that is what you are going to use them for. We all need corrections to improve but once the corrections are made what is left lingering is what matters.
Remember the good is what I am trying to say. Hang on to it. Use the constructive criticism for what it is. Reconstruct and let go. As it says in Proverbs 4:25 Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
The first part of the scripture we are talking about today Proverbs 4:20-26, the part we are focusing on is verse 23, which says, guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
Our own words can bring us to a good place or a bad place and we need to recognize what we are saying. We need to recognize what we are agreeing to. If we said it out loud is that we have heard it so to many time and now we repeat it OR we actually believe what we said? Could be both which is why we need to be aware and learn to guard our hearts and thoughts.
The Bible tells us to guard our hearts… this is because the enemy wants us to be distracted by all things, so we don’t hear and truly understand who we are in Christ.
I’m going to challenge myself to stop and think of one good thing when I say something bad to myself. I want to be in the habit of speaking God’s loving words over me, so I am going to use find scripture that speaks truth.
For example, I could say, Lord , You knit me together, You knows me better than I know myself and You loves me more than I can think or imagine. The Lord's love endures forever and the things I say need to show me that so I can believe that. Help me Lord to see me the way you see me and to speak to myself in a way that is more pleasing to you.