Proverbs 4:23: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.” [NLT]
Proverbs 4:23: “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” [NKJV]
No matter how you say it, good advice. Thinking about temptation yesterday led me to look at some of the things we can do. Let’s be aware that we are never going to get to that place where we outgrow temptation. We won’t become so “spiritually mature” that the devil gives up on us and doesn’t tempt us ever again. Jesus was the most spiritually mature and perfect person that ever walked this earth and the devil was constantly on His heels. After the temptation in the wilderness (Matt 4, Luke 4), Luke ends with this comment: “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.” [Luke 4:13 NIV]
The devil was always looking for opportunities to tempt Jesus. He’s always looking for opportunities to tempt us. So, we must guard our hearts. Temptation, remember, is an inside job. The devil cannot compel us to sin … no such thing as “the devil made me do it!” But the devil can lure us, appeal to our hearts if they are left unguarded, and we then make the decision to grab on to that temptation.
If we allow the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life to take root in our hearts, we are going to welcome temptation. If, however, we fill our hearts with the Word of God, with the desire to be more like our Savior, with the power of the Holy Spirit, then our hearts will reject the enemy’s enticements.
Above all else … keep your heart with all diligence. It’s going to affect everything you do, every choice you make!
