"Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." Proverbs 4:23

I have called the book of Proverbs my own "Get Smart Book." So have other Christians, many of whom read one chapter a day (31 chap­ters) for each day of the month. There is no better verse than the above to sum up all of the proverbs. Nothing is more important than to guard your heart.

Look at the care people take to keep safe that which they consider valu­able. Treasures are locked in safes, doors bolted, alarms installed and even windows barred in the attempt to guard home, car, etc. We even try to guard our stomachs from junk foods so as to guarantee better health. But often, the most important part of us—the real "us"—is kept unguard­ed and open to a thief and murderer called Satan. That's why Jesus listed the sins coming out of the heart that defile and destroy.

But how can I keep my heart? And is there a difference between heart and mind? My heart is the throne of my life and my mind is the road that leads to the heart. I must learn quickly what thoughts to give a "second thought" to, for three voices will compete for my attention—Satan, self and the Spirit of God. The one who does not know the Word of God (thoughts and actions that either please or grieve the Lord) is at a terrible disadvantage. I can weigh each thought on the scales of the Word.

Wrong thoughts are to be swiftly resisted before they become sin. Once dwelt on, they enter the heart and must be recognized and confessed as sin.

Place your heart daily in the "safe-deposit" of your Father, ask the Lord Jesus to be your bars of protection and learn to hear any alarms set off by the Holy Spirit. Nothing should command more diligence than the spiritual health of your heart!

My prayer: "I can see, precious Father, that the past is littered with bro­ken lives of those whose hearts were not diligently guarded. Teach me, by Your power, to only allow into my heart that which pleases You."

"Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ" (I Corinthians 11:1)
The ST. PAUL SCHOOL, with Frank Eiklor, Eileen Young and Cecilia Contreras