SPIRITUAL MENTAL PREPARATION (PART 6)

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech.

1 Peter 2:1 NLT

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

At the root of everything we do is our heart. It controls all our thoughts, words spoken, and actions carried out.

This is counterintuitive to the way the world would see things. For there, the mind would be seen as the ultimate central processing system of the body with the brain impacting all functions of the body. And while this is true from a physiological, anatomical standpoint, our spiritual side is completely different. There, the heart is the spiritual center of our life, the very soul of who we are. It dictates what the mind does which includes our behavior, emotions, desires, and conscientiousness.

Need scriptural confirmation of this?

Consider this single verse from Proverbs, the Bible’s book of wisdom:

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. 4:23 NIV

You may remember in yesterday’s message that I discussed the matter of absolutes and their importance. Here, we find another instance of that for when God’s Word says “everything” we do “flows” from the heart that means everything. In other words, no thought or word or action happens unless the heart dictates it happens. THIS is why we are commanded to “guard” it.

This call to protect the heart is of critical importance and needs conscientious, proactive attention so that we, as Christians, can ensure that we live in the ways that the Lord expects, ways that are grounded in righteousness and holiness. It also creates an environment where we divorce ourselves from sinful conduct, an environment that satisfies the spiritual mental preparation we find in the opening verse of 1 Peter, chapter 2. There we read this:

So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. NLT

Essentially, being obedient to the demands of Proverbs 4:23 leads to satisfactory compliance with 1 Peter 2:1. It’s a classic “out with the bad and in with the good” scenario. For when we guard our heart, denying our own desires while fully embracing the Lord’s, we can “get rid of all evil behavior” and “be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech”.

My prayer for you today and every day is that you will join me in donning the full armor of God so to protect our valuable hearts and take our stand against the devil’s schemes, the rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world,  and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:11-17). It’s the only way to guarantee we avoid wickedness and instead display godliness in everything we do.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.