Hope Firstናሙና

Pure In Heart

How To Have A Pure Heart

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” At first glance, it can be easy to read that verse without fully understanding its importance or how to put it into action. The definition of “guard” means to protect against damage or harm. Why does God say, “above all, guard your heart?” What’s coming for us?

God knows that our heart drives everything we do. What we let into our heart will ultimately drive our actions and way of life. Does that mean we are victims of our hearts? Not if we take a regular inventory of what’s inside and surrender it to God. We can ask ourselves questions like: 

What or who am I listening to, watching, or dwelling on? 

What motivates me to serve? 

Am I friends with ____ for validation or real connection?

Do I desire the praise of man or the glory of God? 

If you have ever had an open cut, you know the importance of cleaning it out immediately before the bacteria settles inside of the wound. If it’s a surface wound, it takes cleaning and a band-aid. But if it's a deep wound, it needs constant attention. Sometimes with extreme wounds, you have to clean them out multiple times a day. It’s the same with our hearts. Our hearts have to continually be cleaned to remove anything that is damaging us from the inside out. Striving to have a pure heart is a daily pursuit. When we invite God to purify our hearts, He will do it.  He will remove the unhealthy that has been residing in our hearts for a while — roots of anger, pride, selfishness, entitlement, judgment, or all of the above. What’s incredible about God is that no matter what He unearths from our hearts, He still loves us. There is no shame - Romans 8:1 declares, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”  

No matter what our motivations have been, God is ready to help us live our best and healthiest life. He loves and cares for us deeply without judgment. We can be open and honest, withholding nothing from Him. As we surrender more of our heart to Him, the more God can use us for a greater and more fulfilling purpose. There is freedom and joy on the other side of surrender. 

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, come into my heart and cleanse me from anything that is not of You. I admit that I have held onto things I was never meant to carry. Help me to release the pain, hurt, and bitterness. Please show me how to guard my heart. Speak to me, I am listening. In Jesus’ name, Amen.