Over the last few months, I’ve thought a lot about what I look at and listen to. For example, television, music, news, talk shows, Facebook, etc. How does it all affect me? How does it influence my thinking and my attitudes?
The Bible says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23 NIV
What does that mean exactly? I decided to dig in.
A wellspring is the source of a spring or abundant supply. OK. Above all else, I should guard my heart because it is a spring of abundant supply of something called “life”. Hmmm. I still didn’t get it, so I dug in more. I found some clues.
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” NLT
So, how well I guard my heart determines the course of my life. Well, that’s certainly been true enough (and sometimes in a bad way).
“. . . out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45
My mouth reveals what’s in my heart. Can’t argue with that, either.
“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
Sometimes we think God only looks at our actions, but what he really examines is our heart. Well, that’s certainly something we should think about! That tells me that no matter how many good works I perform, He is still going to look at my heart.
“. . . the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.” (1 Chronicles 28: 9
He knows me better than I know myself.
If I’m to guard my heart, I must be careful what I allow to influence me. After years of being a “news junkie”, I rarely even look at the news anymore. Honestly, it doesn’t do anything positive for my attitude. However, I’ve learned that the more I listen to and sing Christian music, the closer I feel to God.
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” Psalm 100:4
“Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life. I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.” Psalm 146: 1-2
My heart is the spring that nourishes my life. Is that spring sparkling clean or is it polluted by the things of this world? Well, I guess that depends on how well I guard my heart.
With Love,
Cindy
This Is My Journey Unscripted.
Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
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Real Christian Women 
I wrote an interesting post related to music and Christianity if you’re interested in reading (https://factbasedtruth.com/2016/01/28/should-christians-only-listen-to-christian-music/) But basically it’s fascinating to see in scripture what music Jesus and the Apostles sang to God. And not to self-promote my blog too much, I also wrote a post on the importance of God wanting us to sing to Him as well (https://factbasedtruth.com/2017/03/28/god-wants-you-to-sing-to-him/). I like to try to remember to sing to God once a day, and I usually sing Psalm 113 to Him. Thanks for bringing attention to this subject through your writing, and excellent of you to bring attention to the importance of salvation at the end of your post. As Mark 16:16 states, “16 He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”
Peace in Christ. 🙂
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This has been weighing heavy on me. My girls like to listen to popular music, and I refuse to let them when I am around. I can’t belueve what is allowed in music that our children are exposed to.
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More than ever before, being a Christian requires us to be willing to “not fit in”. Being a Christian parent is harder than ever, but the children we influence are blessed because of it. Keep doing what you know is right! You’re not being too hard on them. They will thank you some day! Great to hear from you!
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Very thought provoking! I’ve heard often of being careful of what movies you watch, tv, etc… and listen to verses music… even gossip from friends… young or old… churched or unchurched. I’ve even heard the “news” preached on as being only negative. How interesting to have never hear the it all put together regarding the news… especially during fasting times. Great post, Cindy! God loves you!
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Thank you, Gail. I appreciate your comments. Blessings, my friend!
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❤ 🙂
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