Text- Proverbs 4:23- "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life"
Today, I want to admonish you to keep vigilant watch over your heart because that’s where life starts, and everything you do flows from it. Your heart is like the central hub of your soul (Your soul is made up of your mind, your heart, and your will). Your heart is the seat of your intellect and emotions; your reasoning and your feelings originate from your heart and these have a very great influence on your will.
Hosea 4:11- "Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart”
There are three entities that are in constant contention for the heart of man; Bible calls them whoredom, wine and new wine.
1. Whoredom: This is characterized in fornication, pornography, adultery, prostitution, bestiality, homosexuality and other forms sexual perversions. Sadly, we must admit that we live in generation that sexual perversion is now the new norm, but as children of God, the charge we have is to “come out from among them, and be ye separate”. A story from the Bible that exemplifies how sexual perversion can capture the heart is the story of Samson and Delilah, recorded in Judges 16. Read that story again and carefully examine verses 15 to 19. Whoredom took away Samson's heart! Will it take yours also?
2. Wine: This talks majorly about alcoholism and in a broad view, any hard substance ranging from alcohol to cigarette, cocaine, marijuana and the likes. This is another menace in this our day, else it will take away your heart. If you don't believe me, ask Lot how he ended up impregnating his two daughters (Genesis 19: 31-35). He simply was drunk and out of his wits… what a shame! Wine took away Lot's heart, and he ended up fathering an accursed generation. Will it take yours also?
3. New wine: The scriptures typify the Holy Spirit as the new wine (Mark 2:22). I'm fully convinced that learning to let go and allowing God to have His way in our lives is the best thing we can do for ourselves. That is why I admonish you today, to yield your heart for Christ to dwell in, to allow Him direct your heart into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.
Beloved, I want you to reflect on the society we live in today, and see how much mess sexual perversion and all sorts of addictions have made out of many lives that otherwise had great prospects. Never give chance to whoredom and wine, else, they will take away your heart. . Let God take over your heart, else, you will someday, find yourself captured by whoredom and or wine!
It could even be that you are reading this and although you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and savior, you are still struggling to get it right in these areas of your life. They key is to yield your heart completely to God. I’ll advice that you seek the counsel of your Pastor or a matured believer who can assist you through the process of yielding your heart completely to the nature, the way and the will of God.
Jim Elliot once said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose"... Give your heart to God and be totally sold out to Him. That is the only way to be set free and to stay free from the grip of perversion and addiction.
PRAYERS:
1. Lord, take my heart and let it be consecrated to you. Let me live daily to do your will.
2. Lord, help me to remain separate unto you in this generation. Help me to stay true to you in the midst of diverse perversions and temptations.
3. Whatever it takes, Lord, align the desires of my heart with yours. Whatever it takes, Lord, increase my resolve to do your will with all diligence.
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