How to Guard One's Heart

We live in this world damaged by humanity’s selfish desires and evil, where there is imbalances of power, inequality and injustices. As a result there are so many broken hearts that have deeply imbedded emotional pain. Yet in His darkest hour, Jesus takes a moment to bring light into our darkness and hope into our pain.

 As you listen to How to Guard One's Heart be blessed, empowered and transformed in Jesus name.

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Transcript

00:00 Intro music and voice over.

Welcome to jesus loves the world podcast. For more information and free resources visit our website jesuslovestheworld.info Be blessed empowered and transformed in Jesus’ name! 

00:21 Speaker

Before Jesus went to the cross, He spoke intimately and personally to His disciples. Telling them what was about to take place and how it will be in the future. In His selfless love He was preparing them for when He would ascend into heaven and they would be left to testify of Him.  To pass on all they had received from having an intimate relationship with the divine.

Jesus knew the trouble and pain of this life. He experienced it all. He knew He was about to be betrayed, falsely accused and be left alone by even those closest to Him. Yet He states, ‘I am not alone because the Father is with Me.’

Aspects of humanity continue to give power to evil and their selfish desires, so there will continue to be trouble and tribulation in this life. As we live in this world damaged by humanity’s selfish desires and evil, there is an imbalance of power, inequality and injustice. As a result there are so many broken hearts that are deeply imbedded in emotional pain. Yet in His darkest hour, Jesus takes a moment to bring light into our darkness and hope into our pain.

So let us go to that moment in time and listen to the words that Jesus spoke to His disciples then and to us today. 

John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

In amongst all the suffering Jesus knows He is about to endure, Jesus turns to His disciples and gives His peace. For receiving His peace is the first step in how to guard one’s heart. 

Here Jesus refers to having His peace when we are in Him. In Him is being a disciple of Jesus. Saying yes to Jesus, yes to God and acknowledging His right to rule and reign. Giving total allegiance to Him, worshipping only Him.   

To guard one’s heart is to protect one’s heart from hostile invasion, that is to keep the allegiance of heart to God. For when we receive Jesus, we become connected to Him intimately and personally. Like a branch connected to the main stem of a vine. As a branch connected to the main stem of the divine in Jesus, we can freely receive from Him. Receive more of His peace, receive more of His surrendered heart and mind and live in the reality of His victory.

Just as Jesus said, distresses will always be there as we live in this world damaged by evil. Where evil and humanity’s selfish desires continue to be given power by humanity. There is loss and grief, sorrow and pain, imbalances of power and abuses of it, unequal relationships and oppression, rejection and isolation, sickness and ultimately death. The troubles of this world can become dark clouds that overshadow the heart and mind. They can even become a blockage from receiving Jesus’ peace and living in His victory in every situation.  

It is important to remember that Jesus never devalues the suffering. Instead in His love and compassion He speaks His peace, light and life into every situation. He states, ‘…but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.’

Jesus’ peace is always freely available to every disciple. Yet as we live in this world damaged by humanity’s selfish desires and evil, it is a daily journey to remain in His peace and receive more of it. That is taking moment to remember who Jesus is and all He has done. To be still and surrender to Him, that is give to Him the hurt and pain. Surrendering the good and the bad.

In surrendering of the hurt and pain, it is not diminishing the abuse of injustice. On the contrary. In surrendering the hurt and pain to Jesus, it is not only an acknowledgment of the abuse and injustice, but also the hurt and pain that it has caused. If we hold onto the hurt and pain, it becomes a root which turns the heart and mind to destruction. The destruction of self and others. 

To keep the heart and mind in a condition of surrender to God, is to live in the reality of receiving more of Jesus’ peace and healing.

Jesus’ peace is a peace that surpasses all understanding. His divine peace transcends all circumstances and situations. It is to be at rest in the midst of the storm. 

The first aspect of how to guard one’s heart is to surrender to Jesus and receive His peace.

The injustices of this life, are a result of humanity giving power to evil and their selfish desires. Evil is given power when we believe the lies and deceptions of the evil one. The lies of the evil one are such that they falsely accuse God and or us. Specifically falsely accusing God’s character or our identity in Jesus. All with an attempt to usurp power and bring doubts and fear into one’s heart and mind. Especially in regards to our relationship with God.

When Jesus walked the earth as a man He disarmed the powers of evil. He exposed the lies of the evil one with the truth about God and self. 

The evil one only has one weapon and one strategy. That is to lie and deceive in an attempt to turn humanity away from God and turn our eyes inward onto ourself. All with the intent to rob, kill and destroy. 

Jesus willingly subjected Himself to the three temptations known to humanity. So that we could be set free from their stronghold. That is the three temptations being the lust of the eye, the lust of flesh and the pride of life. The evil one was the one to attempt to tempt Jesus. 

The first thing the evil one attempted to attack Jesus on was His identity. That is He began with the statement, ‘If you are the Son of God…then prove it do this.’ The evil one was trying to incite Jesus to use His power for self gain. For that is the way of evil and humanity. 

In the three temptations to Jesus the evil one tries to usurp Jesus’ power and authority as his desire is to be as god. To elevate himself above God.

Yet Jesus did not engage in a debate with the evil one. Nor did He try to justify Himself. Instead Jesus revealed the character of God and that God is the only one worthy of worship. For He alone is God. With the truth, Jesus exposed the lies and deceptions of the evil one. 

Jesus stands in the truth, for He is truth. He is the Son of God who in the beginning together with the Father and Spirit created. In love, God created the heavens and the earth and all things good. He did it all for us.

In Jesus’ human life, death and resurrection, He revealed that God never uses His power for self-gain. For He is the one with the ultimate power and authority, yet in a moment in time, He became human. Even in His human form He was still fully divine. Still the all-powerful who never uses His power for self gain. With Jesus’ victory against the evil one and the three temptations known to humanity, Jesus reveals the truth about God, humanity and the evil one.

In Jesus great love He gives His victory to us. Every disciple of Jesus can surrender to Him, the temptations that are there. The lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. In surrender them to Jesus, we break the controlling destructive force they have over us. In surrender of them we open our hearts and minds to receive His victory.

The second aspect in how to guard one’s heart is to surrender the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life to God, receiving from Jesus His victory. 

Living in this world damaged by evil, Jesus states that troubles or tribulations will always be there. This word that has been translated as tribulations has a duel meaning. It means both pressure and distress. Living in this world that is opposed to God’s right to rule and reign, there will always be pressure. This pressure can be in the form of persecution. That is affliction, whether mentally, physically or emotionally, for the sole reason of having given one’s allegiance to Jesus. History proves that aspects of the church have suffered persecution and still suffering persecution as a result of receiving Jesus, receiving God and His right to rule and reign.

The Apostle Paul suffered many things for the sake of the gospel. Paul experienced many physical, emotional and mental perils. He was beaten with rods, stoned and left for dead, 3 times shipwrecked, suffered hunger and thirst, imprisonment and left all alone. Yet even in those unjust circumstances of trouble and pain, Paul stated that he was more than a conquerer. Let us read a portion of Paul’s letter to fellow disciples of Jesus in Rome. Where he explains why he knows and testifies that every disciple of Jesus is more than a conqueror.  

Romans 8:36-39 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul was more than conqueror, for in spite of the persecution and troubles of this life, He knew his rightness or innocence is a gift from God. That when receiving Jesus, receiving God we receive Jesus’ rightness and innocence. We receive Jesus identity. 

Paul also knew the evil one has no power to take away his identity in Jesus. The evil one cannot attack our identity for having received Jesus, received God, our identity is in Him. Paul lived in this world damaged by evil yet in the reality of God’s love, truth and power. Knowing the circumstances of this world cannot seperate him from the love of God. Nor can the lies and deceptions of the evil one take away his identity in Christ Jesus.

The third aspect of how to guard one’s heart is to know, experience and live in the reality of God’s love, truth and power.

To guard one’s heart also means to preserve or keep what one already has. Remembering one’s heart is both the emotions or desires and self will or human will. Let us read another letter by the Apostle Paul and discover the fourth aspect of how to guard one’s heart.

Philippians 4:4-13 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

When Paul wrote this letter he was in chains. Imprisoned for the sake of the gospel. Paul earlier in this letter urged them to live in continual surrender to God being transformed by Him. So that they would have the mind of Christ. Now Paul concludes, think on God. For He alone is worthy. Think on who He is and all He had done, for in the troubles of this world, be of good cheer, rejoice for Jesus has overcome the world.  

The fourth aspect of how to guard one’s heart is to surrender the tribulations of this world to God and receive more of His joy, more of His peace and more of His victory.

19:40 Outro music and voice over. 

For more information and free resources visit our website jesuslovestheworld.info Be blessed empowered and transformed in Jesus’ name!