Heart Storage
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”- Proverbs 4:23
Storage is precious. It is something we love to have and never seem to have enough of. From garages, computers, closet space, and warehouse units, we look to make room for what we consider important. As my family prepares to move into our new home this week, we are constantly assessing what will go inside, what is to be kept in the garage, and what will be donated to goodwill.
If we spend so much time (and even money) to store stuff in a physical place, shouldn’t we take greater consideration and care as to what we allow to reside in our hearts? In Matthew 6:20-21 Jesus invites us to do a heavenly inventory, “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Just like physical storage, there are certain things for our hearts to keep safe, while other things need to be discarded without a second thought.
1) Store up AFFIRMATION. Much of what we hear hurts the human heart. Words that have communicated rejection, disappointment, complaint, and limitation. The devil is known as the “accuser”; loved ones have pierced us with harsh responses; and we have even beat ourselves down with a vocabulary based on insecurity and indictment. Allow, the Holy Spirit to speak God’s love and truth over you. Fill yourself up with His encouragement. Psalm 42:8 says, “By day the Lord directs His love, at night His song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.”
2) Store up TRUTH. The lies we listen to grow louder and louder. We can hear them shouting at us, “You will never have enough!”; “You will never be good enough!”; “Things will never change!”; “Stop trying!” The lies we hear and allow in work like chains to keep us enslaved and entangled. They want us to stay stuck and to sink deeper into its volatile vortex. When our heart opens to God’s truth, we allow the light to enter in and always win! His truth will show us who we are, where to go, and what we can accomplish through Him. In John 8:32 Jesus proclaims, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
3) Store up HOPE. There is a remedy for the many heartaches we have experienced. Painful memories, broken relationships, and unfulfilled dreams can do great damage. If we are not careful, they cause the heart to grow weaker, stop beating, and become infected with unbelief. The cure is to allow hope in. God’s promises are like seeds that need to be planted, watered and allowed to grow, because that is what they are designed to do. Recently, the Holy Spirit has taught me a great lesson while addressing a great lie within me. He simply impressed this on my heart, “Stop preparing for the ‘NO’ and start believing for God’s best.” Let’s believe for prayers to be answered, for doors to be opened, and for the impossible to be realized! Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”
The Creator of our hearts is the Faithful One who can heal it and fill it with good things!