If You Are NOT Guarding Your Heart Then You’re Not Walking With God

thank you I believe that we always need to be prepared for the coming of this thief we are warned about that's why the Bible says repeatedly be sober be vigilant Be watchful so what do you do when you've been warned that a thief is coming when you know you have an enemy intent on coming to your house to steal and kill and destroy what do you do well you get your house in order and as children of God we need to be on guard because here's what the enemy is after he wants to steal he wants to rob you of your joy rob you of your loyalty to the Lord he wants you to focus on all of these worldly things on things that don't help your relationship with God and if he can manage to steal your attention dare I say to steal your affection too then he's done his job if he can manage to make you lose your focus in your walk with Christ and time will slip away and before you know it you don't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and before you know it you're standing before the Judgment seat of Christ so while you still can do some self-reflection while you still can prepare for this thief perform an inventory check perform a risk assessment in your life what's taking up your time who's taking up your time while you still can seek the Lord while he may be found call upon him while he is near because with God on your side you have been assured of Victory already don't give the enemy an inch don't give him room or an opportunity but instead be hidden in Christ arm yourself with the word of God arm yourself in prayer cover yourself in the blood of Jesus Christ abide under the shadow of the almighty always put on the full armor of God and stand ready to fight the Amplified translation for Psalm 141 verse 4 says do not incline my heart to consent or to tolerate any evil thing or to practice Deeds of wickedness with men who plan and do evil had let me not eat of their Delicacies be tempted by their gain I believe this is not only a great prayer but it's one that is relatable to us all it's a really practical and realistic prayer because we've all been there we've all been in situations where we've slipped and been drawn to things we shouldn't have we've all opened doors to Temptation when we knew better the Bible says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it you see our heart can so easily be drawn to evil not pushed to evil not abruptly confronted and smothered by evil but softly gently pulled towards evil drawn to it that's why David prayed in Psalm 141 do not let my heart incline to any evil thing other translations say do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil don't let me drift toward evil or take part in Acts of wickedness now this is because evil can quietly and gradually tug us towards sin it's subtle and cunning and if we're not careful if we allow ourselves to take a small step then the evil entices you to take the next one and then what's one more going to hurt then a few more and suddenly we're right up close to sin and it's got us in a cycle so let's recognize this evil can draw us in one tiny small step at a time right up to the place where we take the final step and sin so I encourage you to pray the exact prayer David prayed let not my heart be drawn to what is evil God can answer prayers like that for us too but there's a second part to David's prayer he prayed he wouldn't be attracted to doing Wicked Deeds with those who are evil doers he prayed to stay away from people who would help him sin some people are like that so let me ask how are your friends are they the sort of people who could lead you to sin with them how are your social media influencers are they like this are some of them going to lead you into sin how about the singers and musicians you hang out with on Spotify will they be like this would some of them lead you into sin let's take a look at the browsing history on your laptop well some of the sites you frequent be like bad friends would they encourage you to be holy and focused on a righteous God or the opposite how's your Netflix account what sort of movies are you watching and sharing what direction do they pull your heart in these are the real-life doors that sin can edges towards in David's time there were people who wanted him to go along with the evil they were planning so he prayed that God would keep him from being too close to them and we should do the same with people with entertainment with the internet with social media God keep me from associating with those who do evil so the two things to take away from David in Psalm 141 are that his heart would not be gently nudged into sin and secondly that he would step away from friends and influences that would lead him to do evil but there's one more thing he prayed David said Lord let me not eat of their Delicacies sin can be delicious right evil can be delightful the Bible has this phrase when referring to sin by saying the pleasures of sin doing what's wrong can deceptively appear rewarding or pleasurable after all satan is walking around like an angel of Light he makes sin attractive but in the end sin is deadly and rotten David prayed that God would help him face this and say no to sin the Apostle James also said resist the devil and he will flee from you in other words say no to the devil enough times and he will flee no is a powerful word you know how to say no to chocolate for example you just say no when it's offered to you it's the same with sin an adulterer isn't just offered a woman in a hotel a conversation happens numbers exchange a thought enters the Mind these are all opportunities to say no sin almost always begins in the mind and that is exactly where you should be saying no so pray that God would give you the grace to say no when the tempter reminds us how delicious his offerings are of course the Apostle Paul says the same thing as King David listen to what he wrote to Timothy in second Timothy Chapter 2 verses 21 and 22. Paul said therefore if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable he will be a vessel for honorable use set apart as holy useful to the Master of the House ready for every good work so flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness Faith love and peace along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart so I encourage you to walk with God Walk With well-chosen Friends don't ever take the first small step to sin say no when the devil tries to entice you with the pleasures of sin here's what Paul said in Romans 7 verse 15 to 20. for I do not understand my own actions for I do not do what I want but I do the very thing that I hate now if I do what I do not want I agree with the law that it is good so now it is no longer I who do it but sin that dwells within me for I know that nothing good dwells in me that is in my flesh for I have the desire to do what's right but not the ability to carry it out for I do not do the good I want but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing now if I do what I do no