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Guard your heart
BernardHarper
Pastor Bernard Harper Sr. is pastor of Emmanuel New Covenant Ministry and a member of the United Ministerial Alliance. - photo by File photo

Mark 7: 15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. 

It’s easy to judge others as long as you don’t look at yourself first. But judging will take on a different point of view when you remember that you are not as good as you think you are.  In Mark 7:14-23, Jesus is challenging the religious leaders to consider the condition of their own heart. We must guard our own heart because everything important in life comes from the inside out.

Proverb 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of Life. The term heart in the Bible generally refers to the innermost part of life. It is the decision making center, the source of motives, the seat of passions, and the center of the conscience. It is truly the place where life makes up its mind.

Matthew 12:34 O generations of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speaks good things? For out of the abundant of the heart the mouth speaks. This verse cut both ways. Whatever is on the inside will eventually come out whether good or bad. If a person’s heart is dirty, they cannot produce purity in their life. Likewise, if the heart is stayed on Lord, it will be seen on the outside eventually. 

I have learned in life that when a person had consumed too much alcohol, they have no problem telling you what’s really on their mind. I am sure we have all been caught off guard; when we heard how a person really felt, something we said, or something we did. I quote “I really didn’t know you felt way” I am sure we have heard this before. Proverb 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so us he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee, but his hearth is not with thee.

If we think angry thoughts, angry words are sure to follow. If we fill our minds with sexual fantasies, your body will find a way to fulfill those desires. If you dwell on a problem, they will soon overwhelm you. If you feel like a victim, you will soon become one. If you give way to worry don’t be surprised when you get ulcers. Proverbs 4:23,”Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” What goes in must come out. Sooner or later your thoughts translate into reality; you are not what you think you are; but what you think.

In Closing, Joshua 1:8 In this passage of Scripture the Lord tells Joshua, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shall meditate therein day and night…” The Author of the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey quoted, “ Sow a thought,  reap and action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character , reap a destiny.” The remaining scripture in Joshua 1:8 says, “...that thou may observe to do all that is written therein: for then thou shall make thou way prosperous and then thou shall have good success. 


Bernard Harper Sr. is the Pastor of Emmanuel New Covenant Ministry and a member of the United Ministerial Alliance. 


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