Proud of myself. I’ve been on this health kick for quite a while. Yes I have been eating healthier and yes I’ve been trying to exercise in some capacity. I do belong to a gym, however, they see the monthly fee I pay each month much more than they see me in person…..HA. My monthly fee is more faithful than I am. I have an automatically faithful monthly fee. ENTIRE hot mess. But I will get there… figuratively speaking and literally.
I am thinking of another health kick I started about 8 years ago. The Lord placed me in an environment that opened my eyes like never before. I was not as healthy as I thought my little wonderful self was emotionally. God knows how to get you when you position yourself and want to be got. And since that time, more and more in the recent years I have really been paying attention and being intentional about making sure I stay healthy in this area. The enemy has tricks, but he will never get me again. And I found there are levels to a journey like this one. Guarding and protecting my heart like never before. You see I had an unaddressed issue with being rejected for many years of my life from an early age and being rejected left me open. This is what rejection did to me because I was not taught any better, nor did I seek to find answers in order to get better for a long time once I became of age. I realized that when you are rejected, because you want to be accepted, you will allow people to treat you any kind of way as long as you are getting the feeling of being accepted. Even if the acceptance or attention you are getting is not coming from a healthy place. When you allow rejection to leave your heart exposed, you do not make wise decisions. You make “people pleasing” decisions, you make decisions out of fear of being rejected. Your “no” is not really a “no” and your “yes is not really “yes” kind of decisions. “You keep quiet when you should be speaking the truth in love” kind of decisions. I tried to find out what the root cause was for me allowing rejection to expose me the way I allowed it to. Wwwhy did I feel it was okay to leave my heart wide open and allow people to hurt me and treat me any kind of way once I became of age. The bottom line was that God was not a priority. He did not have first place in my life. He had a place but it was not first place. I did not allow myself to come to the full knowledge of his love for me. Looking in retrospect, I picture my heart outside of my body in the hands of others who did not know how to value me or handle me correctly instead of Christ being seated and enthroned on my heart safely inside of me.
I don’t know if you or someone you know ever dealt with this in your lifetime. What I am grateful for is that no matter what we face, there is hope in the word of God. You see, the bible says in Proverbs 4:23 the NIV version says “Above all else, Guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” The KJV version starts off by saying “Keep thy heart with all diligence.” The AMP version starts off by saying “Watch over your heart with all diligence.” Guard, Keep, Watch. Guard, Keep, Watch. We cannot Guard, Keep, and Watch a heart that we keep leaving in the hands of others. We are at work or school, or at the grocery store, and our heart is way across town no where near where we are because we have left it in the hands of people who can’t be trusted. You know what it looks like when your heart is across town? You are not able to focus. You can’t get your report right. You are in the produce section when you should be in the meat section. You walk around in circles, you worry. You cannot get anything done thinking about the one who hurt you. Our hearts are valuable and to be respected by US first and our hearts are to be fully trusted with Christ our Savior. The one who’s literal heart stopped beating on the cross so we can live and so our heart can beat for HIM. Christ gave away his heart on the cross. This is why he needs ours. When I looked up what “with all diligence” means, I found out the Greek word is “mishmar” which means prison, place of confinement, guard post, JAIL! I was thinking oh emgeee!
When you look at where our literal heart organ is placed in our bodies, it looks like our heart is in jail protected behind bars behind our rib cage. Metaphorically, the heart (our soul…the mind, the will, and emotions) is behind the rib cage protected not blocked. Guard, Keep, Watch, is about setting boundaries not putting up a wall. That word “mishmar” does not mean solitary confinement. Some of us when we get hurt we place walls up and go into solitary confinement with our hearts to keep from getting hurt again. I get it. Sometimes you need a minute to pull it together. Get in God’s face about that person so that YOU won’t lol. But don’t stay there shutting everyone else out who would be safer for you. DO NOT be confused with needing to block a particular unsafe person in comparison to living with a blocked heart. Blocking an unsafe abusive toxic person is a legit boundary (I almost wanted to whisper this to you…but full voice…even if that person is family.) It’s when you set up a wall from everyone else who may be safer for you but everyone else has to suffer because of that one toxic person or organization. God wants us to live an amazing life in Him with boundaries in regards to our relationships with others (this area too.…..even family). Love yourself enough to set up boundaries. That’s incoming boundaries (how we allow ourselves to be treated) and even outgoing boundaries (how we treat others). We have to be held accountable both ways.
Get your heart back inside of you where it can be safe and protected. And make sure Jesus has His seat. Guard, Keep, Watch is OUR responsibility and NO ONE else’s. GUARD…KEEP…WATCH WELL. AND WITH ALL DILIGENCE. Remember out of our heart life flows. And we want the best life, the way God intended!
PRAYER: Father you are wonderful you are amazing and I honor your great name. Today I take my heart back and I make you a priority in my heart. I understand the importance now. When I make you a priority in my heart, you become a priority in my life. And when you become a priority in my life, I can make decisions from a healthy place and I can live the best life. Forgive me Jesus for leaving my heart exposed and open and left in the hands of others. Heal my heart heal my emotions today. Make me completely whole. I come against insecurity. I come against fear and anxiety. You have not given me the spirit of fear but of love, power, and sound mind. Today my heart is locked up under lock and key and I declare that you hold the key to my heart. I dethrone everything that is not like you from my heart and I enthrone you my King and my Lord and my Savior. I know that I am accepted and truly loved by you. I fully receive your great love for me. Amen.
SCRIPTURES:
PROVERBS 3:5-6 New International Version (NIV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.[a]
ROMANS 5:5 New International Version (NIV)
5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
PSALM 13:5-6 New International Version (NIV)
5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. 6 I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me
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