Guard your heart, keep it healthy

We will read a portion of Scripture that we would consider well known.

Proverbs 4:23 – 24 Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life. (Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.)
24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth,
And put perverse lips far from you.  

We remember how Solomon asked God that He would grant him wisdom when he became king. Through that wisdom which God gave him, he recorded this which we have read. Above all else, you need to keep your heart with all diligence. All life springs from the heart. The heart is just a small organ in your body and yet it plays such a big role. If that organ has a problem, big or small, it affects your whole body.

We read about keeping your heart with all diligence. Let’s speak about the spiritual heart now, not the physical one. If your heart is not joined to life, it cannot produce life.

To make it this clear, let me use an illustration that we can understand. If you look at this microphone here: it is situated well, it looks good. But it would be useless, even though it looks so good, if it didn’t have wiring that connects it to the mixer from where it goes to the speakers. It might even be connected properly, but if the electricity supply was cut off and there is no power, it will also be worthless.

If you do not guard your heart from those things that can prevent growth, it won’t have or  produce life.

You may hear someone saying that somebody else has an evil or wicked heart, they have never actually met that person or spoken to them, but because of what he or she has done, they are perceived as being a bad person. In Zulu it is expressed as a person having a wicked heart.

Then, speaking about someone else, they say that person has such a good heart. They have never opened the heart and looked at it, but they recognise the fruit in that person and find a good heart. If your heart is well, alive and healthy, you will bring health to those around you.

Recently we were in India. The minister there told us a story which I would like to relate to you. Remember, if the heart is healthy it will produce life.

The pastor said that in his congregation there is a member who has family here in Phoenix, Durban. That family invited him to come and visit them in South Africa. One day God opened the door, and they came to Phoenix to visit that family.

The family had contacted their own minister when the group from India came and he was present when they all met in Phoenix. The South African minister said that before they leave, he would like to take them to meet someone at Maphumulo. They arranged a  day to drive to KwaSizabantu to meet Rev Stegen, the man whom the minister from Phoenix had wanted to introduce the Indian group to. The person at Reception did not know that Rev Stegen was not here. He called Rev Stegen’s house to tell him that there were visitors from India to see him. The young person answering the phone explained that unfortunately he was not there. However, if the heart is healthy, it produces life. Rev Stegen’s child who had answered the phone call, then phoned Rev Stegen to inform him of the visitors. His response was that he wanted to speak to the visitors on the phone.

The person at Reception didn’t say, why didn’t you inform us earlier. He could have just said, I’m sorry we can’t help you because you didn’t inform us, you didn’t arrange an appointment with Rev Stegen. It could have all ended right there. But that person at Reception phoned the family. The daughter who answered could have just said, sorry I can’t help you, my father is not here – there would have been no mistake in any of that.

But because these people’s hearts were healthy they went the extra mile. Rev Stegen did the same. When he spoke to them on the phone, he apologised that he was not at home and asked whether they could meet the following day at an agreed time. His response was a blessing to the group from Durban and they agreed that they would return the following day as they had not brought any clothes to sleep over.

The following day they returned and met Rev Stegen. Expecting to meet this great and important man, they were overwhelmed by his humility, welcoming and serving them in his own home. Rev Stegen took them on a tour of the mission with his Fortuner. He then said for that reason, when he got back to India, he also bought a Fortuner. He said if other servants of the Lord came to visit he wanted to treat them in the same way. He said, Rev Stegen took the best vehicle he had and drove them all over the farm – that touched his heart deeply.

When Rev Stegen was with them he didn’t preach at them, no, they received that which overflowed from within him. After some time Rev Stegen visited India and the pastor took him to a place they had been wanting to buy for the Lord’s work. Rev Stegen looked at the place, then he prayed with them saying that if God wanted His work to continue in that place, they would receive it, He would supply the finances to buy the property.

As it is very expensive to buy land in India, they were still earnestly praying for the means to purchase the land, but then started to doubt whether it really was God’s will that they buy it. Then they heard that Rev Stegen was not well, and the pastor came to visit him. When he arrived, Rev Stegen’s children welcomed him.

He said, it touched him, that when he got to Rev Stegen, even though he hadn’t seen him for a long time, Rev Stegen remembered him and where he was from. They spoke for a short while and then Rev Stegen asked him about that piece of land which they  had wanted, were they able to obtain it? He answered, ‘No Rev Stegen, we are still praying for finances, we haven’t been able to buy it’. After further discussion, he asked again, have you bought it yet? Repeatedly Rev Stegen turned the discussion to that piece of land. That impressed it upon his (the pastor from India’s) heart that God wanted them to get that land. After his return it still wasn’t possible to buy the land. Rev Stegen then passed away.

We were there in January. There were about 6000 people gathered together and every day they could eat rice – rice that was produced on that piece of land where Rev Stegen had said, ’if God wants to further His Kingdom here, you will get the land’.

They haven’t been able to buy the whole piece of land yet, just a portion, and on it they have been able to grow rice. They still want to buy the rest of that property. Where did all that come from? From a healthy heart. If your heart is healthy, it is alive, and it is well, it won’t only bring health to you, but also to those around you.

Here is this minister from India, he didn’t know Rev Stegen, he met him, received words of life from him, which flowed forth from Rev Stegen and it brought life to them. That is why he said he could trust him and accept his words.

They could see the results of that living water. Why can’t you see it? If your heart is diseased, you won’t see it and you will infect those around you. Tell me, are you guarding your heart? Do you still hold on to that which you have been taught? How do you recognise that you are diseased, if your heart is sick spiritually? It is when you are going back to what you separated from before, you don’t have a boyfried/girlfriend anymore, but you like to hear what others are doing in that line. Maybe you don’t have a cellphone (not that it is wrong to have a phone) but now your heart is drawn to what others are looking at on their phones. You are jealous again, the Lord is not enough  for you anymore. You now begin to criticise, why are things done like this and that? You have allowed those things to enter your heart again and you don’t care anymore.

When your heart was healthy you enjoyed being with others that have hearts filled with life. You liked to get advice from them, but what it is like now when you are with them. Before, you liked to be in their company and get advice from them, but now they are like your enemies.

We have euphemisms for the word hatred because you don’t want to say it: I am just not close to that person, I just don’t feel I need to get close to them, those words are just as bad. Because of your unhealthy diseased heart, you don’t stay away from the unhealthy, you rather stay away from the healthy people.

Even amongst school children, you avoid getting close to strict prefects who apply the Code of Conduct. You rather choose those that are more lenient. In times past you were known for it that there were certain things you couldn’t tolerate, but now you are the one who seeks out those who do those intolerable things. Why? You allowed a blemish in your heart, it has become cancerous and that disease is spreading.

Yes, perhaps you are still coming to God’s house, listening to services, but you are no longer allowing the light to enter. You are there, but there is no life. Before you would not tolerate any small evil thing, but now you don’t care. Thus you block the fountain from which life should come.

If your heart it healthy you will also have compassion on others. Now you don’t feel anything for the next person. Before you had no peace if you saw your brother sinning, but now you say, ‘I am not my brother’s keeper’, and you allow that person to go straight to hell, saying it is none of my business.

It also makes you considerate, if you have a healthy heart. You consider the effect of your words on them. But if your heart is unhealthy you just ride roughshod over others.

Today, if you speak about love, you need to clarify what you mean; nowadays some understand love in a completely different way. If I reprimand my child, that is love, and if he doesn’t want to listen, then I do something to help him listen. It is madness if you speak about love but you do nothing to help others. That is not love. Maybe you say, if I am too strict, I will lose my child. No, sit down with your child and explain to them, this is my house, this is how we do it. However you say, no, we have to love them and allow them to do as they please. Is that love to allow them to carry on in their sin?

But if your heart is healthy, it will be evident. You and those people with you, those who come closer to you, they will be as healthy as you are.

The world is sick, because people’s hearts are unhealthy, even rotten and it will spread in the family, and a father will even rape his own child; an unguarded, evil heart.

Recently we were asked for help, in one of our provinces the authorities were alerted to a problem in schools. Educators, who are supposed to be teaching pupils, were having affairs with learners. Some of those teachers have been charged and arrested and are in jail. Why does this happen? Their hearts are diseased. Now the authorities are urgently arranging a conference to address this bad situation of educators not being faithful in their calling, as parents have entrusted their children to them for their education.

If your heart is not healthy, you will breed and produce rotten eggs. You as a young person defile yourself by masturbation yet claiming your heart is healthy – no, it is rotten.

You find married couples who watch TV and pornography – tell me, is that a sign of a healthy heart? Never! It is a wicked, evil heart. You argue as a couple or as parents, even fight in front of your children and tell us your heart is healthy, you don’t deceive us, you are only deceiving yourself.

Then you criticise your leaders, and you say you are a Christian, but there are believers you love, others you don’t love, that is not a healthy, guarded heart.

If you have been entrusted with a job, maybe a manager of a small group of people, or to care for a car. Does pride take over and you see yourself as so very important and you ​can’t respect the people under you? That was not the spirit that the Indian minister found in Rev Stegen.

Come to Jesus to be cured.

Can your neighbour see Jesus in you? If they see you maybe seated as you are, looking so pious, can they say yes, he/she is like that at home too. Can your work colleagues testify that at work you are the same as at church? Or do they say that in church they look so pious and good, maybe they should just stay in church, because at work they are not like that.

Children if your heart is clean, you won’t fight in the car about where you want to sit, you’ll let others get in first to sit where they prefer. Some children, as the minister is closing in prayer, are getting ready to rush out of church because they just want food, they are not concerned about the sins in their hearts which they should be getting rid of. They are not guarding their hearts.

The Bible says the heart is wicked, even if you go to Sunday school. You must look at your heart, examine it. Even adults rush out of church as soon as the final Amen has been said, instead of dealing with that sin which the Lord convicted you of during the sermon. The end result is death because the fountain that should have been the wellspring of life is clogged up and has stopped flowing.

Michael Ngubane

The message today has been very clear, even a child can understand it.

The heart is wicked above all else, I know mine, you know yours. You know how your heart can lead astray from that which is right. We have been given the solution. Do not be deceived as you were deceived in the past. Guard your heart, cleanse it and serve the Lord with an undivided, forgiven heart.

Rev Stegen would say, you hold it against me that I’m always preaching against sin, well, stop sinning and then I will stop preaching against sin. It is still the way we do it.