The Heart

Week 21 Day 5
1 Kings 10-11; 2 Chronicles 9; Romans 6

1 Kings 11:8
Solomon built such shrines for all his foreign wives to use for burning incense and sacrificing to their gods.

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It was horrible enough for Solomon to intermarry with other nations (v. 2) but not only he disobeyed the Lord in this area, but he also built shrines for his foreign wives to use in offering and sacrificing to their gods. 

What led to all these? 
.. his heart was too fragile - allowed himself to intermarry foreign women; disobeyed the Lord's command not to do so
.. his heart led him to do further things - built shrines for the provision and allowing his women to serve their gods

Bottom line:  Solomon, even with all his wisdom, was still swayed away because of the deception in his heart.  Hence, Jeremiah said:

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,and desperately wicked.Who really knows how bad it is?  Jeremiah 17:9

Lesson to be learned:  "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." Proverbs 4:23

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I learned this the hard way along with a lot of people out there.  This verse in Prov. 4:23 gives me a totally new meaning of what it means to "guard the heart" because "it determines the course of your life." 

When I was hard headed and was following my heart rather than doing what the Word of God says wholeheartedly, I was acting unguardedly - therefore, it determined the course of some issues in my life.  Have I just guarded it securely - walking intimately with God's Word and commands, not swaying from it and not mingling with "foreign" things (ie. things not of God, opposed to God's will, etc), I would have not experienced such heartaches later. 

However, IT IS NOT TOO LATE to change.  There is still hope when we entrust everything to Jesus.  I will guard my heart.  Put the breastplate of righteousness all the time!  Not allowing anything to attack or penetrate beyond those shields of God's Word.

¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  Ephesians 6:14-17

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God is good always!  Lord, please help me to guard my heart by putting on the breastplate of righteousness DAILY.  All for what is righteous, I will set my heart on!  Guide me Lord and even the little things that may see like "I need to do" help me to just entrust it to You.  I know You will carry me through even in the midst of all these chaos that has happened over the past few days.  You are in control and I will trust in You.  Help me to conduct myself in a sure manner; always pleasing and giving back the glory to You alone.  In Jesus' name, amen.