Out Of The Heart

by Chris Simmons

The wise man said in Proverbs 4:23, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” During the days of Solomon, wells of water meant everything to the people and their whole lives depended on keeping their springs of water pure. In like manner, Solomon is telling us that our whole lives depend on keeping our hearts pure. What’s at stake is everything! Our ability to overcome temptation and sin as well as our ability to bear the fruit of righteousness in our lives. The Hebrew word for “watch” or “keep” (ASV, KJV, ESV) in Proverbs 4:23 has the meaning of guarding or protecting as a watchman would. We need to protect our heart from the many ways our adversary would seek to harm. The Lord adds the degree to which we need to guard or protect our hearts by adding the words “with all diligence.” This reinforces the idea of guarding or protecting, as it comes from a Hebrew word referring to a prison guard assigned to a particular post. That’s our divine assignment, to watch, protect, and guard our hearts and minds. Why is this so important?

First, because of the sin and wickedness that can proceed out of the heart. In Matthew 15:18-20 Jesus said, “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.” It is foolish to think that murder, fornication, lying, or any other sin commences at the point of the actual commission the sin. Jesus points our attention to where sin begins: in the heart. Sin (in all its forms) comes “out of the heart.” We battle sin by not allowing the thought to take root in our heart. We must fight the battle in our minds (II Corinthians 10:3-5) by “taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” and being always vigilant to “gird [our] minds for action” (I Peter 1:13). So where does adultery, murder, greed, lust, envy, and such come from? From an unguarded and unprotected heart.

Second, because the righteousness we are to exercise in our lives must also begin in our hearts. Jesus teaches us in Luke 6:45, “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.” We must be careful to not only keep out of our hearts that which will lead to sin but to fill our hearts with that which will “bring forth what is good.” The Greek word for “treasure” literally refers to a storehouse. Thayer says, “The place in which goods and precious things are collected.” The precious things we need to be storing there are the truths of God’s word. That’s why Peter was so focused on his need to “stir you up by way of reminder” so that after he was gone, they would be able to go into the storehouses of their hearts and “call these things to mind” (II Peter 1:12-15). We make deposits into our storehouse when we think on the things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent, and praise worthy (Philippians 4:8). So where do such things as humility, brotherly kindness, modesty, self-control, perseverance, and love come from? They come from the treasures of our heart. If we get our heart right, the fruit will most certainly follow.

The context of Proverbs 4:20-23 helps us to understand some of the practical things we must do to guard our hearts and store up treasure there.

1. Be careful to pay attention to God’s word. In Proverbs 4:20-21 we read, “My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to My sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; keep them in the midst of your heart.” Watching over our hearts must begin with paying attention to what God has said. We read in II Chronicles 33:10 of King Manasseh and “his people” who “paid no attention” to what the Lord said. It’s interesting to note that God said that His word was to be kept in the “midst of your heart.” Not on the fringe, or on the outside but we’re to keep God’s word at the core of our hearts.


2. Be careful what you look at, read, and watch. Solomon says in Proverbs 4:25, “Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.” What we look at, read, and watch will fill our heart or storehouse and plant the seeds of what we will later reap. David said in Psalms 101:2-3, “I will give heed to the blameless way … I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart. I will set no worthless thing before my eyes.” We need to make a covenant with our eyes also (Job 31:1).


3. Be careful where you go. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 4:26, “Watch the paths of your feet and all your ways will be established.” The places we go (and don’t go) play a major role in what fills our heart. If we are to watch over our heart, we will watch where our feet take us. Paul wrote to the Romans (Romans 13:14) of the need to be careful where you go when he said, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lust.”


4. Be careful of deviations from God’s paths. In Proverbs 4:27 we read, “Do not turn to the right nor to the left, turn your foot from evil.” Watching over our hearts must include being consistent to “retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus” (II Timothy 1:13).

We live in a such a sinful world, and face such a relentless adversary, that we need to be continually reminded of the need to both guard and protect our heart from all the sin and wickedness in the world and ensure we invest the time so that we will lay up the treasure in our heart that we will be able to draw from later.