Guarding Our Hearts: From Whom?

By David Ryser & Arla Speer

In the thirty-three years of Jesus’ life on earth, not one time was He ever controlled or manipulated.  Why? Because He never gave anyone access to the place in His life where someone else had the power to control Him.  (Mike Fehlauer).

Over the last few weeks, our ongoing conversation about whether God guards His heart…and what this means for us…has taken on a life of its own.  We discovered fairly early on that flattery is one big thing that Jesus guarded His heart against.  And in guarding His heart from flattery, Jesus was able to resist the pressures put upon Him to become distracted from walking in intimate relationship with the Father and doing the work He was given to do.

Like Jesus, we should guard our hearts against being manipulated by flattery.

And it is equally wrong to give flattery as it is to receive it.

Jesus never flattered anyone at any time.  And there were occasions when a little flattery could have helped Him.  It might even have saved His life.  Jesus didn’t make any powerful and influential friends when He called the religious leaders hypocrites, vipers, blind guides, whitewashed tombs, etc.  Do you suppose Herod was pleased when he heard that Jesus had called him a fox?

I think not.

So what have we concluded about flattery?  First, using flattery to control people is wrong.  Second, using flattery in an attempt to influence God is stupid.  Third, allowing ourselves to be flattered is dangerous.

Jesus guarded His heart against flattery…both receiving and giving it.  So should we.

Jesus guarded His heart against the excessive influence of people in a number of other situations as well.  He always guarded His heart from His enemies.  It’s a relatively easy thing to do.  Your enemies do not wish you well…that’s why they’re called enemies.  But what about your friends?  What about those who love you and have your best interests at heart?  What about those who try to influence you to heed their well-meaning advice for your own good?

Jesus had this problem.

Jesus had to guard His heart from His followers.  In John 2:23, for example, the Bible tells us that many believed in His name while He was at the Passover feast in Jerusalem early in His ministry.  Verses 24 and 25 record Jesus’ curious reaction to this newfound popularity.  John tells us that Jesus did not commit Himself to these followers of His because He knew what was in them.  And what was in them was what is in all men (and women)…including us.

Remember, it was Jesus’ followers…not His enemies…who tried to make Him king on more than one occasion.

Jesus had to guard His heart from his friends.  In Mark 8:27-33, we read of an occasion when Peter received a revelation from God concerning the Person of Jesus.  Jesus praised Peter and then proceeded to reveal to His disciples/friends the work that the Father had given Him to do and the things He would suffer in accomplishing that work.  Out of concern for His well-being, Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him.  Jesus’ response was to strongly scold Peter…even calling him an adversary.

Paul had a day like this also (Acts 21:10-14).  He had to rebuke friends who were admonishing him without knowing God’s will for him.

And what about Job?  He not only had to guard his heart from his friends…he had to guard his heart from his own wife!

Jesus also had to guard His heart from His family.  In Mark 8:20-35, we read of a time when Jesus’ family came to speak to Him because they feared He was losing His mind.  When told that His mother and brothers were asking to see Him, He pointed to those listening to Him and called them His family because they were seeking to do God’s will.

How many times did Jesus have to withdraw Himself from the multitudes in order to spend time alone with the Father?  To clear His mind and His soul from the influence of people… people who loved Him?

And why is it that on the (at least three) occasions where Paul commands believers to avoid certain people (Romans 16:17, 18; 1 Corinthians 5:9-11; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 7, 14, 15), the people they are commanded to keep away from are other Christians?

It was because Jesus found His significance (sense of worth & value) and His security (safety & provision) in His relationship with the Father that He was able to guard His heart from the things and people that would distract Him from either His Father or His work.

We would be well-advised to do the same.

By the way, guarding our hearts is not the same as closing or hardening our hearts.  We can guard our hearts from people and yet care very deeply for them.  How else are we going to speak the truth to one another in love?  To do this, we cannot be overly fearful about causing some discomfort at times.

Guarding our hearts…without hardening them…is especially important in parenting.  Good parents discipline their children with guarded hearts.  So does God.

God guards His heart from His children.  And He commands us to do the same.  Loving parents discipline their children (Proverbs 13:24; 19:18; 22:15; 23:13, 14).  And they discipline their children without undue regard to their whining and crying about it (Proverbs 19:18, KJV).  We all know children who have been destroyed by “soft-hearted” parenting.  We call them “spoiled” for a reason.

So we discipline our children…even when it is hard for us to do so…for their own good.  Children do not always understand why we are training them.  We explain as best we can, according to their capacity to comprehend.  But we train them either way.

And so it is with God.

Being transformed into God’s image is not always…or even usually…pleasant.  It involves facing a lot of things about ourselves that we’d rather not face.  And it requires us to die to ourselves and our own desires when they come into conflict with God’s will and His commands.  We are tempted to cry, whine, and complain when being disciplined by God.  I don’t know about you, but God turns a deaf ear to me when I am upset regarding being disciplined by Him.

I know He hears me.  He just chooses to ignore me.

Because He loves me and is doing what is best for me.  Whether or not I understand what He is doing.  Whether or not I appreciate what He is doing.  Whether or not I approve of what He is doing…or how He is doing it.  I imagine He would prefer that I simply trust Him enough to submit to His discipline without turning into a Drama Queen.  But He loves me enough to work in me…and discipline me…without undue regard for my feelings about it.

God loves and values me so much that occasionally…when necessary…He will guard His heart from me for my own good.

Don’t you just love the way He loves us?

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com